GUIDED FLY
FISHING: Wade Trips
Smoky Mountains
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is one of the few wild trout
sanctuaries in the United States. With elevations up to 6643
feet, heavy canopy to keep streams cool and ample rainfall
to maintain ideal water levels, the Park boasts over 700 miles
of fishable trout water within its Tennessee and North Carolina
boundaries.  Native brook trout still reside in a number of
these high elevation streams with abundant wild brown and rainbow
trout calling the lower stretches home. Introduced in the logging
days, rainbow and brown trout joined the brookies through various
means of stocking. After the formation of the national park,
the Park Service continued to stock some of the more heavily
fished streams, but ceased all stocking of rainbows and browns
in 1974. They have flourished ever since, making Great Smoky
Mountains National Park a wild trout “sanctuary” – a
rarity in the U.S. and one-of-a-kind in the southeast. The
National Park Service continues their efforts in restoring
the native brook trout back to prominence and their abundance
and range should only increase in coming years.
There are various types and sizes of water to fish in the Park
that can challenge the most experienced of anglers and provide
the perfect classroom for the beginner. However, with the rugged,
rocky stream beds and often fast moving water, wading can be
fatiguing, so we do discourage anglers who are not in good physical
condition from many of these trips. Depending on the destination,
these streams can be accessed by car and/or trail. Also depending
on the destination, we offer half day, full day, and overnight
trips to these streams. Listed below are descriptions of some
of our more popular trips.
If you are hoping for a “grip and grin” photo of
that trout that could barely fit in the net, the Park is not
the place for you. While brown trout exceeding 20” do exist
in the Smokies, they are not caught frequently. Trout in the
6” to 12” range are what will most likely be caught
here. However, if you are looking for challenging, wild trout
that will often take dry flies in one of the most beautiful and
unique environments in the world, you will love this experience!
These are my favorite streams in the world and the reason I moved
to and stayed in Tennessee.
Little River: We fish the east,
middle, and west prongsof this now well known trout river. The
east prong is generally referred to as “Little River.” It
is the largest ofthe three prongs, and contains a mixture of
rainbow and brown trout from its headwaters, approximately 8
miles above Elkmont Campground, to “The Sinks,” just 8 miles below Elkmont. Below “The
Sinks,” trout can still be found but their population decreases
significantly and they are joined by other such fish as smallmouth
and rock bass. The east prong is joined by the middle and west
prongs at the “Y’ in Townsend and flows out of the
Park through Townsend, Walland, and Maryville, and ultimately
into the Tennessee River in Knoxville.
A road follows it all the way from Townsend to Elkmont, providing
easy access at multiple pull-offs. An old logging road serves
for easy trail access from Elkmont up to near its headwaters.
 The Middle Prong is often referred to as “Tremont” by
local anglers due as much to the current location of the Tremont
Institute on its banks, as to the name of the now non-existent
logging town. The Middle Prong has mixed paved and gravel road
access from its junction with West Prong about 5 miles up where
it is formed by the junction of Lynn Camp Prong and Thunderhead
Prong. A split trail continues from this point allowing hiking
access to these two backcountry fisheries. Ease of access makes
the Middle Prong subject to heavier angling pressure, but its
abundance of feisty rainbows and potential for large brown trout
make it a worthy destination.
The West Prong is the smallest of the three and has no known
population of brown trout. Small rainbows are the primary inhabitants
of this stream, but their enthusiastic willingness to take a
dry fly make this a really fun destination. Its lower stretches
are followed for a few miles by the heavily traveled Laurel Creek
Road but the majority of this stream is backcountry, with no
trail following it – only a couple of points of intersection.
Abrams Creek: This much fabled stream has two
access points. The lower end is accessed in Happy Valley near
its entry into Chilhowee Lake, and the upper end is accessed
in the very popular Cades Cove. The heaviest population of trout,
and consequently the best fishing, is from Abrams Falls up to
Cades Cove. Accessing the trailhead requires a trip on the Cades
Cove Loop Road: a one lane, thirteen mile scenic road providing
gorgeous scenery, abundant wild life, and nightmare traffic.
The trailhead is about halfway around the loop
and grants access to approximately 2 ½ miles of
wonderful and challenging trout water. There is also a spring
creek-like stretch of Abrams Creek
that flows through the meadows of Cades Cove and provides better
than average winter and early spring fishing. Lower Abrams Creek
also has the potential for good winter and early spring fishing.
It’s always a gamble, but at times, large rainbow trout
from Chilhowee Lake will make their way into the mouth, and on
up into the lower stretches of Abrams Creek. During warmer times
of the year, populations of smallmouth and rock bass are more
prevalent in this stretch of water.
Deep Creek: This is one of my absolute favorite
creeks anywhere. Deep Creek is located on the North Carolina
side of the National Park. Originating near the highest peak
in the Smoky Mountains it runs hard for about 15 miles before
meeting up with the Tuckasegee in Bryson City. This is a great
brown trout stream with an abundance of rainbows and a few brook
trout as well. We access this stream a couple of different ways.
The easiest is to drive to the campground on the lower section
of the creek. During the cooler months the fishing can be very
good right by the campground. However, during the warmer months,
the campground and the first half mile of trail above the campground
is habitat for tubers. But a short walk beyond this tubing access
will  immediately yield some great trout water. The trail is moderate
and continues to follow the creek for another several miles up
near its headwaters. The other way we access this stream is by
hiking down into the headwaters from another trail. This beautiful
stretch of stream containing all three types of Smoky Mountain
trout gives an angler a rare opportunity at the “Smoky Mountain grand slam,” all
from the same stretch of water. Make no mistake about it though,
this is a grueling hike back out and is recommended for only
the fittest of anglers! Also, be aware that if you choose this
headwater trip, you will be in an extremely remote area that
is very much bear country. The Deep Creek trip can be done as
a full day trip and is offered as an overnight trip.
Other Smokies Trips: There are a number of other streams that
we fish in the Smokies that are not listed here. Some we don’t
fish as much because they take longer to reach, some we don’t
fish as much because they might only be good at certain water
levels, and some we simply don’t want to list on this web
site because they’re uncrowded and we want to keep it that
way! We may recommend one of these other streams should conditions
warrant, or our guests are always welcome to request a particular
stream, even if it’s not listed above.
Cherokee National Forest
The Cherokee National Forest stretches from Bristol all the way
to Chattanooga and is divided into two sections by Great Smoky
Mountains National Park. At over 640,000 acres, it is the largest
tract of public land in the state of Tennessee. We primarily
fish the southern half, from the National Park to Chattanooga.
With more miles of streams than most people could fish in a
lifetime and a mixture of wild and hatchery fish, there is
no shortage of opportunities and options in this area.
Tellico: Located in southeastern Tennessee near Tellico Plains,
the Tellico and its tributaries provide some of the finest trout
fishing in the state. We primarily fish the Tellico upstream
from the entrance of Turkey Creek. There is a nice mix of rainbow
and brown trout in this stream that contains a combination of
wild and hatchery fish. The Tellico River Road follows the river
for almost its entirety, providing easy access to the river.
The convenient access, the abundance of large fish, and legality
of fishing live bait on this river make it a popular destination,
especially during the summer. Stream traffic is significantly
lighter in the spring and fall, and with a section now managed
under “delayed harvest” regulations, it is one of
our better winter trips.
 North River: This tributary of the Tellico is also easy to access
with a forest service road running beside it for several miles.
The North River is slightly smaller than the Tellico and so are
its fish. It is a completely wild trout fishery and only artificial
lures are permitted. All of these factors result in fewer people.
Also containing a mix of rainbows and browns, this is a terrific
little stream with a lot of different types of water. The fish
are a little more forgiving (sometimes) than those in the Park
and are a little bigger on average. With plenty of challenging
stretches for the experienced angler, this is also a great place
to get introduced to fishing mountain streams.
Bald River: Another
tributary to the Tellico, Bald River dramatically enters the
Tellico downstream from the North River by cascading over 100
feet. Bald River Falls is quite breathtaking and a popular tourist
stop. Above the falls, things get even better. By hiking a short,
but rather steep trail to the top of the falls, you enter Bald
River Gorge. With so much easily accessed water nearby, the Bald
River receives very little pressure until you make your way to
Holly Flats, where a forest service road does make its acquaintance.
Bald River is similar in size to North River and like the North,
is strictly a wild trout fishery. The size of the trout is also
similar, with the Bald possibly, slightly edging out the North
in bigger fish. The big difference between these two, however,
is that one is more remote than the other.
Citico: Also
in this same vicinity is Citico Creek. More or less, Citico is
a smaller version of the Tellico. It, like the Tellico, contains
wild trout but is also hatchery supported. This factor increases
the chances of catching larger fish, but it also brings a few
more people to the stream. Citico Creek, like Tellico, has a
road that follows it for almost its entirety and, like Tellico,
bait fishing is permitted. All and all, this is a great little
creek, but it can get crowded. We definitely recommend avoiding
this one on the weekends.
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