Eagle Creek Watershed - Fly Fishing Smoky Mountains

**Angie caught this little brown**
on her 3rd cast on her first trip
there.

Angie caught this rainbow
on her 7th or 8th cast. The
fish were active that day.

Even when other streams in the
park had low water, this one
was moving along well from
recent rain. Eagle Creek may
have had an isolated
thunderstorm in its headwaters.

**Eagle Creek** can easily be
reached from the marina
straight across the lake.

**Most of Eagle Creek** consist of
pocket water.

Description:
Eagle Creek flows into Fontana Lake in North Carolina a short distance above the dam. It’s almost straight across the lake from Fontana Marina.

Stream Size:
The size of this stream ranges from small to medium size.

Accessibility:
Eagle Creek is only accessible by making a five mile hike or by crossing Fontana Lake. Once there, access is gained from the Eagle Creek Trail.

Species:
The trout are mostly rainbows. A few brown trout are also present. There are brook trout in its headwaters and some tributary streams. Smallmouth bass are found in the lower portion of the stream.

Average Fish Size:
The size of the average fish found in Eagle is about average for the park.

Popularity:
Due to its close proximity to Hazel Creek, and the fact you either have to cross the Fontana Lake or make a long hike to get to Eagle Creek, it’s not a popular fishing destination.

Difficulty:
Eagle Creek fishes about as good as any stream in the park.

Tributary Streams:
Eagle Creek has a few small tributary streams.

Pinnacle Creek:
Pinnacle Creek is a small tributary of Eagle Creek. The steam contains rainbow trout. It’s the first tributary stream located about a mile upstream of Fontana Lake. It can be accessed via the Pinnacle Creek Trail. Campsites #88 and #90 are nearby.

Ekaneetlee Creek:
Ekaneetlee Creek is only fishable from the stream. There are no trails to access the stream from. The stream contains rainbows in its lower portion and brook trout in its headwaters. It’s located about two miles upstream of the lake. Campsite #89 is nearby.

Tub Mill Creek:
Eagle Creek is formed by the confluence of Tub Mill Creek and Gunna Creek about five miles upstream of the lake. Tub Mill contains rainbow trout and brook trout. Tub Mill has two small tributary streams that contains brook trout.

Gunna Creek:
Gunna Creek flows together with Tub Mill Creek to start Eagle Creek. It has both rainbow and brook trout. It has a couple of very small tributary streams that contains brook trout.

Comments:
While we could not necessarily recommend Eagle Creek over nearby Hazel Creek, we certainly wouldn’t blame anyone for going there to fish. It’s an excellent creek in all respects. At certain times of the year when Hazel is a little crowded, it could possibly be a better choice.