and good water levels in all of the
freestone streams in the park. It’s
a great time to fly fish. There are
lots of aquatic insect hatches.
catching trout on this beautiful April
morning. It is better to just stop and
think than it is to just tie on another
fly. A hour later, the Quill Gordons
begin to hatch and I was able to
catch over twenty trout in just over
two hours of fishing. Normally, I can
catch them on the Quill Gordon
nymph in the mornings before they
hatch. This day I had spent too
much time in unproductive water
before the hatch. They do not hatch
any and everywhere, only certain
parts of a stream.
Many anglers, especially those new to the area, want specific suggestions on where they should fish. The following is a month by month list of suggestions as to where you should fish in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Keep in mind that you can catch trout in any of the streams in the park. Our stream section provides a lot of information about each of the major streams. This is just a short cut list of suggested streams and areas of the streams for various times of the year round season.
April:
April is a prime fly fishing month in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Hatches of aquatic insects will occur in larger numbers this month more than any other time of the year. Water temperatures will be great just about anywhere except the highest elevations early in the month. For a specific recommendation, you want go wrong fishing Straight Fork Creek or Deep Creek on the North Carolina side of the park or Little River above the sinks as far upstream as Elkmont on the Tennessee side.
May:
May is another great month to fish the park. Your options are just about anywhere you want to fish from the lowest to the highest elevations. Hatches will continue to be heavy (for the Smokies) for most of the month.
Any stream would work for you but I wouldn’t fish the very lowest elevations. I would start at the mid elevations. If you want brook trout, go higher. If you want a specific recommendation then I would suggest Hazel Creek on the North Carolina side and the Middle Prong of Little Pigeon River on the Tennessee Side of the park. Of course many other streams are also fine choices for May.
June:
The month of June brings along some hot weather, especially during the later part of the month. You could fish any stream from the mid to the highest elevations and do good this month. Avoid the lower elevations. The brook trout will be in full gear this month in the small, high elevation streams. For a specific recommendation, fish the West Prong of Little Pigeon River off highway #441 downstream of the Chimney Picnic area for 3 or 4 miles. There are several walkways leading to the river. On the North Carolina Side, try Cataloochee Creek. It is one of the finest streams in the park.
Copyright 2011 James Marsh
rainbow trout that fell for a “Perfect
Fly” American March Brown Dun.
They are a very common mayfly in
the Smokies.
Deep Creek near Bryson City,
North Carolina. It’s one of the
better streams in the park.
spook the trout in the run close to
the bank she’s fishing.