in this scene, but not near as
low as other park streams.
like a fine dirt road than a
trail. Getting around is easy.
mile but it is a 21 mile hike to the
Forney Creek Trail.
trout should be in every few
feet in this stream.
of water makes up most of
the lower end of Hazel.
Description:
Hazel Creek is the most popular stream on the park side of Fontana Lake.
Stream Size:
Hazel Creek is a large stream by Smoky Mountain standards.
Accessibility:
The stream is accessed from Hazel Creek Trail. The closet point of access to cross Fontana Lake is the Cable Cove launch ramp.
Species:
The stream has a good population of both rainbow and brown trout. Brook trout are found in its headwaters and tributary streams. Smallmouth bass are also present in the lower part of the stream.
Average Fish Size:
The average size of the fish in Hazel Creek is probably above average for the park.
Popularity:
This is the most popular stream that requires either a long hike or crossing Fontana Lake. Most anglers fish the lower portion of the stream. The headwaters see little pressure.
Difficulty:
Hazel Creek is not a difficult stream to fish from a casting standpoint. It offers plenty of room in its lower reaches. The fact that it sees more pressure than any of the streams on the park side of Fontana Lake and the fact it has a good population of brown trout doesn’t make fishing any easier.
Tributary Streams:
Hazel Creek has several tributary streams.
Sugar Fork:
Sugar Fork is a small stream tributary of Hazel Creek. It usually has a good population of rainbow trout. Two small tributary streams flow into Sugar Fork, the Haw Gap Branch and Little Sugar Fork. Sugar Fork is located five miles upstream of Fontana Lake. It is accessible from the Sugar Fork Trail. Sugar Fork is near campsite #84.
Bone Valley Creek:
Bone Valley Creek is a small to medium size stream that flows into Hazel Creek. It has rainbows in its lower portion and brook trout in its headwaters. Bone Valley Creek is about five and one-half miles upstream of Fontana Lake. It has several small tributary streams, Defeat Branch, Wooly Branch, Desolation Branch and Roaring Fork. These small tributaries have populations of brook trout.
Walker Creek:
Walker Creek is another small tributary of Hazel Creek that’s only accessible by an unimproved path or by fishing upstream. Most of the trout below the falls are rainbow trout. This stream is about nine miles upstream of Fontana Lake.
Proctor Creek:
Proctor Creek is yet another small stream that flows into Hazel Creek about ten miles upstream of Fontana Lake. It can be accessed from an unimproved trail. The tributary streams of James Creek Branch and Long Creek Cove also offer anglers a chance at its brook trout.
Comments:
Hazel Creek is certainly one of, if not the best trout streams in the park. It has a wide diversity of species and large supply of aquatic insects for the trout to eat. This valley and the creek’s drainage was once the home of several families of mountain people. It was also the site of a huge lumber operation at one time. This damaged the stream in many ways but also, at least from a few standpoints, improved the stream insofar as its ability to support non-native species of fish. The National Park Service transports vehicles across the lake to take family members to visit the graves of their people at certain times of the year.
Copyright 2011 James Marsh
