to cast in. The stream depends
on the trees to keep its water
cool because much of the
stream is in the lower elevations.
ambush point for trout because
they channels all of the food into
a narrow lane.
bordered by a road making
access very easy. This makes it
a very popular stream with
anglers. You must hike in to fish
the tributaries of the stream.
from the Middle Prong during
the Quill Gordon hatch
stream of the Middle Prong.
This is the best place to be after
the month of May.
attraction of the Middle Prong.
the Middle Prong.
size rainbow for this stream.
Description:
The Middle Prong of the Little River is locally referred to as “Tremont”. It’s a beautiful, small to medium size trout stream. The stream is formed by the confluence of two small tributary streams, Thunderhead Prong and Lynn Camp Prong. Both of these streams can be accessed from the trailhead located at the end of the road that follows the Middle Prong for its entire length. The Middle Prong consist of the run – riffle – pool type water mixed with broken pocket water.
Stream Size:
The Middle Prong in comparison to the other streams in the park is a small to medium size stream, depending on where you are taking a measurement.
Accessibility:
The lower portion is followed by a paved road for the first couple of miles. It changes to a dirt road after that and continues to follow the stream closely for the next two miles. During the warmer parts of the year, the portion of the stream above the paved section of road offers the best trout fishing. We recommend you select another destination during the hottest part of the summer because the entire Middle Prong is situated at a relative low elevation.
Most years, the Middle Prong has a very good population of rainbows and some brown trout. Like many of the park’s streams, the uppermost portion of its headwaters are inhibited by brook trout. The lower part of the stream contains most of the brown trout population. The farther upstream you go, the less likely it is you will catch a brown. This is predominately a rainbow trout stream.
Average Fish Size:
Rainbows are as large in the Middle Prong as they are in most of the park’s streams. Rather large browns have been caught in the lower part of the stream, so be aware of that it’s possible to hook a trout much larger than you may think exist in this small stream. Rather large smallmouth bass have also been caught in the lower part of the stream.
Popularity:
This stream is heavily fished during the peak fishing season or we should say during the most popular times of the season. The peak fishing season is not always the most popular fishing season. The reason that the fly fishing is popular in the Middle Prong is two fold. One, the stream is located very near Townsend, Tennessee and easily accessed. Two, you will rarely see a tuber on the Middle Prong. The nearby main part of Little River or the East Prong, is much more popular for tubers.
Difficulty:
This medium size stream is not especially difficult to fish. Much of the stream has tree limbs that completely overhang the water and casting can be difficult, so fly-fishing can be tough in that regard. The gradient of the stream is average or low to medium when compared to other streams making it fairly easy to move around in the stream. In the upper portions of the stream, or its tributaries (above the road) the gradients increase considerably.
Tributary Streams:
Headed upstream, Spruce Flats Branch is the first tributary stream of the Middle Prong. Two main tributary streams, Thunderhead Prong and Lynn Camp Prong, form the Middle Prong of the Little River. They join just above the parking area at the end of the road.
Spruce Flats Branch:
Spruce Flats Branch is a very small tributary that enters the Middle Prong about three and a half miles upstream. It’s accessible from the Spruce Flats Branch trail which starts near its confluence with the Middle Prong.
Thunderhead Prong:
The Thunderhead Prong is one of the two tributary streams that form the Middle Prong. Most of the trout in Thunderhead Prong are rainbows. Access the stream is from a trail that follows the small stream closely for the first mile. At that point the stream is joined by Sam’s Creek and the trail follows Sam’s from there on. Above Sam’s Creek you will have fish by wading upstream. Most of the trout are rainbows.
Sam’s Creek:
Sam’s Creek is a very small tributary of the Thunderhead Prong. It’s located almost a mile above the confluence of Thunderhead Prong and the Lynn Camp Prong. The stream can be accessed from the trail that follows it. Sam’s Creek has been restored by the park and is now inhibited by only brook trout.
Lynn Camp Prong:
Lynn Camp Prong is a small stream that together with Thunderhead Prong forms the Middle Prong of Little River. Most of its trout were previously rainbows and are now all brook trout. Lynn Camp Prong is accessible from the Middle Prong Trail. It and its tributaries are currently closed to fishing from the confluence of Thunderhead Prong upstream for brook trout restoration.
Indian Flats Prong:
Indian Flats Prong is a very small tributary stream of Lynn Camp Prong. It’s accessible from the Middle Prong trail where it joins Lynn Camp Prong about two and a half miles above the trailhead. It’s currently closed to fishing for restoration work.
Panther Creek:
Panther Creek is a very small tributary stream of Lynn Camp Prong that’s located several miles upstream. It’s also closed.
Comments:
The Middle Prong is a very popular fly fishing destination in the park for several good reasons. It’s a beautiful stream that can be accessed very easy and it provides excellent fishing even though the pressure is as great as anywhere in the park.
Copyright 2011 James Marsh
