The Ultimate Fly-Fishing Guide to the Smoky Mountains. Greg Ward
with large numbers of both brook and rainbow trout, in an effort to provide park visitors with “quality” fishing. Rearing stations were operated at the Chimneys, Tremont, Cades Cove, and on Kephart’s Prong. Today, the Smokies offer fine sport fishing for rainbow and brown trout. Fishing for brook trout was sharply curtailed in 1975 when a large number of brook trout streams were closed to all fishing, and it then became illegal to kill a brook trout.
This area is rich in tradition and fishing tales. When tramping down the banks of these streams, it is always interesting to wonder what happened along these trails in previous years.
chapter 3
About Those Creeks
THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A TYPICAL POOL, run, or glide in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, much less a typical stream. One of the truly great things about fly-fishing here is the virtually infinite variety of angling challenges and opportunities found among the 733 miles of fishable streams in the national park. Frankly, that variety has astonished every one of the hundreds of anglers I have guided on fly-fishing trips over the last quarter of a century.
Streams in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park can be broken down into five general categories, with single streams often containing all categories as they progress from their headwaters to their ending points, or where they leave the park. The five are small rivers; medium-size, low-gradient streams; medium-size, high-gradient streams; small, high-gradient streams; and “brush” creeks.
The park has several small, river-sized streams. These include the lower reaches of the Oconaluftee River, Little River, and Abrams Creek. These differ dramatically from headwater rills. Gradient and flow volume are the key differences, although, as a rule, the farther downstream the pH of a stream is measured, the higher it is, thus the more fertile it becomes. Flow rates vary from season to season, and especially during exceptionally rainy weather or dry weather. For example, the average flow rate of Little River is 200 to 400 cubic feet of water per second. During rainy weather this can more than double, while in droughts such as were experienced in 2007 and 2008, dwindle to 70 cubic feet of water per second.
Small river-like streams in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park share several common characteristics. They are wide in many places; these flows spread out shallowly in areas up to 200 feet wide over river slicks and bedrock. These spots are dotted with pocket waters that usually hold trout throughout the year, and in most instances hold smallmouth bass and rock bass. These streams also hold the largest percentage of long, slow pools with bottoms of fine gravel and sand that appear to be custom-made for fly-fishing the last hour of the day, when duns are most common. These waters also boast a sprinkling of plunge pools, with examples of the most extreme being Abrams Falls and the Sinks on the Little River. Another characteristic of the park’s small rivers is that the trees found along each side of these flows rarely meet to form a complete canopy over the stream. Solar energy striking the streambed is conducive to the productivity of stream-borne insects and to the food chain in general.
A significant portion of the largest trout and bass found in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park populate these small river reaches. This is usually because these streams provide larger trout with more “elbow room,” and they also offer a greater quantity and variety of forage than smaller, higher-elevation streams. These large streams also provide fly-fishermen with the greatest opportunities to use a variety of techniques to catch trout and bass. Casts of 100 feet or longer are possible on some stretches and pools; although, to be honest, the short-line method of fishing is usually more effective than “gold medal style” distance casting.
The medium-size, low-gradient stream covers the lower reaches of streams such as Eagle Creek, Hazel Creek, Hurricane Creek, or Panther Creek. These streams resemble scaled-down versions of the previously mentioned small rivers. They average 14 to 30 feet wide, and more often than not the overstory of trees meets over the creeks to form a shading canopy during summer. Medium-size, low-gradient streams usually have pH levels very comparable to those of the low-elevation small rivers. The average pH in these waters is 7.2 to 7.8. These streams typically host outstanding populations of caddis flies and mayflies, but in many instances are not the best producers of stone flies.
Medium-size, low-gradient streams offer their best fly-fishing for trout in winter and spring. These streams tend to warm during the summer, and early-autumn trout will migrate upstream where higher elevations provide cooler habitat and the faster flow increases the level of dissolved oxygen. During hot weather, though, many of these streams offer outstanding, but largely overlooked, opportunities to catch smallmouth bass on a fly rod by using hair bugs.
In the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, medium-size, high-gradient streams comprise a significant portion of my favorite fly-fishing waters. This type can be in the upper reaches of the two previously noted classifications of water, or it can be a major watershed such as Big Creek. In terms of size, these streams are nearly identical to the medium-size, low-gradient streams, although it is far more common for these waters to constrict to a mere few feet when they wash between large boulders. One of the biggest differences fly-fishermen will note is the high rate of flow in these waters, which often feature staircase-like series of plunge pools connected by swift, shallow runs that occasionally terminate in large, deep pools.
Such fast-flowing waters usually have heavy overstory canopies. More often than not, these streams tumble rapidly over massive “graybacks” (a nickname given to stream boulders by the locals) as they rush down the steep sides of the Smoky Mountains. The best time to fly-fish many of these waters is from late spring through early autumn, when many trout migrate upstream to take advantage of the cooler temperatures and the higher levels of dissolved oxygen the rushing ripples and cascades inject into the water.
Average pH levels on medium-size, high-gradient streams vary considerably, from 6.8 to 7.4 (7.0 is neutral) on some streams, to a low 6.0 to 6.4 on a few others. In the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, these streams are fairly decent producers of prime trout foods such as mayflies, caddis flies, and stone flies. Some of the best hatches of the eastern salmonfly (Pternarcys), the largest stone fly found in park waters, and the giant golden stone fly (Aconeuria) occur on these waters. Mayflies are also common in these waters, especially those such as the Epeorus (which includes the Quill Gordon), which demand unpolluted, highly oxygenated water to thrive.
Fishing quality is good to excellent on virtually all of these streams. Rainbows are the primary quarry found here, but large brown trout often rule large pools, and brook trout are not as rare in some waters as many might have you believe. My all-time favorite method of fly-fishing streams in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (standing in a downstream plunge pool and fishing the pool immediately above it at eye level) can be practiced with the consistency of daily sunrises on many stretches of the medium-size, high-gradient streams.
Small, high-gradient streams are scaled-down versions of the aforementioned larger, high-gradient flows. Examples of this type of water are Walker Prong, Ramsey Fork, and the upper reaches of Eagle Creek. These streams include the upper reaches of the majority of the primary streams noted in this guidebook. Primary differences include less flow volume, and, in many instances, lower pH levels, which result in lower fertility. The latter translates to fewer pounds of trout per surface.
With the exception of the deep plunge pools that are found periodically along these streams, the depth of the water is rarely more than knee-deep. Stream widths vary from 4 to 20 feet. Flow rates are “super charged,” with long, slow pools rarely being found, although they do occur. Quarries in these streams vary from the primary species, the rainbow trout, followed by the brook trout as well as a few brown trout.
Small, high-gradient streams offer trout cool sanctuary during hot weather, but this is also when they are at their lowest flow volume. These waters can be difficult to fish when flow levels are low, as trout tend to stack up in placid pools that not only require precision casting under often difficult-to-negotiate, dense forest canopies, but also demand delicate presentation. Spring is a great time to fly-fish these waters. Another outstanding time to “go high” is during the summer, when rainy weather has made downstream reaches in the park difficult to fly-fish. Rain runoff occurs quickly in the Smokies, and the first water to hit ideal flow levels is always