The Ultimate Fly-Fishing Guide to the Smoky Mountains. Greg Ward
research, there is general consensus that the brook trout of the Smokies (in fact, southern Appalachian brook trout found south of the New River in Virginia) are genetically different than those same fish found north of this dividing line. Since the 1990s a number of studies are in general agreement that brook trout of southern Appalachia are indeed genetically unique. Pure southern-strain brook trout do exist, and in some locales are doing remarkably well. Where northern brook trout have been introduced, and in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park this covers nearly all watersheds, northern-strain brookies and southern-strain/northern-strain hybrids are common. According to some sources, it is not uncommon for northern-and southern-strain brookies to occupy the same waters.
In an ongoing effort to make sure confusion rules supreme in Bedlam, the latest DNA detective work supposes that not only are the specs of the south unique, but that indeed some streamsheds in the Smokies have brook trout populations different even within this microcosm. There is considerable debate regarding just about everything in connection with the future of the southern brook trout. Their average life expectancy is three years or less, which does not work to their advantage. Whether or not they are being assaulted more these days by factors such as acid rain and global warming, two suggestions I personally do not buy into, is a matter of enlightened conjecture. Pressure from rainbow and brown trout is the primary problem. Citing their desire to save the brook trout of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the National Park Service may ultimately need to take more aggressive management approaches.
The Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)
THE VERY NAME OF THIS FISH rings out with a surge of raw energy and beauty. The rainbow trout is well known for unsurpassed fighting ability, arching leaps, and superb eating quality. A powerful downstream run by one of these fish that rips the line from your reel will make you feel as if your heart is trying to bypass your Adam’s apple.
The rainbow trout’s original range extended from California to Bristol Bay in Alaska. This fish prefers fast, oxygenated water. Recognizable by its silvery flanks slashed with scarlet and its greenish back, the rainbow trout is a beautiful fish. Predominantly an insect eater, particularly in the streams of the Smokies, the rainbow will, however, strike spinners and minnow imitations with gusto.
Rainbow trout from the Sierra Mountains of California were shipped to Michigan in 1878. In a few years the adaptable Western natives were providing blue-ribbon fishing in a number of Michigan rivers. Anglers from across the eastern part of the country sought the highly touted rainbow to replace the quickly diminishing brook trout. Rainbows are easily reared in hatcheries, but they were discontented in small streams when suitable habitat in larger waters was open to them. The wanderlust problem is of little concern to fisheries personnel in the southern Appalachian Mountains, where fish are confined to small streams and rivers (except for the existence of a few high-elevation impoundments).
Rainbow trout spawn in spring, with runs normally in February. An interesting change has been observed recently in southern rainbows, with a few fish spawning in the fall. I have caught rainbows from the West Prong of the Little Pigeon in October and early November that were decked out in dark spawning hues and full of roe.
The exact date and site of the first stocking of rainbow trout in the Smokies is not known. There is some contention that landowners stocked them in Abrams Creek in 1900, though no records were kept. At least a portion of the original stock of rainbow trout came from California. However, from where, by whom, and when rainbow entered individual watersheds in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park is at best enlightened conjecture. Today, the rainbow trout is the dominant game fish in the park, having extended its range into every stream system.
Most fish average 7 inches in length and generally do not top 9 inches. However, an occasional 12-to 16-inch rainbow is taken. On rare days, 3-to 4-pound fish are caught. Spawning runs from impoundments (Fontana, Cheoah, and Chilhowee Lakes) often bring large fish upstream for short periods of time, but this usually occurs from late December through February. While it is a misnomer, some locals call this a “steelhead” run, similar to the famous one during the 1950s and 1960s up Doe Creek from Watauga Lake over 100 miles north of the Finger Lakes of the Smokies.
It is a bit ironic that a century ago the spunky little stream trout brought here saved sport fishing in the Smokies but is now reviled by the NPS as an unwelcomed interloper exotic species. As much as I love the specs, the ’bow is still welcomed by me.
The Brown Trout (Salmo trutta)
THE BROWN TROUT was brought to this country from Germany in 1883. Eggs shipped across the Atlantic arrived at a New York hatchery, where they were hatched and planted in local waters. Brown trout stock from Scotland arrived the following year. Fish from the German strain were called German browns or Von Behr trout, and those from Scotland were known as Loch Leven browns. For a number of years, records listed the two fish individually. Today, however, all Salmo trutta in this country are referred to as simply brown trout.
Brown trout were introduced into the Tennessee Valley in 1900. Browns in excess of 25 pounds have been caught in this region; the largest brown known to have been taken in the park was a respectable 16-pounder. A 32-inch 15-pounder was taken in October, 2009 by a client angler, according to Steve Claxton, whose guide service is based out of Bryson City. Although browns were never officially stocked in the Smokies, downstream waters were stocked by both Tennessee and North Carolina fish-and-game agencies in the 1950s. Browns began to appear in the waters of the park as early as the 1940s, and by the 1970s brown trout occupied more than 50 miles of park waters.
Brown trout are primarily insect eaters, with adult mayflies being their favorite food. Frederic M. Halford, the famous English angling writer, wrote of the feeding habits of the brown trout: “The nymphs are the brown trout’s beef, and the adult mayfly his caviar.” A carnivorous creature, the brown will use everything in a stream, from tiny plankton to an occasional brother or sister. In park streams, larger members of this clan are nocturnal feeders. The best time to tie into a big brown in the Smokies is at dusk or dawn, or immediately after a rain.
The brown trout can be distinguished by its generally brownish-yellow color with orange spots on the sides—although a few are sometimes a silvery tan with dark brown spots. Brown trout prefer slower water than do rainbows, but have been taken in fast waters up to 4,500 feet in elevation in park streams. They spawn in fall.
There is a simple reason brown trout grow larger in the waters of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The secret is their habitat preference compared to that of a rainbow trout. Browns are predators, more comparable to a large snake or lion, and feed only on large items. After feeding, they then retire to digest their prey while remaining inactive. Rainbows are like chickadees, constantly flirting with the current for food, eating only slightly more than it takes to sustain their bulk. The energy saved by the brown trout is channeled to growth, not day-to-day survival.
The Smallmouth Bass (Micropterus dolomieui)
RIPPING, CARTWHEELING SURFACE antics are Mr. Smalljaw’s calling card. This well-muscled fish’s strength is overshadowed only by its courageous determination to be free and its no-nonsense, aggressive disposition.
The smallmouth bass is a member of the Centrarchidae family of sunfish. Among the thousands who identify themselves as “bass fishermen,” this fighter is their passion, the thing from which sweet dreams are made. The lower reaches of many streams in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park are prime bronzeback country. Recognizing this, the legislature made the smallmouth bass the official fish of the state of Tennessee.
The controversial, world-record smallmouth bass, which weighed 11 pounds, 15 ounces, was caught in Dale Hollow Lake in Tennessee in 1955. Actually, the fish was caught so close to the Kentucky state line that both states claim it. Being a good Volunteer State resident, however, I’ll go with the home team!
The presence of smallmouth bass in the streams of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park comes as a shock to many, including a few lifelong trouters in the region. However, these marvelous game fish, as well as rock bass and even a few largemouth bass, are found in these streams. It is a bit