By James Marsh
Cataloochee Creek is located in one of the most unique areas of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It lies in the northern part, not really close to anything. Maggie Valley is the closest area of any population. Traveling there takes some time and requires traveling over gravel roads in some areas. It lies in a secluded valley that was once home to several families of mountain folks.
It is now the main area where Elk have been introduced into the park. There are some large meadows in an area (something not common in the park) where they can often be spotted. It is also close to an area of water where it is possible to catch a âgrand slamâ consisting of a rainbow, brook and brown trout. The park maintains a nice campground there where anglers can stay without having to travel in and out of the valley on a daily basis to fish.
Most of the creek, and its main tributaries, consist of typical fast moving, pocket water but there are sections of the main creek that have smooth, moderate flowing water. That makes it a little more difficult to catch trout, but it also provides a different habitat for some of the crawler mayflies that are not nearly as plentiful in the other fast water streams.
Seasons: The season is open year-round and trout can be taken year-round.
Spring: Spring is certainly the best time for dry fly fishing because thatâs when most of the hatches take place.
Summer: The hot summer rarely gets the water too warm for good fishing, thanks to its excellent tree cover and elevation. Brook trout fishing in its small tributaries is excellent during the summer.
Fall: Fall is certainly the most beautiful time to fish Cataloochee Creek. Itâs also big brown trout time.
Winter: It is very possible to catch fish throughout most of the winter and fishing is sometimes very good.
Fly Fishing Guide to Cataloochee Creek
Fly fishing Cataloochee Creek first requires a decision on the kind of trout you want to try to catch. The smaller, fast water streams in the upper section of the valley and lower mountains, from which they drain, provide the easiest places to catch trout. Small rainbows are especially plentiful there along with the brook trout in many areas. Cataloochee Creek has several tributary streams including Palmer Creek, which is one of the larger ones. Browns, rainbows and brook trout exist in its lower section. It has a small tributary steam with brook trout named Pretty Hollow Creek, a very appropriate name. Another one if its tributaries is Lost Bottoms Creek. It has some rainbows in its lower section and plenty of brook trout upstream, a short ways.
Caldwell Fork is a small tributary stream that flows into Cataloochee Creek near the campground. It has a population of brown, rainbow and brook trout. Den Branch, McKee Branch, and Double Gap Branch are all very small tributary streams of Caldwell Fork. Rough Fork is another major tributary stream to Cataloochee Creek. Part of this stream runs through beautiful meadows and part of it through hardwood forest. Most of its trout are rainbows. Little Cataloochee Creek is another tributary stream. It is a medium to small sized stream with brown, rainbow and brook trout. The stream has several tributary streams that form its main portion. Coggins Branch, Conrad Branch, and Andy Branch join the Little Cataloochee Creek. These streams have mostly small rainbow trout. Correll Branch and Woody Branch, both tributary streams, have brook trout. I hope you get the idea that there are plenty of places to fish.
Many anglers choose to fish the fast water runs and riffles with generic and attractor dry flies or nymphs, and they will catch some trout particularly in the fast water. We prefer to fish specific imitations of whatâs the most available food at the time or what is hatching. The best procedure in our opinion is to study the hatch section of this site and the Smoky Mountain National Park hatch chart linked on our introductory page and select the flies to use based on that.
When the dry fly doesnât seem to produce, trout can normally be caught by âhigh stickinâ nymphs. This is a method that requires getting close to the area you intend to fish in the faster, deeper runs and making very short âflipsâ of the fly. You want to dredge the bottom with plenty of weight. It is also a good way to catch some of the large brown trout that like to hide out in crevices underneath the boulders.
Some of the best brown trout are found in the slower moving water of the long pools and moderately flowing riffles. Some of the larger rainbows seem to be in the lower section of the stream near the area it exits the park, but there are also some nice brown trout there too. Just about anywhere you fish the stream or any of its tributaries, you can expect to catch some trout. It is one of our favorite areas of the park to fish.
James Marsh is the Owner of The Perfect Fly online and catalog mail-order store. www.perfectflystore.com