By Shannon Messer
Let’s face it! July, August, and September can make for some difficult fishing conditions. Hot weather, matched up with lower water conditions, force the trout to seek out colder water, in remote locations, away from predators and humans alike. This time of the year can be a great time to fish some of the 2,900 miles of streams in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is home to Rainbow, Brown, and Brook Trout living in beautiful locations that are not that far from Sylva N.C. I grew up fishing and camping in the GSMNP on a regular basis and for many years, this is the only place that I fly fished. I feel at home in the Cataloochee Valley or Noland Creek, with a fly rod and a #12 Charlie Whopper and a #12 Yellow Palmer, drifted in that perfect spot for an opportunistic feeding trout.
The GSMNP offers day fishing opportunities as well as many overnight backcountry fishing opportunities. The GSMNP offers more than one hundred backcountry campsites as well as several large campgrounds that can accommodate tents to RV’s, as your fishing base. Be sure to read and understand all camping regulations and reservation information before planning your adventure.
I enjoy fishing many streams in the North Carolina side of the GSMNP. These include, but are not limited to, Cataloochee Valley, Straight Fork, Oconaluftee, Deep Creek, Noland Creek, Bradley Fork, Big Creek, and Kephart Prong. All of these fisheries are reachable via an easy drive, with little or no hiking, although hiking an hour or so can be a major game changer. All of these fisheries offer excellent backcountry camping that can make for a great basecamp as you explore the area streams for a few days.
Most of these fisheries hold rainbow, brown, and brook trout but you will get into areas where one fish species will be more dominant than others. According to a magazine clipping I got a few years ago, park biologists state most trout in the park grow very fast, live only about 4 years, and die to a lack of food resources. Now, the kicker for me is that the park offers a great diversity of aquatic insects but the density is low. According to the report, only 4% of brook trout and 30% of rainbow trout reach seven inches. Less than 1% of brook trout and 17% of rainbow trout reach eight inches. Now, brown trout can reach up to thirty inches as they switch to a fish diet around eight inches in length.
I have always told people “trophy size” is relative to the fishery you are in. For instance, while in the GSMNP last week, we landed and released three rainbows that were over 14 inches, each with the largest hitting slightly below 18 inch mark; however, most of the rainbows that day were legal keeping-size of seven inches. We also landed several brook trout and Ken rolled a very large brown on a #12 Purple Parachute. The point is that opportunities exist, if you get out and find them.
I like using my Orvis Recon 8’4” 3wt with a WF Floating Line and a braided leader with 5x, 6x, and 7x tippets, depending on circumstances. I love throwing dry flies and I stick to a basic collection of traditional patterns, such as the Yellow Palmer, Green Palmer, Charlie Whopper, Thunder Head, Adams Variant, and my version of a Purple Parachute. I use sizes from 10 to 14 often taking my largest trout on the largest fly.
I highly recommend wearing camouflage clothing as you fish the GSMNP. These trout can pick up every movement, shadow, ripple of water, and foot vibration as you make your move to them. Give yourself every advantage that you can. Fish smarter, not harder, and fish were the fish are. Limit false casts and focus on sections of the water that actually hold trout.
Pick up a map of the GSMNP and starting planning your next adventure. I think that you will find easy access fishing as well as many places to escape for a few days in the backcountry. Expect to see and experience many beautiful things that a lot of people never see or experience. Wildlife will be everywhere, so respect them and remember we are guests in their homes.
Shannon Messer is the Manager of Blackrock Outdoors/Orvis Fly Shop located in Sylva, NC.