The Great Smoky Mountains National Park’s best streams for fishing

These four GSMNP trout areas are tops

If you like getting away from the crowds, enjoy beautiful surroundings and don’t mind working for your trout, consider heading for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on your next trip to the western end of the state. The park has some great streams, and the best ones are on the North Carolina side.

Here are a four of the more accessible streams:

Deep Creek

• (Swain County): In the summer, you’ll have to share the creek with tubers — at least in the lower section near Deep Creek Campground — but in the winter and early spring, you’ll have the stream all to yourself. It’s mostly big water, marked with wide pools, long runs filled with riffles, and plenty of pocket water. This is not impounded water, so you can wade it without worrying about the water suddenly coming up when you’re deep in one of the gorges. Deep Creek has an equal mix of brown and rainbow trout, but it’s best known for its big browns, some in the 15- to 20-inch range. You can catch browns almost to the headwaters, which is about 14 miles from the campground.
• Access from downtown Bryson City includes turning north at the Swain County Courthouse, turning right after crossing the bridge over the Tuckasegee River and following the signs about 3 miles to the park campground.

Bradley Fork

• (Swain County): A tributary of the Oconaluftee River, Bradley Fork is a jewel of a stream with good numbers of rainbow and brown trout. Most of the browns are in the lower section near Smokemont Campground. A medium-size stream, Bradley Fork has a nice mix of riffles, runs, pocket water, and small plunge pools. The trout don’t get big here —10 to 11 inches is about the maximum — but they’re plentiful. Fishing pressure is light to moderate. A good trail runs alongside the stream for about 2 miles.
• Access is best from Cherokee. Follow US 441 north to the entrance of Smokemont Campground, about a mile from the park entrance. Drive through the campground to a parking area for anglers at the far end. Bradley Fork Trail follows the creek about 7 miles.

Cataloochee Creek

• Cataloochee Creek (Haywood County): Cataloochee is not a typical mountain stream. It runs through relatively flat land and is fairly shallow, at least in the upper reaches of the valley. The stream has mostly rainbow trout, with a few browns mixed in. Don’t expect a lot of large trout; they usually run under 10 inches, but some of the big pools occasionally yield larger trout. Fishing Cataloochee can be a frustrating experience at times. One day they’re hitting every fly you throw at them; the next day, nothing in your fly box will get a hit.
• The big bonus here is the scenery and the wildlife. Cataloochee Valley is a miniature Cades Cove. Whitetail deer are everywhere, and the valley has the only resident herd of elk in the state.
• Access from I-40 is at Exit 20. Turn left on US 276 and turn right on Little Cove Road. Follow the signs to the park. Once you’re inside the park, cross the bridge and turn right. A gravel road with numerous pull-offs runs beside the creek.

Big Creek

• (Haywood County): Like Cataloochee Creek, Big Creek is a tributary of the Pigeon River. Unlike Cataloochee, it’s known for its big brown trout, which are prevalent in the lower section of the creek. The upper section has good populations of rainbow trout. Big Creek is a stair-step stream, with huge boulders and numerous plunge pools and waterfalls. The fishing can be frustrating at times because you can look down from the trail and see scores of trout in the big pools. By the time you get down to the water to make a cast, the fish have disappeared. The best way to fish the stream is to stay in the water (where you can) and stealth-fish the big pools. The water is extremely clear, even by park standards, and the trout are easily spooked.

All four streams require some effort to fish, and, as a result, pressure is light to moderate, especially in the winter.

Some productive flies for winter fishing include: Nos. 20-18 Blue-Winged Olive (on overcast days), Nos. 20-18 black or white Trico, Nos. 20-18 Midge, Nos. 14-12 Royal Wulff, Nos. 14-12 parachute Adams, Nos. 14-12 Thunderhead and Nos. 16-12 Elk Hair Caddis, all for top-water fishing, Recommended nymph patterns include: Nos. 12-10 Zug Bug,Nos. 12-10 Hare’s Ear, No. 8 Woolly Bugger, No. 10 Secret Weapon, No. 10 Girdle Bug and Nos. 12-10 Prince,

The fish in the park, you need a basic state fishing license. The creel limit is five trout per day, 7 inches or longer. Only artificial flies or lures with a single hook may be used.