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Fontana Lake
 

THINGS TO DO IN THE SMOKIES

Swain County's Mountain Lake and Streams are a Fisherman's Paradise

fly-fishing

Whether you are fly fishing for native brook trout in a cold mountain stream, smallmouth or largemouth bass in beautiful Fontana Lake or rainbow or brown trout in one of the many stocked streams, Swain County hosts one of the most diverse fishing habitats in the world.

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Nantahala National Forest offer hundreds of miles of spectacularly clear streams. Just a few minutes from Bryson City, the sparkling waters of Deep Creek are ripe for fly fishing, and many anglers enjoy the Nantahala River just west of town, particularly the section above the powerhouse on Wayah Road..

The Cherokee Indian Reservation also offers a variety of fishing opportunities for the trout fisherman with regularly stocked streams, trophy waters and three trout ponds. More info

fontana-lake-fishingIf you prefer flat water fishing, Fontana Lake boasts one of the most diverse fish populations anywhere in the country. With depths of over 400 feet, many northern fish such as walleye, muskie and smallmouth bass are among favorites of local fishermen. For boating information, including public boating access and marinas with boat rentals, visit the Fontana page of this web site.

For more information about Fontana Lake, visit the boating and Fontana Lake pages on this web site.

Printable Bryson City Fishing Guide (pdf).

 

Fishing Guides, Outfitters and Trout Ponds in Bryson City, Cherokee and the North Carolina Smoky Mountains

The website links below will open in a new window..

 
Nantahala Outdoor Center
Cooper Creek Trout Farm & Catch-out Pond
Endless River Adventures
Smoky Mountain Fly Fishing
Root Hog Fishing Guide Service
Smoky Mountain Outdoors Unlimited
Rivers Edge Outfitters
Simonds Bait & Tackle Shop
Up-Close Outfitters
Smoky Mountain Adventures, Inc.
Fontana Guide Service
Tumbling Waters Campground & Trout Pond
The 'Reel' McCoy Fishing Guide Service
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July may be too hot to fish in most places in the country, but Cherokee remains one of the nation’s hottest places in terms of trout fishing action. Anglers looking to catch trout should look no further than the cool waters of Cherokee North Carolina and its surrounding high peaks of the Smokies. With a weekly stocking effort, the fishing action is always great. With 30 miles of water stocked full of trout, even the most novice angler can catch a fish.

The new Fly Fishing Only Catch and Release Section has been gaining lots of national attention over the past year. Anglers from all over the country come to test their skills against the monster trout that lie in this special regulated Fly Fishing Only Catch and Release section on Big Cove Rd. For best results on this section right now, fish either early in the morning or later in the afternoon. During the day the trout in these waters take a rest and don’t feed with any consistency. Some of the hot fly patterns lately are small midges such as Brassies #18-24, Zebra Midges #18-22, Serendipity Midges in #18-24, Beetles #12-18, black ants #14-18, Green Inch Worms #12-14.

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is fishing very well this week. The farther you get back in the hills, the better results you’ll have. Deep Creek, Noland Creek, the Oconaluftee River, Straight Fork, Raven Fork and Bradley Fork are all fishing at their peaks. Dry fly fishing is the best it has been all summer long. Local favorite fly patterns such as the Thunderhead, Royal Wulff, Adams, Adams Variants, Yellow Hammer, Yellow Palmer, Stimulator, and inch worms are working very well. If your fishing near Round Bottom Camp on Straight Fork be careful with your food, there have been lots of bear sightings and activity. If possible don’t carry food on you while fishing, and if you’re camping, store your food properly. For the most part bears are harmless and scared of humans, but they are always curious and looking for something to eat.

The Nantahala River is always a good place to fish in the summer. Water released into the lower river comes from Nantahala Lake located miles away. Water is sent to the power house through a large pipe and is always bone chilling cold, even on the hottest of summer days. Water temperatures here are usually in the low 50’s. Go early in the morning or late in the evening to avoid the rafters and kayakers who swarm the river during the middle of the day. The fishing is very good here even when the water is “on” and the rafters are coming by. So good in fact, that you probably won’t mind sharing river with other folks.

Ever try fishing for smallmouth bass on a fly rod before? If not you should give it a try. Smallmouth is pound for pound the hardest fighting freshwater fish that swims. The Tuckaseigee River and the Little Tennessee Rivers are full of “smallies” and they are a blast when caught with a fly rod. You don’t need special fly rods to catch smallmouth, a 5wt rod will do the trick nicely. Look for areas in the river where smallmouth can ambush prey. Current seams, slack water, foam lines, and especially pockets of water behind rocks are all good places to cast to. Bridge Pylons and brush piles are also great places to catch a smallmouth. Fly selection is easy for chasing smallmouth. A handful of Woolly Buggers, bass poppers, and light colored streamers are all you need. Fish strong tippets in sizes 3x or bigger, and leader lengths of 9ft to 12ft are recommended.

Suggested Dry Fly Patterns are: Sulphers #12-16, Little Yellow Sallies, Light Cahill #12-18,Dark Cahill #12-18, Tan Caddis #14-16, Blue Winged Olive #16-22, Light Hendrickson #14-18, Dark Hendrickson #14-18, Red Quill #14-16, Brown Drake#8-10, Ginger Quill #14-16, Grey Fox #12-16, Adams #12-20, Royal Wulff #12-18, Thunderhead #12-16, Female Adams #12-16, Tennessee Wulff #12-18, Jim Charlie #12-16, Adams Variant #12-16, Stimulator in tan or light yellow in #12-18

Suggested Nymph Patterns are: Green Inch Worm #12-14, white Web Worm #12- 14, Hares Ear #12-18, Pheasant Tail #12- 20, Rubber Leg Prince Nymph #12-20, pink orange and red San Juan Worms #12- 14, Lightning Bug #12-18, Rainbow Warrior #12-18, black and red Zebra Midges #16-22, tan Caddis Pupae #12-16, Adams Soft Hackle #12-18, Emergent Sparkle Pupae #12-18, Golden Stone #6-12,

Suggested Streamers Patterns are: Woolly Buggers in olive, black, brown, and white #6-12, Olive Slump buster #6- 10, white and olive Zonkers #6-10, olive Mohair Leech #6-10, Clouser Minnows in chartreuse, white, and red #4-10, bass poppers in black, blue, red/white, chartreuse, yellow, and white.

— By Eugene Shuler


Eugene Shuler is a Bryson City native and Director of Guide Operations for River’s Edge Outfitters in Cherokee NC, and the Team Captain of the North Carolina Fly Fishing Team. He can be reached at 828-497-9300 or visit www.flyfishcherokee.com.

Fishing regulations

To fish in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, you must have either a valid North Carolina or Tennessee fishing license. No license is required to fish in Cherokee Reservation waters, however a tribal permit is required. The cost is $7 per day with a creel limit of ten.

You can purchase a basic North Carolina license for a period of one day, three days or one year. The one-day cost for a resident is $5 (one year is $15); for a non-resident is $10, two days $15, one year $30. If you plan to fish for trout outside the National Park, an additional "trout stamp" is required at a cost of $10. Some of the trout streams are strictly catch-and-release.

For more information about North Carolina fishing, go to Online Fishing Regulations.


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Bryson City - Swain County
Chamber of Commerce
& Visitor Center

210 Main Street
P.O. Box 509
Bryson City, NC 28713

Email

Karen Proctor Wilmot
Executive Director

800-867-9246 toll-free
828-488-3681 local
828-488-6858 fax

     


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