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.
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..
If 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.
