weather, though, many of these streams offer outstanding, but largely overlooked, opportunities to catch smallmouth bass on a fly rod by using hair bugs.
In the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, medium-size, high-gradient streams comprise a significant portion of my favorite fly-fishing waters. This type can be in the upper reaches of the two previously noted classifications of water, or it can be a major watershed such as Big Creek. In terms of size, these streams are nearly identical to the medium-size, low-gradient streams, although it is far more common for these waters to constrict to a mere few feet when they wash between large boulders. One of the biggest differences fly-fishermen will note is the high rate of flow in these waters, which often feature staircase-like series of plunge pools connected by swift, shallow runs that occasionally terminate in large, deep pools.
Such fast-flowing waters usually have heavy overstory canopies. More often than not, these streams tumble rapidly over massive “graybacks” (a nickname given to stream boulders by the locals) as they rush down the steep sides of the Smoky Mountains. The best time to fly-fish many of these waters is from late spring through early autumn, when many trout migrate upstream to take advantage of the cooler temperatures and the higher levels of dissolved oxygen the rushing ripples and cascades inject into the water.
Average pH levels on medium-size, high-gradient streams vary considerably, from 6.8 to 7.4 (7.0 is neutral) on some streams, to a low 6.0 to 6.4 on a few others. In the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, these streams are fairly decent producers of prime trout foods such as mayflies, caddis flies, and stone flies. Some of the best hatches of the eastern salmonfly (Pternarcys), the largest stone fly found in park waters, and the giant golden stone fly (Aconeuria) occur on these waters. Mayflies are also common in these waters, especially those such as the Epeorus (which includes the Quill Gordon), which demand unpolluted, highly oxygenated water to thrive.
Fishing quality is good to excellent on virtually all of these streams. Rainbows are the primary quarry found here, but large brown trout often rule large pools, and brook trout are not as rare in some waters as many might have you believe. My all-time favorite method of fly-fishing streams in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (standing in a downstream plunge pool and fishing the pool immediately above it at eye level) can be practiced with the consistency of daily sunrises on many stretches of the medium-size, high-gradient streams.
Small, high-gradient streams are scaled-down versions of the aforementioned larger, high-gradient flows. Examples of this type of water are Walker Prong, Ramsey Fork, and the upper reaches of Eagle Creek. These streams include the upper reaches of the majority of the primary streams noted in this guidebook. Primary differences include less flow volume, and, in many instances, lower pH levels, which result in lower fertility. The latter translates to fewer pounds of trout per surface.
With the exception of the deep plunge pools that are found periodically along these streams, the depth of the water is rarely more than knee-deep. Stream widths vary from 4 to 20 feet. Flow rates are “super charged,” with long, slow pools rarely being found, although they do occur. Quarries in these streams vary from the primary species, the rainbow trout, followed by the brook trout as well as a few brown trout.
Small, high-gradient streams offer trout cool sanctuary during hot weather, but this is also when they are at their lowest flow volume. These waters can be difficult to fish when flow levels are low, as trout tend to stack up in placid pools that not only require precision casting under often difficult-to-negotiate, dense forest canopies, but also demand delicate presentation. Spring is a great time to fly-fish these waters. Another outstanding time to “go high” is during the summer, when rainy weather has made downstream reaches in the park difficult to fly-fish. Rain runoff occurs quickly in the Smokies, and the first water to hit ideal flow levels is always the headwater streams.
Fly-fishing tactics for small, high-gradient streams are similar to those noted for medium-size, high-gradient streams. Like many other fly-fishermen, I like to downsize my tackle for these waters, usually opting to use a 6.5-foot Orvis Flea designed to cast a 2-weight fly line. A trick for catching trout from these waters during times of low flow, which was taught to me by a friend from Waynesville, North Carolina, is to use boulders along and in the stream to aid in fly presentation. Picture a run of water emptying into a pool as quietly as if you were pouring tea from a pitcher. Dropping a fly delicately enough to avoid spooking trout located near the entering water is tough. However, if you cast so your fly line never enters the water (that is, it lands on streamside gravel and rocks), you will draw a strike. The same principle can be used on other slow flows, where midstream boulders and rocks can be used for temporarily “parking” fly line, while upstream only the leader, or even just the tippet, comes down on the pool.
The brush streams, while abundant in the park, actually are a relatively diminutive group of streams few users of this guidebook are ever likely to fly-fish or find interesting. On the other hand, insofar as I have always been a “small creek freak,” I am compelled to include them. These are the smallest fishable (and in some instances semifishable) flows in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. At high elevations, many of these waters were closed to fishing during the brook trout moratorium of 1975. Since 2000 many of these waters have been reopened. These often are so-called branches, which, during very dry periods, all but dry up.
Size and canopy are the biggest differences separating brush creeks from most other streams. In most instances, brush creeks are slightly to significantly smaller than any of the other waters found in the park. Examples of brush creeks include the upper reaches of Little Cataloochee Creek, Beetree Creek (a tributary of Deep Creek), and Bee Gum Branch (a tributary of Forney Creek). Average widths are 2 to 10 feet. As the name implies, brush creeks are usually heavily overgrown on at least enough of their courses to make travel along the streambed a taxing adventure even to the stoutest souls.
This is not to imply that portions, often even large reaches, are not brushed over with steel-tough tangles of rhododendron and laurel. Plunge pools, and occasionally large trout, are the secrets these trickles can reveal to those willing to fight the streamside greenery.
Rainbow and brook trout are the primary quarries on these waters. Early spring and during the summer after or during rain are the only truly good times to make trips to any of these waters. Fly-fishing is tough on all but the most open sections of a brush creek. Tactics are largely the same as outlined for medium-size waters. One interesting variation is dabbling, which is often more effective when done downstream. The trick is to allow just enough tippet to extend from the tip of your rod to permit you to negotiate getting a fly into a pool, which many times has only a few inches of clearance between the surface and the top of the overhead bushes. Sure, you will get a strike doing this. That is the easy part. What takes practice is setting the hook and, once you have accomplished that, working your catch out of the hole without getting everything tangled in the brush. That is a skill one must master.
chapter 4
Where to Find Fish and Why
ANGLING FOR TROUT IN THE SMOKIES is not limited to expert fishermen. Trout can be caught on a $2 cane pole, or on a $2,000 fly rod. Fine fishing tackle is a joy to use, but by no means is it a prerequisite for success. The name of the game is having fun.
Several important bits of information will aid in catching trout. Anglers increase their chances if they know where their quarry prefers to “hang out” and what morsels are most tempting to its palate. Other important keys to success include mastering a stealthy approach to the stream and being able to place your offering in a spot where it will not alarm the fish.
Each of the three trout of the Smokies tends to occupy slightly different water when feeding, although any one species may occasionally be in any given spot. Trout in the wild have established feeding spots, or stations,
