Want to catch trout in Smoky Mountains this year? Now is the time for your best chance. This fishing is near peak, and the action couldn’t be hotter all across Swain County!
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the hottest destination at the moment. The water levels are great and stream temperatures are near perfect for trout. We are seeing plenty of insect activity from early morning until dark which are keeping trout feeding all day long. Look for trout to be in the fast broken sections of water called riffles, which carry oxygenated water and contain the best concentration of aquatic insects that trout are eating. Throwing bushy dry flies with small flashy nymphs underneath will catch trout for you all day long.
The Nantahala River is on fire. The upper Delayed Harvest stretch, and the lower White Water section are all fishing great. Trout are feeding in the faster riffle sections and are taking Caddis flies with line snapping aggression. Try running Elk hair Caddis dries with a Caddis Pupae underneath for best results. If your after a big Rainbow or Brown, rig up a Stonefly nymph and run it through the deepest sections of water and hold on. Rafting traffic on the lower Nantahala River is just starting to pick up on weekends, so be careful when wading out into some sections of river as you may end up as a hood ornament for a raft.
The Oconaluftee River and Raven Fork in Cherokee are fishing hot too. The tribe continues to stock the rivers heavily with Rainbow, Brown, and Brook Trout twice each week. No other streams in the south have as many fish stocked as the waters in Cherokee. The Fly Fishing Only “Trophy Trout” section is fishing very well. Best time of day for these river monsters is early morning or late afternoon into the evening. Those big fish didn’t get that size by being easy to catch! Work your flies slowly here for best results, these big guys know the difference between a bad presentation and a good one.
Best flies for trout are;
Green Drakes #8-10, Mahogany Duns in #12-14, Little Yellow Sallies, #14-16, Light Hendricksons #12-16, Dark Hendricksons #12-16, Sulpher dries #12-14, March Browns #10-14, Red Quill dries #14-16, Quill Gordon dries #12-14, Olive Elk Hair Caddis #12-16, Cinnamon Elk Hair Caddis in #12-16, Little Black Caddis in #14-16, Blue Winged Olives in #18-22, Quill Gordon nymphs #12-14, Pheasant Tail Nymphs #12-18, Hares Ear nymphs #12-16, egg patterns in #10-12, Rainbow Warriors in #14-20, Caddis Pupae #14-18, and cream midges in #22-26. For Streamer patterns, black and olive Woolly Buggers in sizes #6-8, dark brown and Olive Sculpins in #6-8, white, black, and olive Zonkers #6-10, Game Changers in #4-8, yellow Zoo Coungars #4-8, and yellow Kiwi Muddlers #6-10.
The best lake this week is Cheoah Lake located below Fontana Dam. Cheoah is stocked with Rainbow, Brown, and Brook trout by the state several times per year. Last year the state stocked Muskie into Cheoah Lake to see how well these toothy critters would fair. With a steady diet of trout and bluegill, they seem to be doing just fine! Muskie have to be 42 inches to keep per state laws. They do not make for good table fare, and skin mounts are a thing of the past, so it’s best to photograph and release. Lewellyn Branch Boat Ramp which is just downstream from Fontana Dam, offers plenty of parking, a concrete ramp, floating dock, and Handicap accessible Bank Side Fishing Pier. Lewellyn Branch offers public access to some of the best under-fished trout water in the county. If Fontana seems a bit crowded lately, take a look at other options in Swain County. You just might be surprised at what you will find!
See you on the water!