Great Smoky Mountains National Park has about 2,115 miles of streams within its boundaries, and protects one of the last wild trout habitats in the eastern United States. The park offers a wide variety of angling experiences from remote, headwater trout streams to large, coolwater smallmouth bass streams. Most streams remain at or near their carrying capacity of fish and offer a great opportunity to catch these species throughout the year.
Fishing is permitted year-round in the park, from 30 minutes before official sunrise to 30 minutes after official sunset. The park allows fishing in all streams EXCEPT the following streams and their tributaries upstream from the points described:
Tennessee:
Sams Creek at the confluence with Thunderhead Prong and
Indian Flats Prong at the Middle Prong Trial crossing
These streams are closed to fishing to allow fish to repopulate following restoration work. For the exact location, consult the appropriate USGS 1:24,000 Quadrangle Map available at park visitor centers. Detailed information, including a complete list of regulations and a map of fishable park waters, is also available at any visitor center or ranger station.
You must possess a valid fishing license or permit from either Tennessee or North Carolina. Either state license is valid throughout the park and no trout stamp is required. Fishing licenses and permits are not available in the park, but may be purchased in nearby towns. Special permits are required for fishing in Gatlinburg and Cherokee.
Tennessee License Requirements
Residents and nonresidents age 13 and older must have a valid license.
Residents age 65 and older may obtain a special license from the state.
Persons under 16 in North Carolina and under 13 in Tennessee are entitled to the adult daily bag and possession limits and are subject to all other regulations.
Daily possession limits:
Five (5) brook, rainbow trout, brown trout, smallmouth bass, or a combination
of these, each day or in possession, regardless of whether they are fresh,
stored in an ice chest, or otherwise preserved. The combined total must
not exdeed five fish.
20 rockbass may be kept in addition to the above limit.
A person must stop fishing once reaching the limit
Size limits
Brook, rainbow and brown trout: 7 inch minimum
Smallmouth bass: 7 inch minimum
Rockbass: no minimum
Trout or smallmouth bass caught less than the legal length shall be immediately
returned to the water from which it was taken.
Lures, bait, and equipment
Fishing is permitted only by the use of one hand-held rod.
Only artificial flies or lures with a single hook may be used. Dropper
flies may be used. Up to two flies on a leader.
Use or possession of any form of fish bait or liquid scent other than
artificial flies or lures on or along any park stream while in possession
of fishing tackle is prohibited.
Prohibited baits include, but are not limited to, minnows (live or preserved), worms, corn, cheese, bread, salmon eggs, pork rinds, liquid scents and natural baits found along streams.
Use or possession of double, treble, or gang hooks is prohibited.
Fishing tackle and equipment, including creels and fish in possession,
are subject to inspection by authorized personnel.
Please report violators to nearest ranger or to (865) 436-1294.
Safety
Standing and wading in streams can drain body heat and lead to hypothermia.
Rising water levels resulting from sudden mountain storms occur quite
frequently, so monitor water level. Water currents are swifter than they
appear and footing is treacherous on wet and moss covered rocks. Additional
information about water safety.
Be a clean fisherman
If there's a tangle of line, or an empty can at your feet, clean up after
your fellow angler.
Brook Trout Fishing
Because of the results of recent fisheries research and the success of
the park's brook trout restoration effort, park management is opening
brook trout fishing and harvest park-wide for the first time since 1976.
The results of a recent three-year brook trout fishing study indicate
there was no decline in adult brook trout density or reproductive potential
in any of the eight streams opened to fishing during the experimental
period compared to eight streams closed to fishing during the same time
period
.
Frequently Asked Fishing Questions
Why can't I use bait?
The mission of the National Park Service is to protect and preserve naturally
functioning ecosystems. Research has shown that intentionally or accidentally
introduced non-native species of fish, animals, and plants can have very
serious negative impacts on native species. In fact, non-native animals
and fish now threaten many native fish species in national parks.
Bait fishing is prohibited to prevent accidental introductions of non-native aquatic organisms. Anglers often release unused bait at the end of a day of fishing without realizing their bait can may be filled with non-native organisms that may harm native fish. The collection of naturally occurring bait is also prohibited because it may upset natural ecological balances in habitats where collection occurs.
Historic information shows that fish caught with corn or bread suffer higher hooking mortality, which may alter the natural age and size structure within the fish community. Chumming with corn or bread is illegal under National Park Service regulations.
Why doesn't the park stock fish?
Fishing has been a part of the historic use of Great Smoky Mountains National
Park since its creation. From 1934 to 1974 the fishery management program
stocked fish for recreational angling. Non-native rainbow trout and northern
strains of brook trout were stocked in most of the park's major stream
systems through the early 1950s. From then until 1975, stocking occurred
only in heavily fished streams and in stream segments adjacent to campgrounds
and picnic areas. During this latter period, park managers realized that
stocking non-native fish was inconsistent with National Park Service policies
and this practice was eliminated in 1975.
National Park Service policies state that in natural areas like the Smokies stocking is only permitted to re-establish native species. The only stocking practiced today seeks to restore endangered and threatened native species like the Smoky Mountain madtom and the spotfin chub to waters where they once thrived.
Fisheries monitoring activities in the park have clearly shown that stocking is not needed. This information shows that many park streams have 2,000-4,000 trout per mile. Many of these are 4"-8" rainbow trout, but in some streams brown trout 8"-20" are commonly found.
Why can't I use a treble hook?
Many of the fish which anglers catch do not meet the park's size limits
and must be released. Current fisheries research indicates treble hooks
cause higher hooking mortality rates than single hook lures.
Where's the best place to fish?
The park offers a wide variety of angling experiences from remote, headwater
trout streams to large, coolwater smallmouth bass streams. Most streams
remain at or near their carrying capacity of fish and offer a great opportunity
to catch these species throughout the year. So the reality is that the
best place to fish depends on the type of experience each angler desires.
Remember, fishing pressure tends to be highest nearest the roads.
Disturbing and moving rocks to form channels and rock dams is illegal in the park! Moving rocks is harmful to both fish and aquatic insects that live in the streams. Many fish species the live in the park spawn between April and August. Some of these fish build their nests in small cavities under rocks and even guard the nest. When people move the rock, the nest is destroyed and the eggs and/or young fish die.
Auqatic insects need rocks for cover as well. Some aquatic insects can drift off or move when disturbed, but many species attach themsleves to the rock and cannot move. When a rock is moved, aquatic insects fall, are crushed by the movement, or dry out and die when the rock is placed out of water.
One of the fundamental policies of the National Park Service is to preserve
natural resources in an unaltered state. Consequently, it is against the
law to move rocks in the stream. Please abide by these rules so that future
generations may enjoy the park as well.
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