Where to Fish - July, August, September - Fly Fishing Smoky Mountains

Angie is wet wading this July day.
She is stooped down low casting
beneath the overhanging limbs in
the shadows of Hazel Creek trying
to trick a trout into taking her fly.

The trout, especially the browns,
do not get in the shade because
the water is cooler. They don’t like
the bright light of the high sun in
the summer.

This nice little brown took a dry fly
from under the trees where Angie
is fishing in the above image. It’s
always best to fish for the browns
in low light situations, either early
or late in the day or on cloudy
days. At times when the sky is
bright they will always seek the
shaded areas of the stream.

Many anglers, especially those new to the area, want specific suggestions on where they should fish. The following is a month by month list of suggestions as to where you should fish in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Keep in mind that you can catch trout in any of the streams in the park. Our stream section provides a lot of information about each of the major streams. This is just a short cut list of suggested streams and areas of the streams for various times of the year round season.

July:
July is hot everywhere except the highest elevations. Flies that imitate terrestrial insects will become important. Fish early and late or go to the highest elevations. Avoid the lower elevation streams all together. I would only fish the mid elevations during the early morning or late afternoon. For rainbows, I would suggest the West Prong of Little Pigeon River near the Chimney Trailhead on the Tennessee side or the highest part of the Oconaluftee or the upper part of its tributary the Bradley Fork. For brook trout, try Walkers Camp Prong on the Tennessee side of the park. There is a lot of water in this stream (length wise – I don’t know about depth wise) to choose from. Get off the highway where the stream leaves the road. On the North Carolina side of Newfoundland Gap, try Kephart Prong off highway #441.

August:
For the dog days of August, I would suggest you stay in the highest elevations and fish for our beautiful native brook trout. Get a map and pick out the uppermost blue lines near the North Carolina and Tennessee State line and hike into the backcountry. If the weather is dry (no heavy rains coming) try the Raven Fork, which is the best brook trout stream in the park.

I would fish for brook trout until at least the very end of the month. If the weather happens to get cooler, then you may give the highest elevations of the large streams a try for rainbows. You may try the uppermost headwater areas of Little River such as Fish Camp Prong on the Tennessee side. Try the upper headwater areas of Deep Creek or Hazel Creek on the North Carolina side.

September:
September is going to still be hot for most of the month but the mornings and evening should begin to cool down. Nights will be cooler, especially in the higher elevations. I would still fish only from the mid elevations and higher, at least until near the end of the month. The weather can vary a greatly, so the choice should vary with the changes in the weather. For rainbows, try some of the smaller streams such as the upper waters of the Straight Fork or Twenty Mile Creek on the North Carolina side of the park. On the Tennessee side, try the upper, highest sections of West Prong of the Little River or the upper sections of the Middle Prong of Little Pigeon River. Brook trout fishing will continue to be good anywhere they exist and that would still be a great choice for September. Try the headwaters of Cosby Creek on the Tennessee side or the tributary streams of the Cataloochee River, such as Palmer Creek or Lost Bottoms on the North Carolina side.

Where to Fish – July, August, September