No, its cool dude. The TN side will be in my future at some point, I'm sure! Thanks for the pictures. I'm trying to lure my dad into this trip, that will help.

Big Creek CG is a good place to start, it's right on the creek and is near the Pigeon River.

I fished the Little Pigeon River up through Greenbriar east of Gatlinburg last summer. Caught a few but did not have enough time to explore. I did snorkel several pools, runs and pocket water tho. There were lots of rainbows from small to maybe 10" with a couple in the 12-14" range. The water was gin clear, the sun high, and the fish skittish so success was spotty. That area is the snake-iest looking place I've ever fished and I saw both a copperhead and a rattlesnake one day. Watch where you put your hands and feet all the time. I've fished Roaring Fork in the past. Lots of fish that seem to come after anything. There's a lot of drop tho. It's thick and many big rocks. You need to be careful of your footing.

I've been to the Smokies three times but all three trips were family trips so I did more hiking and touristy things than fishing. I'd like to get down there in early June to catch some of the hatches.

Sas, if you are going to fish exclusively within the park, you do not need a trout permit. Check the regs, but I am pretty sure this is true. And, either the NC or the TN license works throughout the park, no matter what state you are actually fishing in. Mid-April to Mid-May would be the time to go and the hatches will be about 3-4 weeks ahead of what you would expect to find in PA.

Fontana Lake is supposed to have Steelhead.

Thanks for the tip, Jack. I'll dig a little deeper on that.

Jack you are correct! I need a valid FL from TN or NC, can fish the park in either state, and I do NOT need a trout stamp.

SWEET.

"by Chaz on 2012/12/4 7:38:59

Fontana Lake is supposed to have Steelhead."

It doesn't... no kokanee either

tight lines

Quote:

Last time there, I paid about $15 for the 10-day NC license, even though we stayed in Townsend, TN. I think this had me perfectly legal. Also-- no open containers of alcohol can be possessed in the Park proper except in designated picnic (and maybe) camping areas. We got off with a warning when a small group of us were having a beer at the vehicles after an evening of fishing. Be careful.

Yeah I assumed that much about the booze. Oh well. It is what it is I guess.

Checked it out, non-residential NC license is $10, and that will indeed cover me for both states as long as I'm in the park.

Jack I owe a lot of this trip to you! Last year when we were in the process of dreaming up the quill gordon summit, you mentioned something about how you'd like to wander into the Smokies for a couple of days again. I commented on how great that sounds, and you said it could be done for very cheap! That got the gears rollin, dude.

Sas, maybe you are looking for an authentic camping experience, or maybe you are looking to go "on the cheap." If the latter, there is a small motel right near the entrance to the Park in Townsend, TN that I stayed in and it was like $45/night for two beds. As cheap as camping, but warmer and drier. The name escapes me, but I could find it. Here was my journal of that trip-- just me and Gino-- a lifetime memory for me, and I hope, for him as well:

2009 Smokies Trip

The motel was "Dock's."

I want to tent, dude. Found a campsite in Cataloochee for $20 a night. That site sleeps up to 6 guys, so if my brother and dad go with me, I'm on the real cheap.

Either way, I want the camping experience. Thanks for the link. I can't wait to look through all of it.

My experiences on the TN side was that that park CG's were very woodsy and nice for tents. Outside of the park, they allowed tents, but were much, much more geared towards RV's, and truly, they kind of sucked for tenters.

Can't speak for the NC side.

Thanks Pcray. Knowing now that either state's license covers me in the park opens me up a lot more to TN.

Ok, well, just saying, I could see it being the same on the other side. There were a billion private CG's near the entrances. Pretty much all of them catered primarily to RV's. Oh, they allowed tents, and some even had a handful of "tent only" sites. But they still tried to pack you in pretty tight. If it's just a place to sleep, and you don't plan on spending much time there, that's just fine. But if camping is part of the fun, and you want to feel like, you know, you're in the woods, then you probably want to be in the public CG's in the park.

The park CG's were more spread out, woodsy, and I think all of them have significant portions designed for tenters. The downside is no showers. You pretty much jump in the car, drive to one of those private CG's near the entrances and hand em $5 to use their showers. For $10 you coulda had a site, lol. Still worth it to me, if I'm camping in the Smokies, I'm willing to spend an extra few bucks for a decent experience.