The Smokies

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
 
The_Sasquatch wrote:
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.
Click to expand...

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.
 
Camping shower, dude. Box of baby wipes and deodorant. Clean the frumunda cheese and be done w/ it.
 
For me, that works for a day or two. By day 3 or 4 I need a real shower. That, or go swimming.
 
The Oconaluftee can be very bracing. I wet-waded it barefoot once in April, many moons ago.
 
Well I have my vacation days submitted for this trip. I'll be going later in the year than first thought, in early October. Looking forward to it!
 
Go on the little river outfitters web site and check out the forums. Lots of good info there.
 
Well, Cataloochee is all booked up for that weekend (Columbus Day). You must reserve that campsite ahead of time, and it's a smaller campground than the others in the nat. park.

I'm looking at booking Smokemont now. Anyone have experience w/ it? Looks like a lot of good waters near that campground.
 
The_Sasquatch wrote:
Camping shower, dude. Box of baby wipes and deodorant. Clean the frumunda cheese and be done w/ it.
Click to expand...
Our cabin is right on a stream, my camp shower, put on shorts walk down to creek, get out soap, get wet, wash, rinse and dry. Takes about five minutes, less when the water is under 50.
 
The_Sasquatch wrote:
What's the best time of year? I'm thinking May.
Click to expand...

I have fished in the Southern Apps twice once in N. Georgia in Aug and once in the Smokies (TN side) in July. Both times I was told the streams where dangerously low. Both times the water levels were higher than what I usually see in our streams in April.

I have no idea what May looks like. Your mileage may vary.
 
If you can get a site, Smokemont is a good place to base out of. The Bradley Fork is a very good stream, especially the farther up it you hike, and it has several tribs that fish well, particularly Chasteen Creek. Additionally, from Smokemont, you're positioned well to go over and sample the Deep Creek watershed, which also has some good tribs as well as not that far from the road that dead ends at Nolands Creek on the north side of Fontana Lake. Everybody talks about Hazel Creek and the other hike in tribs of Fontana, but Nolands is accessible by car and is an excellent stream, probably in the top dozen in the park. Doesn't see that many guys.

Then there is the entire Oconaluftee drainage upstream from the Bradley Fork junction (pretty much right at Smokemont). Its real good as well.

It would be hard to find a bad campground in the park in terms of access to fishing. But it would also be hard to find a better one than Smokemont.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Montana Angler Fly Fishing
Montana Angler Fly Fishing
Harman's North Fork Cottages


Real Time Data From
the USGS Site

Share this page

Back
Top