The water’s a poppin’ with brookies and rainbows in Gatlinburg’s Road Prong, along with most of the other streams and rivers in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Look no further than Raven Fork’s Trophy Waters for trout measuring more than eighteen inches!
This weekend, bring along your Yellow Sallies and Yellow Wulffs. That’s what the trout are striking in the Smokies. But get out there early. With daytime highs near the mid-eighties, the waters will be too warm to fish by lunchtime when river temps could reach sixty-five degrees—hot enough to stress out any trout on patrol.
Straight Fork and Cherokee’s Oconaluftee River (The Luftee) look especially promising. Yellow Sallies and dry-dropper rigs should tempt the brooks, browns and rainbows during the cooler hours of the day. Just note that a $10 tribal permit is required to fish in the Cherokee Reservation. If you venture into Raven Fork’s 2.2-mile Trophy Section, you’ll need an additional $25 catch-and-release permit.
Rise early, and enjoy the fishing while the water is coolest. And remember, when it comes to dry flies, yellow is the color for summer.
As always, FISH ON!!!
