New To Forum and Planning a Fishing Trip

[TheSchlepp]

Hello All,

While at Ft Campbell I had the pleasure of discovering LRO when I decided to fish the TN side of the Park a few years back. It is a great store with friendly, knowledgable staff.

I love the Smoky Mountains as I learned to flyfish on the NC side of the Park (Deep Creek, Hazel Creek, Nantahala primarily) while at Ft Bragg several years back; I wish I knew of this forum back then.

I am headed to TN, just north of Knoxville, this Saturday for a week to see the in-laws. During the stay I am planning to take 3 days to camp and fish with my dog starting Sunday. Any river/ trail recommendations in or around the Park within reasonable driving distance from just north of Knoxville is much appreciated (reasonable defined as <2hrs since the drive to TN is 6.5hours). I don't mind hiking in a few miles to get away from the crowds. This is my first time back since 2002 when I discovered LRO. This forum is a great resource and I am really happy I discovered it.

I hope my copy of "Fly-fishing Guide to the Great Smoky Mountains" by Don Kirk arrives this week so I can use it in conjunction with this site. For what it's worth I'll try to post a trip report upon my return. Thanks in advance for any recommendations/ advice.

Best,
TheSchlepp

[ijsouth]

Being north of Knoxville, you have a number of options, just by going down I-40. First of all, you can fish Cosby on the Tennessee side, but be advised that it is a small stream in the best of times, and the last time I saw it (3 weeks ago), it was very low from the campground area on up. The lower part of Cosby, near the boundary, had good levels of water...I did notice that the Cosby area did get some nice rainfall today, which should help.

Continuing down I-40, you can try the Big Creek area just over the North Carolina, then the Cataloochee area closer to Maggie Valley (take the Cove Creek road, exit 20, to reach it - it will still take you a while on a very twisty road to get there).

[kjctown]

Just a quick note, if you plan on taking your dog the park is off limits, since dogs are not allowed on any of the backcountry trails. Have a great trip and tight lines.

[David Knapp]

Welcome to the board. For the trip you are planning, upper Little River will be a close option with lots of water to cover. Just make sure and call to get a reservation as the sites up there require you to reserve ahead of time... As the previous poster said, don't take the dog. They enforce that rule well...