the size of trout

[lauxier]

I know this goes against some folks fly fishing philosiphy,but I fish for large trout.The bigger the better.The Smoky's streams are loaded with 4 inchers,catching those things is kind of like taking your mother-in-law on a date,there's not much of a charge in it BUT I don't care for those stocked "city" trout,some of the larger trout I have caught out of the "trophy run" around Cherokee look almost deformed,and they seem lazy and are pretty dum,as dum fish go.wonder what the biggest wild trout caught out of the park..

[Jim Casada]

Lauxier--I'm pretty much in tune with your philosophy, both on stockers and on going after trophy-sized wild fish. I don't just focus on big fish, but I sure am charged by catching a trophy wild trout in the Park. I would note that "trophy" varies according to the stream. In Deep Creek a 12-incher certainly isn't a trophy, but in one of its larger feeders, Indian Creek, it would be a giant.
As for the biggest fish from Park waters, I doubt if there are any records. However, I personally saw a 26-inch brown years ago, and I've heard of a couple out of Hazel Creek in the 8 to 9 pound range and one from Deep Creek that was 29 inches. As for rainbows, I believe that Jim Gasque mentions huge fish coing out of Cataloochee in his book from 1949 (reprinted a couple of years back). I used to see rainbows in the 20-inch range fairly regularly (1960s and 1970s), but as browns made ever greater inroads the really big 'bows vanished, or at least they did from my radar screen. Finally, a preacher caught a speckled trout in the Tuckasegee (not the Park, but close by) somewhere early in the 20th century which was 26 inches long. That's more than twice the length of the biggest speck I've ever seen come from Park waters (12 1/2 inches).
Jim Casada
www.jimcasadaoutdoors.com

[Rog 1]

Biggest rainbow I have caught in the park was 16"....back in the 70s I saw some huge bows up on Fish Camp Prong and hooked one that would have gone 20"....those fish have seemed to disappear over time...they were in some of the big plunge pools close to the trail...me thinks that local bait chunkers are to blame...this theory was also backed up by some of the terminal tackle found hanging from the rhodo

[Bran]

I'm sure someone on here can help with the details but I was told a couple of years ago as I was fishing below Elkmont that a huge Brown was caught there several years back. I asked later about the story and it was confirmed twice by others to be a true story but I don't trust my memory to state details as fact. Does anyone know anything more about that?

[Maurer]

Byron! Post some of Jack's fish please. I know you got them on file. I think we need a fish p--n fix.

[Maurer]

nah, never mind how bout everyone post thier biggest fish pictures!

[David Knapp]

Kris, how about that PIG you caught a few years back on LR...? I would like to see that fish again...

[Carolina Boy]

Luftee brown 21 inch male the fall before the first of the few drought years, would have to look back in my journal to see the year? One week later a 18 inch brown same general area. The first one had a hinge jaw that was impressive. there monsters in there. If you don't find joy in the smaller park fish, you ain't gonna find the bigger park fish! only takes one fish to have a story forever, the work for me is the fun, and I can assure you I remember ever bit of my encounter with that male

[waterwolf]

There are some really big fish in the mountains, I have seen fish in Bald River, Little River, Luftee, and Abrams which were as big as anyone would ever wish to catch. My personal best is 21" out of tremont, I have also caught several other fish around 18" over the years, some of which came from really small streams. The largest I ever hooked was just below Elkmont, and it was freaking huge, when it came shooting past me on its way downstream it appeared to be 24-28 inches.

[psnapp]

You guys put me to shame! Biggest I have landed in freestone streams are browns in the 15-16" range. Lucked into a nice October caddis hatch in '03 and some of the bigger browns let their guard down for awhile. Also, have caught some nice browns when isonychia nymphs were active and during heavy QG hatches.