Biggest Trout to Hand in the Park

[hoosier troutbum]

The Smokey Mountain streams are my favorite type of stream to fish, I love fishin' small streams and the beauty down there is hard to beat. My biggest brown trout (14") came from Medcalf Bottoms about 4 years ago. A couple of years ago I landed my biggest (10") Brookie. Last year I caught two 14" rainbows that were feeding in a pool up toward Elkmont. They both were taken on a dry fly. I love fishing and camping down here and the size of the trout don't really matter, they are wild and beautiful and I feel pretty good if I can fool em into biting me. *I just wish we could spend more time down here. * * * *H.T.

[littlerivermike]

17" rainbow last October just below Tow String bridge on the Luftee on one of Walter's Smoky Mountain Candies.

[brzbck]

My Largest brown was 18" landed just above the "sinks" in early April and if I could figure out how to post the picture I will. As far as a Rainbow, it would be a 18"(+-) taken on Abrahm's Creek about 400 yards below parking area in late June.

[Chip Maner]

Rock Hopper always bests me in the park (now let's talk Wyoming...<smirk>). I am with you guys who are amazed to even see a 10" or 12" trout in the net, and 6" fish are brutes to me. But I love the Smokies, and I'll cast to the 6" brutes as long as I'm living. My biggest local trout, though, was downstream from the park... wait. That's another topic. I'll call it "Oddest Catch."

[Justatroutbum]

Last spring I hit a 12" and a 13" on back to back holes at the very base of the Blowdown.
Felt like Christmas day.
They both hit on the ugliest excuse for a Blue wing imaginable.
Havent managed to talk many Browns above 12" out of the water,but the next trip is just around the corner

[Burnzy]

I stopped off at the Abraham's campground one afternoon on a business trip from Chattanooga. I had my flyrod and I almost didn't stop because it was so late. I didn't expect much from that section of the creek, It was just easy to reach. My second cast out of the trunk of my car was attacked by a 15" brown. It was very exciting because of the fight in this one fish. This was in early March and I assume she had worked her way up from the lake. It was the only fish I caught that day but it was my favorite moment in the park last year.

[kmills]

I caught a 15" rainbow in Abrams Creek January 19 on a 16 pheasant tail nymph in about 3 feet of swift water and have spooked a brown in the Metcalf bottoms area that is somewhere in the 28" plus range. My fishing partner caught a 20" brown in the Metcalf area and we saw much bigger fish in early December. The best time to see big fish, in my opinion, is in early November during the redd. My fishing partner and I spent the day with Tom Dole (LRO Guide) in early November and saw many large fish. The large fish are difficult to catch - they have learned to out smart most of us.

[FRW]

My biggest catch was a 13 inch 'Bow' out of LR last May. I was fishing a (green)yellow stonefly dry which I purchased from LRO. I caught 4 that day using that fly including a 10 incher below Tremont. I have seen bigger browns up around Elkmont, but couldn't get them interested in anything I had that day.

I agree with an Rog1 that size is probably not the point in the Park. I come down just to spend a week of solitude in the mountains. When I want big I go to Michigan.

[JP]

For me, I've seen browns in the 28-30" range. *But they don't get that way by eating flies. *By best to hand:

Brown 24"
RB *19 1/2"
Brook probably 9"
Sucker Fish 20"

JP

[3flies]

New to the board but not new to fishing the Smokeys. I have a pic of me about five years old on a rock in the middle of the river with my Dad's fly rod.

My biggest fish for the park are:
2 Rainbows 21" and 22" second hole above the Y on Little River- I caught them a couple of times in the same year then they where gone.

1 12" Brook

1 16"Brown

Two flies that I learned when lessons were still free that have always produced for me- Georges Nymph and Thunderhead. Taught by Walter.