An angler nets a large trout during the “Rumble in the Rhododendron” fly fishing tournament held in late October. With $10,000 in prize money, the event was one of two major fishing competitions held in Cherokee’s tribal waters last year. The largest event was the U.S. National Fly Fishing Championship held in Cherokee last May — the first time the National event had been held in the Southeast.

This year, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Fish and Wildlife Management division and the Cherokee Chamber of Commerce have scheduled a total of eight major fishing events, beginning with the Shiver in the River Fly Fishing Tournament on Feb 3, 4 and 5. Held on the 2.2 miles of trophy, catch-and-release water on the Cherokee Reservation, the tournament has a $225 entry fee with $10,000 in prize money. Click for more information about all eight Cherokee fishing tournaments.

Each year, the EBCI Fish and Wildlife Management division stocks nearly 400,000 trout in the tribal waters, a stream system connecting 30 miles of freestone streams that include secluded forest settings, suburban road side areas as well as the center of the town of Cherokee.

Fishing in most of the Cherokee tribal streams requires a $10/day tribal permit for each person 12 years of age and over. No other fishing permit or license is accepted. Fishing in the “Trophy Waters” catch-and-release section of Ravens Fork requires an additional special use permit. Details, including information on multi-day and special use permits, can be found here.

For more information on fishing in the Smokies, including area fishing guides and outfitters, visit the fishing page at GreatSmokies.com.

Two local fishing guides — Ken Kastorff of Endless River Adventures and Nick Johnson of Rivers Edge Outfitters — fish the scenic Little Tennessee River which flows north out of Macon County into Swain County before entering Fontana Lake.

Ken calls the “Little T” one of the easiest places to catch fish. He adds “and you never know what you’re going to catch” While the river may be best known for small mouth bass, there’s also redeye, redhorse, crappie, walleye, carp and even muskie. And in the springtime, there’s a run of trout.

The water is exceptionally clean with no commercial development to spoil the scenery. Wildlife sightings are commonplace, including deer, bald eagles and osprey.

The future is bright for the continued health of the Little Tennessee thanks to the efforts of the Little Tennessee Watershed Association and the Little Tennessee Land Trust, owners of the 4400-acre Needmore Game Lands, which encompasses a 27-mile stretch of the Little Tennessee.  The game lands are managed by NC Wildlife Resources Commission.

To learn more about fishing in the North Carolina Smokies go here.

Each Fall, in order to provide a catch-basin for heavy Spring rains, the Tennessee Valley Authority begins its annual 56-foot winter drawdown of Fontana Lake. And while some may find exposed rocky shoreline less attractive, fishermen view it differently — with less water in the lake, there’s a greater concentration of fish. Do the math.

Photo by J.R. vanLienden

For centuries, the Cherokee built their villages near the streams and rivers that flow out of the Smokies, largely for the bountiful supply of fish that the waterways provided. And to harvest large quantities of fish, they built fish weirs — “V”shaped constructions of rock that start from the banks on either side of the river and come to a point downstream. Men would line up across the river above the weir and roll bundles of river cane downstream, gradually forcing the fish into the apex of the weir. Nets or traps caught the fish, which were dried or smoked as a food supply for their nearby village.

Even though weir fishing is no longer practiced, many of these rock structures still remain. And a group of Cherokee youngsters from the Birdtown Day Camp recently had an opportunity to learn the “old way” of fishing in a demonstration conducted by WATR — the Watershed Association of the Tuckasegee River — with help from Blue Welch (foreground, above) of Cherokee Fisheries and Wildlife Management.

The program — a partnership between WATR, US Fish and Wildlife and the Cherokee Preservation Foundation — focused on the river ecosystem and the importance of water quality. Roger Clapp, executive director of WATR, sat the children on the riverbank to eat their lunch, and gave them a lesson on what he calls “mudology.” Runoff of soil disturbed by developments, road building and bad streamside planting practices, creates sediment in the river, which is unhealthy for fish, insects and other wildlife which depend on the river.

Photo by Bill Lee

Mark Cathey (1871-1944) once ‘owned’ Indian Creek. It was where he lived — a short distance above these falls — and it was where he mastered the art of fly fishing. Cathey was a colorful character who would modestly admit “I have been accused of being the best fisherman in the Smokies.”

Today, most visitors to the Deep Creek area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park take the short one-mile walk to admire Indian Creek’s beautiful falls. But after learning more about legendary angler, you may want to continue your walk northward through what was once “Cathey’s Place”.

Bryson City naturalist George Ellison related two classic Mark Cathey stories in his Smoky Mountain News “Mountain Views” column in 2001. Ellison wrote, ‘He earned his living as a lumber-herder, trapper, and hunting or fishing guide. When the splash dams on the creeks in the Smokies were released, lumber-herders ran along the banks to clear jams. Some few, like Cathey, had the agility and courage to ride the logs down the creek, ducking branches and risking sure death in the event of a miscue.” Read entire article.

In his new book Fly Fishing in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Jim Casada writes about Indian Creek and it’s most famous resident. When fishing Indian Creek, Casada writes, “…you can take quiet comfort in knowing that you are wading and casting in the footsteps of Uncle Mark Cathey.” Download a PDF excerpt from Jim Casada’s new book and read chapter 23 “Indian Creek”.

Download a PDF map of Deep Creek’s trails and waterfalls.