Each year they add nearly 400,000 trout to an existing population of fish swimming in the crystal clear mountain waters. Children under twelve are allowed to fish with a permitted adult. No other type of fishing license is required nor accepted on the reservation. Nearly two dozen businesses in Cherokee are authorized outlets for fishing permits. Most of March is closed to fishing with the annual season opening the last Saturday of March, continuing for eleven months and ending the last day of February the following year.
Creel limit is ten trout per day per permit holder.
For those interested in experiencing fishing on the reservation but wish to avoid the streams, three well-stocked ponds are located on Big Cove Road in front of the KOA Kampground. A tribal permit is required to fish in the ponds and the same hours apply as for the streams. In 1998 the Tribal Council passed a resolution abolishing the policy of closing sections of the streams. The main fishing areas are known as Raven Fork, Soco Creek and the Oconaluftee River. The popularity of Cherokee as one of the country's top places for trout fishing can be attested to by the annual issuance of over 90,000 permits.