Brook trout are the only native trout, but after the logging days of the late 19th and early 20th century, both brook and brown trout were stocked. Now, these three species, along with smallmouth bass in the lowest streams, thrive here. For first timers, the Smoky Mountains fishing experience can be frustrating. Heavy vegetation grows around and over cold streams dotted with slick rocks. Fly fishermen can't find room to back cast.
Stream banks are thick with rhododendron.
The valleys are nearly always cool deep in the mountains. Then there's the other side of the picture - tall yellow birch trees looming over clear water as it flows over mossy boulders into a dark green pool, where a shadowy figure darts up from the deep, attacking your presentation. Both fly and spin anglers can be found along roadsides - there is plenty of roadside fishing. However, a better experience is out there. The best fishing adventures in the Smokies are away from the roads.