Fly and Gear ordering and delivery: We can get flies to you within two to three business days from the time you place your order via Priority Mail. If you provide a budget for flies, we will select them to match the budget and get them to you on time for your trip. Please see the bottom of this column for ordering options.
We also have custom Perfect Fly selections in 3 different price ranges for this stream that come with or without fly boxes. They make excellent gifts. Click Here To Order or Call us at 800 594 4726 or email us at sales@perfectflystore.com.
Type of Stream
Freestone
Species
Rainbow Trout
Brown Trout
(Wild)
Brook Trout (Native)
Size
Small to medium
Location
Great Smoky Mountains National
Park
Nearest Towns
Bryson City, NC
Fontana Village, NC
Special Regulations
None
Season
Year-round
Access:
Difficult
Special Regulations
None
Non-Resident License
State of North Carolina or
Tennessee Wildlife Resources
Agency
Weather
National Weather Service Link
Seasons:
The fishing season is open year-round and trout can be
taken year-round.
Spring:
Spring is the best time to fish Hazel Creek because of the
aquatic insect hatches.
Summer:
Although the water can get a tad warm during the hottest
time of the summer, the middle to upper parts of the
stream are always in good shape.
Fall:
Fall is a great time for fly fishing Hazel Creek. The brown
and brook trout spawn in the Fall.
Winter:
This is one of the better streams in the park to fish during
the winter. It has some very large brown trout.
Recommended Tackle & Gear
Fly Line:
4, 5 or 6 weight
Leaders:
Dry fly: 9 to 12 ft., 5 or 6X Nymphing:
71/2 ft., 3 or 4X, Streamers 0-2X
Tippets:
Dry fly: 5 or 6X, Nymphing: 3 or 4X,
Streamer 0-2X
Best Fly Rods:
Perfect Fly Supreme Four, Superb Five
or Ultimate Six
Fly Reels:
For 4/5/6 fly line
Fly Floatants and Misc Items:
Floatants, KISS Strike Indicators
Tools & Accessories:
Nippers, forceps, retractors, etc.
Fly and Gear ordering and delivery:
Email us at (sales@perfectflystore.com) with the dates you will be fishing and we will send you a list of our fly recommendations. We can get flies and gear to you within two to three business days from the time you place your order via Priority Mail. If you provide a budget for flies, we will select them to match the budget and get them to you on time for your trip. Your can also call us at 800-594-4726 and we will help you decide what flies and gear to use. All orders are shipped free in the U.S. If under a $100 order requiring Priority mail is a charge of only $8.10. Orders over a $100 are shipped free via Priority Mail.
Copyright 2016 James Marsh
Fly Fishing Hazel Creek North Carolina
Hazel Creek is considered by many to be the finest stream in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It is remote enough (you have to hike in or go across Fontana Lake) that it is rarely crowded and it has about as many large fish as any of the streams.
Once you hike in or cross the lake, the stream has excellent access and a number of campsites. It is a very popular camping and fishing destination in the park.
This is the most popular stream that requires either a long hike or crossing Fontana Lake. Most anglers fish the lower portion of the stream. The headwaters of Hazel Creek see little pressure.
The large valley of lower Hazel Creek was the home of several families of mountain people. It was once the home of a large lumber company’s operation. Much of the
timber was cut in the valley and its tributaries. This changed the area in many ways, some of which hurt the native trout population but other ways that actually helped the non-native species that were introduced to the park. It has a tremendous diversity and a very good population of aquatic insects.
Fishing Hazel Creek and its tributaries requires several different methods, depending on the particular species you target. Its waters are very diverse, ranging from larger open areas to small, tightly enclosed streams.
Fly Fishing Guide to Hazel Creek
Fly fishing Hazel Creek is about as good as it gets in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Hazel Creek is one of, if not the, best stream in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
One reason is the chemistry of the water. For some reason, probably because some of
it was fertile farming land at one time, it has a lower pH than most of the streams in the
park. It is still on the high side of the scale but it definitely has more aquatic insects
than many streams in the park. Its moderate gradient in the lower section accounts for
its many crawler mayfly nymphs such as Hendrickson and Sulphurs.
If you are going to be consistently successful on Hazel Creek, you need to fish flies
that imitate insects about to hatch or that are hatching. If hatches are not in the near
picture, you should fish imitations of whatever you think is most plentiful and available
for the trout to eat. Matching the hatch isn’t always necessary, but it sure helps to pay
close attention to the hatches.
You have to either hike a long ways or cross Cherokee Lake to get to Hazel Creek.
Once you get there, the Hazel Creek trial provides easy hiking. Be sure to take as little
gear as you can if you plan on fishing only for one day. The local marina provides
shuttle services to the mouth of the creek. You can have them drop you off and pick
you up at a prearranged time. Otherwise, you will need to stay overnight at one of the
campgrounds. It is a popular camping area.
Hazel Creek has several tributary streams. Bone Valley Creek, Sugar Fork, Proctor,
and Walker Creeks are some of the major ones. Bone Valley is a fairly large one with
several tributaries of its own each of which has a population of Brook Trout. It is only
five and a half miles upstream of the mouth.
Each of its three species of trout can require completely different fishing methods and
techniques. The small brook trout streams in its headwaters require fishing in tightly
enclosed spaces where casting can be very difficult. You get the fly to the ideal places
the best way you can. Fishing the fast water of the runs and riffles usually produces
rainbow or small brown trout. The larger brown trout are usually hidden underneath
bank undercuts, logs and brush in the water, and under large rocks and boulders most
of the time during the day. The best way to catch the larger browns is to fish a nymph
in all of these type of places where they hide.
Both the rainbows and browns can be caught during low light situations such as just
after daylight or after sunset on streamers. Those dark, overcast, days with heavy
clouds are also good days to fish for the larger browns with streamers. The brown trout
spawn in the month of October and November and they can be caught on streamers
during the this time. They migrate upstream looking for spawning areas and can be
spotted easily at times. Please don’t try to catch them during the spawning process or
destroy their redds by wading through them..
Generally speaking, the farther you travel upstream, the more fish you are likely to
catch simply because the see fewer flies and are not pressured.. On the other hand,
most of the larger fish are in the lower and middle sections of the creek. You are in
good waters, however, anywhere you fish Hazel Creek.
Additional Information:
Fly Fishing Smoky Mountains