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
Brook Trout
(Wild)
Size
Small to Medium
Location
Great Smoky Mountains National
Park
Nearest Towns
Cherokee, North Carolina
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 Great Smoky Mountains National Park is open for
fly fishing year-round.
Spring:
Spring is the best time to fish the Raven Fork, provided
there hasn’t been any recent heavy rain. Much of the
river flows through canyon-like terrain and its not a good
place to fish under high water conditions.
Summer:
The stream stays cool throughout the summer and
fishing is normally excellent. Heavy tree cover shades
the river its entire length.
Fall:
Fall may be considered the best season to fish the
Raven Fork because the water level and weather are
both normally stable.
Winter:
Wintertime is the least popular time to fish the river but
not because the fish wouldn’t cooperate. Fishing is good
unless the temperatures are below normal.
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 The Raven Fork In Great
Smoky Mountains National Park
The Raven Fork inside the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is an entirely different stream than the Raven Fork that flows through Cherokee, North Carolina. The stream in the park is the most difficult to access stream in the park. Outside of the park, a road
runs along side the river just about the entire length of the stream. Inside the park, the trout are all wild trout. Outside of the park, the stream is heavily stocked.
In order to fish the Raven Fork inside the park, you’re going to have to hike a good distance. The easiest way to get to the stream is a grueling hike over a steep
mountain. It almost requires an overnight trip to fish there or otherwise, you will be hiking more than you will be fishing. The stream exits the park on private property and through a deep canyon thats almost impossible to penetrate.
The Raven Fork is known for its large native Appalachian Brook Trout. The native Brookies average as large as they exist anywhere they’re found. The Appalachian Brook trout are a slightly different species from the Northern strain of brook trout.
Fly fishing the Raven Fork is as good as brook trout fishing gets.
Fly Fishing Guide to the Raven Fork:
Fly Fishing the Raven Fork is different from fishing most any other trout stream in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Fly fishing the Raven Fork inside Great Smoky Mountains National Park is quite
different from fishing most of the other small, freestone streams of the park. It is very
difficult to access and in some areas, almost impossible to access. There are many
sections of the stream whereas the only way to fish, is to stay in the river and fish
upstream. If you do the opposite, and fish downstream, you will spook most of the trout.
Going upstream, even under normal water level conditions, can be very tough in many
places due to the huge boulders you must get over or around.
You’re limited to the fly fishing gear you can pack in and out. The best way to get to the
stream is via the Hyatt Ridge Trail. Its almost a two mile, 2700 foot climb to the top of
the steep incline. From there you can coast downhill for almost another mile on the
Enloe Creek Trail – that is if you don’t fall and break your neck on the loose rocks. The
only place a trail crosses, or has direct access to the river, is where this trail crosses
the creek at campsite #47. You must make reservations with the park officials to stay at
this small campsite.
Even after you’re at the stream, fishing it isn’t easy. In fact, one needs to be in excellent
physical shape to handle all the maneuvering and climbing. The stream is very steep
with a lot of swift water and huge boulders the size of small cars. Its difficult to navigate
up the stream. There are few riffles. Most everything plunges from one deep pool to
another in the area above the campsite. Everything may not sound so bad until you
realize the only way back to the camp is downstream the same way you climbed up.
Additional Information:
Fly Fishing Smoky Mountains