If you’re looking for a great opportunity to relax and enjoy everything that the great outdoors has to offer, you’d be hard-pressed to find something more effective than an afternoon of fishing. It’s an especially popular activity in the Gatlinburg area, which offers everything from mile after mile of pristine waters to guided fishing tours – and in Gatlinburg itself, its own waters, and designated kid-safe fishing areas in the city parks – and more.
If you love fishing, Great Smoky Mountains National Park should be on your list for a fishing trip. The park has over 2,000 miles of streams and rivers, and more than 800 miles of these contain fish, so it’s easy enough to find your own favorite spots practically anywhere in the park.
Since the park is easy to access and is open year-round, any time of the year is good to visit – with the spring being a prime fishing time. This is America’s most popular national park, and also one of the best freshwater fishing destinations in the US.
Tennessee is a fishing paradise, and Gatlinburg is no exception. Here are answers to common questions about what fish and fishing can be found in Gatlinburg.
Information current as of August, 2019
To catch fish in the many waters of Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, and Great Smoky Mountains National Park, you need a fishing license. These are different for residents and non-residents of Tennessee. And there are age differences and some options. Here are all the things you need to know about fishing in Gatlinburg and the surrounding area of the Smoky Mountains.
The “release” part of fishing – image courtesy of Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency
Image courtesy of Great Smoky Mountains National Park
The first full weekend in April means it’s time for the 21st Annual Spring Smoky Mountain Trout Tournament, on Saturday and Sunday, April 6-7, 2019. Cash and gift prizes are awarded in multiple categories, with hundreds of entrants fishing, and thousands of rainbow trout stocked in over 20 miles of local streams.
Keeping things fair, there are different divisions for children and adults as well as for locals and visitors – but wait, it’s even more fair than that, with a $500 cash prize for largest trout caught AND $500 for the smallest trout caught! A total of $10,000 is awarded in the spring and fall contests, while 10,000 trout are stocked each year in the largest trout tournament in the Smokies, acclaimed as the best.
The first full weekend in April means it’s time again to go fishing in the annual trout tournament in the Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge area. In 2017, this weekend is April 1-2, Saturday and Sunday, marking the 19th Annual Smoky Mountain Trout Tournament.
Once again over 10,000 trout have been stocked in over 20 miles of prime fishing streams for the event. There are cash prizes amounting to more than $10,000, in what is held to be one of the best fishing contests in the southeast. Recent rains mean the streams are deep and flowing.
Image courtesy of Gatlinburg.com
It’s springtime in the Smoky Mountains, and it’s time to go fishing! Saturday and Sunday, April 2-3, the largest trout tournament in the Smokies is held again, in over 20 miles of local streams stocked with thousands of trout.
The 18th Annual Spring Smoky Mountain Trout Tournament is open to all comers, with prizes in many categories. Children are especially well catered to in this family-friendly event. There’s a children’s division as well as an adult division, and a tourist division as well as one for locals.
Image courtesy of Smoky Mountain Trout Tournament
The 16th Annual Smoky Mountain Fall Trout Tournament happens this weekend on September 26 and 27, 2015. Over 20 miles of premium fishing streams and waters are stocked with thousands of trout again for this ever popular event.
It’s the largest fishing tournament in the Smoky Mountains, and meanders throughout the Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and Great Smoky Mountains National Park area. Several hundred entrants will compete – or maybe just calmly fish – in the event.
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Image courtesy of Great Smoky Mountains National Park
The 16th Annual Smoky Mountain Spring Trout Tournament gets under way this Saturday at sunrise. The largest, and by all accounts best organized, fishing tournament in the Smoky Mountains claims the first full weekend in April once again as its own. (more…)
image courtesy of My Pigeon Forge
It’s the first full weekend in April (Sat-Sun) and that means it’s time to go fishing – for trout and money prizes! It’s the Smoky Mountain Trout Tournament held in the best fishing spots in the Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge area. (more…)
We are the one of largest cabin rental agencies in the Smoky Mountains and have been recognized by Southern Living as the Best Family Resort in the Smokies. We manage over 340 cabins in the Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and Sevierville Tennessee areas. Visit us today and get over $700 of free attraction tickets with your cabin rental.
