Visiting Gatlinburg

[rtwvumtneer6]

All,

 

Headed to the Great Smoky Mountains in September.  Any suggestions of where to go if I can get a day of fishing in?  Douglas, Cherokee, the Tennessee River around Knoxville, other?  

 

Big green bass are my favorite, but I'll chase smallies too!

 

As a bonus, let me know if you have any suggestions for a guide service. 

 

Thanks! 

[TnRiver46]

Frontier anglers can take you on a smallmouth river float . There’s huge trout in downtown gatlinburg, the bass fishing opportunities are endless . I caught this monster in sevierville Friday while my buddies wife was shopping 

[roadwarrior]

Just shy of 5 lbs?

 

[newriverfisherman1953]

That looks like a nice smallwater freshmouth to me. ? Beats shopping anyway, right?

[TnRiver46]

16 minutes ago, newriverfisherman1953 said:

That looks like a nice smallwater freshmouth to me. ? Beats shopping anyway, right?

Absolutely. The traffic is a sight to behold up there

[gunsinger]

I remember when I first when to Gatlinburg over 40 years ago.  To me, that was a quaint place to visit back then.  Now?  It's overcrowded and reminds me of Las Vegas what will all the people trying to get you into their store combined with the traffic.

 

I've never gotten to fish there but have seen the trout in the streams.  Last time we where there, we spend most of our time hiking, driving through Cades Cove, Dixie Stampede, and Dollywood.

[rtwvumtneer6]

Appreciate the input but I'm specifically interested in getting a guide and bass fishing.  

 

Anyone have any experience in the fall on Cherokee, Douglas or Loudoun?

[newbiedmv]

I'd kinda stay away from Lake Fontanna.  Unless you have a boat, a guide, and a camper. I went there to fish about the same time as you are. Called before and they said they weren't going to lower the lake for a month. I get there and it's 60 feet down, they drained it due to an expected hurricane was the reason I got ( the guys working the dam said the gates got stuck open).

I stayed in Cherokee and I heard good fishing thing mostly on trout. But I did see with the lake 60 feet down you really need a guide due to all the submerged houses and such. It is the most remote lake Ive been to so far about 1.5 hours from Cherokee and a hard drive, the bears use the road more than cars. The only place to stay and be able to get food is the Lake Fontanna marina. At the time I was there it was a playground for the ultra rich car clubs. Gas was $4.50/gallon a coke was $4.00 the staff that were still there were less than helpfull.

I saw many fishing the creek coming into cherokee from the park, looked like trout fishing to me. be advised you might be hitting the fall leaf people time. Oh the one city near there Bryston I think has many campgrounds but no hotels that I saw. I only saw one on the road and I wasn't sure it was still open. I think all of this was fall of 2017 before the fire.

Oh Cherokee is a casino town, DO NOT USE THE WIFI ANYWHERE.

If you go and have good luck let me know, I like the area a lot and have been down there 3 times so far and plan to stop through that area in late september headed to AL.

[TnRiver46]

On 7/27/2021 at 4:41 PM, rtwvumtneer6 said:

Appreciate the input but I'm specifically interested in getting a guide and bass fishing.  

 

Anyone have any experience in the fall on Cherokee, Douglas or Loudoun?

Yep!!! Whatcha need to know??

On 7/28/2021 at 8:41 AM, newbiedmv said:

I'd kinda stay away from Lake Fontanna.  Unless you have a boat, a guide, and a camper. I went there to fish about the same time as you are. Called before and they said they weren't going to lower the lake for a month. I get there and it's 60 feet down, they drained it due to an expected hurricane was the reason I got ( the guys working the dam said the gates got stuck open).

I stayed in Cherokee and I heard good fishing thing mostly on trout. But I did see with the lake 60 feet down you really need a guide due to all the submerged houses and such. It is the most remote lake Ive been to so far about 1.5 hours from Cherokee and a hard drive, the bears use the road more than cars. The only place to stay and be able to get food is the Lake Fontanna marina. At the time I was there it was a playground for the ultra rich car clubs. Gas was $4.50/gallon a coke was $4.00 the staff that were still there were less than helpfull.

I saw many fishing the creek coming into cherokee from the park, looked like trout fishing to me. be advised you might be hitting the fall leaf people time. Oh the one city near there Bryston I think has many campgrounds but no hotels that I saw. I only saw one on the road and I wasn't sure it was still open. I think all of this was fall of 2017 before the fire.

Oh Cherokee is a casino town, DO NOT USE THE WIFI ANYWHERE.

If you go and have good luck let me know, I like the area a lot and have been down there 3 times so far and plan to stop through that area in late september headed to AL.

Fontana is quite possibly my favorite lake on the planet. It’s mostly smoky mountain National park land around it so no hotels no campers no WiFi no cell service, aka perfect 

[newbiedmv]

2 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

Yep!!! Whatcha need to know??

Fontana is quite possibly my favorite lake on the planet. It’s mostly smoky mountain National park land around it so no hotels no campers no WiFi no cell service, aka perfect 

But a darn big shock of you are not ready for it. I wasn't. I would love to fish there but it was rough, seemed like youd better know your way around. It didn't seem like a cake walk. 

[TnRiver46]

48 minutes ago, newbiedmv said:

But a darn big shock of you are not ready for it. I wasn't. I would love to fish there but it was rough, seemed like youd better know your way around. It didn't seem like a cake walk. 

I’ve never known much and always caught some stuff. Most of it has been crawling tubes along rock cliffs but last time we chased busting spotted bass around. For the most part I only  fish near the backcountry campsites my friends hike to, I bring supplies to them on the boat (and fish fillets). Here’s a nice one from this spring the girls let go because they said it was too pretty. Then they ate up the small ones and regretted it!!

[newbiedmv]

I went off the main road to a ramp. I went down, down,down,down brakes were stinking up

Got to the ramp. Ramps according to the guys there run all the way down. Rip rap as big as a honda all around. Going back up i ran into a bear he let me pass

 The drained Slopes so steep i couldnt fish off them

 I fished off the ramp for an hour and cuaght a few 6-8 inchers but still dont know what kind they were. Bryson was packed with campers. Oh once the fog lifted i was thinking: what the blank have i got myself into". Man with those roads if your hauling something your truck better be in good shape. Oh saw a $500,000 Porsh...a few of them.

The lake is great  very little access. I would have loved it 20 years ago, my body cant take that right now. Unless bryson has hotels now. I stayed in cherokee. To the OP, listen its an experience to say the least. I would go back in a heart beat, with a guide.

[newbiedmv]

The weather wasn't that good. I left the hotel real early and went up to clingmans dome. I have a bad back and leg. 10 people were up there then. I put on the brace, 3 coats, gloves,hat and walked the 1/2 mile up and back. Didn't get any pictures as as soon as you got over the tree line the wind would take you to Knoxville. But I made it and got the hat

If I could get a guide with a boat, a place to stay, and a place to eat I'd leave now. It's worth every penny and effort to go there.

Oh the main road was the one with the landslide area across it, the one to the dam or resort or both???

[rtwvumtneer6]

@newbiedmv the Fontana I'm seeing is across the line in NC.  These stories aren't encouraging me to buy a license for both states ?

[newbiedmv]

Yep it is NC, I didn't have one. I'm in the mid Atlantic appalachins Fontanna was the most remote spot I've been to on the east and south coasts. Not enough people out there to worry about I would think.

I think I was farther south or toward the d**n than TnRiver. Don't really know as the weather was bad GPS didn't work, no cell service, etc and working off a very poor map.

If you take out the car club I only saw 3 fisherman and one person in the fontanna gas station. I kinda got the feeling if you get in trouble it will be a day or two before you can find help. I had a days supply of food and water but I never gave a trip plan to anyone.

Last time I did that.

Been there 3 times now. Twice in Pigeon Forge and once in Cherokee. Still haven't found the ski resort yet ?

[TnRiver46]

8 minutes ago, newbiedmv said:

Yep it is NC, I didn't have one. I'm in the mid Atlantic appalachins Fontanna was the most remote spot I've been to on the east and south coasts. Not enough people out there to worry about I would think.

I think I was farther south or toward the d**n than TnRiver. Don't really know as the weather was bad GPS didn't work, no cell service, etc and working off a very poor map.

If you take out the car club I only saw 3 fisherman and one person in the fontanna gas station. I kinda got the feeling if you get in trouble it will be a day or two before you can find help. I had a days supply of food and water but I never gave a trip plan to anyone.

Last time I did that.

I usually launch at the dam/marina but I’ve fished around tsali a few times as well. Fontana is definitely not a destination lake as far as big bass, I just love deep clear water and mountain lakes

 

Douglas has the best largemouth fishing near gatlinburg, probably not even much of a contest 

[newbiedmv]

Cool I'll look into it on my way to Scottsbourough. Oh saw two young guys at the marinas bait/tackle shop. I been to every state east of the Mississippi and this was the only time I couldn't understand there accent at all.

[N Florida Mike]

I love that whole area. The last time we were there , we went horse riding somewhere west of bryson city, and my wife got bucked off her horse. She was real sore the next day so she stayed at the cabin while I took the grandkids to a trout farm in between bryson and cherokee. The local young man who ran the store there asked me if I’d like to see the “ Bar “ he just kilt . Easily a 400 pounder. As we started down to the pond , he said “ Yuns have fun now “. I thought,  dang they don't even  say y’all here.?

[rtwvumtneer6]

@N Florida Mike that's great!  Except for the part where your wife was thrown from the horse.  Hope she made a full recovery!  There's a place like that not far from where we are staying.  English Mt. Came across it browsing the web.  I'm not much for trout but those places are always fun to poke around and shoot the breeze.  Thanks for sharing.

 

BTW - I'm in PA and here it's "Yinz".  Never realized how it sounded until I moved away and came back.  I very much prefer "y'all" but to each their own. 

[N Florida Mike]

16 minutes ago, rtwvumtneer6 said:

@N Florida Mike that's great!  Except for the part where your wife was thrown from the horse.  Hope she made a full recovery!  There's a place like that not far from where we are staying.  English Mt. Came across it browsing the web.  I'm not much for trout but those places are always fun to poke around and shoot the breeze.  Thanks for sharing.

 

BTW - I'm in PA and here it's "Yinz".  Never realized how it sounded until I moved away and came back.  I very much prefer "y'all" but to each their own. 

Ive heard the natives in cherokee say “Yee-uns “ 

And yes, my wife got better eventually, esp. after we bought an incline table . Thanks!

[Tennessee Boy]

@TnRiver46  I’ve been to eat at the Apple Barn a few times.  The creek that runs by it always calls out to me while I’m there.   Lot of great looking water around Gatlinburg. I’ve never fished any of it.

[TnRiver46]

9 hours ago, Tennessee Boy said:

@TnRiver46  I’ve been to eat at the Apple Barn a few times.  The creek that runs by it always calls out to me while I’m there.   Lot of great looking water around Gatlinburg. I’ve never fished any of it.

That’s a good spot!!!

[CountryboyinDC]

I like the area, last time we stayed in Sevierville.  I share @gunsinger's sentiments about Gatlinburg.  I think the best parts are hiking, biking Cades' Cove, and a little whitewater paddling on the Greenbrier.  The only fishing my family did was at the English Mountain restaurant (my son took his Paw Patrol combo and caught the trout we ate with some Powerbait).  I saw a bunch of people with fly rods where we would go hiking casting.  Never saw anyone catching.  @TnRiver46might have the record for that area.  I do like the colorations on that 2nd smallie.

[TnRiver46]

1 hour ago, CountryboyinDC said:

I like the area, last time we stayed in Sevierville.  I share @gunsinger's sentiments about Gatlinburg.  I think the best parts are hiking, biking Cades' Cove, and a little whitewater paddling on the Greenbrier.  The only fishing my family did was at the English Mountain restaurant (my son took his Paw Patrol combo and caught the trout we ate with some Powerbait).  I saw a bunch of people with fly rods where we would go hiking casting.  Never saw anyone catching.  @TnRiver46might have the record for that area.  I do like the colorations on that 2nd smallie.

Believe it or not, downtown sevierville has a bunch of big smallmouth but most people only fish for/catch them in spring and it’s quite the poop show 

[CountryboyinDC]

17 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

Believe it or not, downtown sevierville has a bunch of big smallmouth but most people only fish for/catch them in spring and it’s quite the poop show

On the Pigeon River?  We stay in a place off 441 a mile and a half or so just south of Walmart, Longhorn, etc.  I've often looked at the river there and it doesn't look like smallmouth territory, of course we go in late August/early September.