Gatlinburg Cabins, Heartland Cabin Rentals Trout Fishing Guide

Are you planning a stay in one of our honeymoon cabins in Pigeon Forge or Gatlinburg in the near future? Or are you perhaps looking at bringing your entire family to the Smokies for a little well-deserved vacation time? If so, we’d like to toss out a suggestion for a fun activity that often gets overlooked, considering all the cool attractions that tend to grab most visitors’ attention.

Consider doing a little fishing on your next trip to Gatlinburg. That’s right, fishing. This area is known for its trout, and whether you’re alone as a couple or hanging out as a family, you’d be surprised how much fun and bonding time you can have trying to get one of those shiny little swimmers to take the bait.

The cool part is that you don’t even have to venture into Great smoky Mountains National Park to fish for trout. Gatlinburg is the only city in the state that stocks its rivers weekly with rainbow trout so that visitors and locals can try their luck at hauling in some fresh dinner. The city stocks anywhere from 35,000 to 45,000 fish each year, most of which range from 8 to 14 inches long.

All you have to do is bring some gear, pick out a spot along a local creek and have at it. But you do have to have both a city permit and a state fishing license to participate. A one-day state visitor trout license is $10.50, and the Gatlinburg city permits cost $2.50 for a one-day or $6.50 for a three-day license.

The creel limit on trout is five fish per day, but between December 1 and March 31, all trout must be immediately released after capture, and only artificial bait is permitted. Otherwise, you can use any kind of hand-held rod and single hook. Also, no fishing on Thursdays, because that’s the day the trout are stocked.

Streams you can fish in include the West Prong Little Pigeon River from the national park boundary downstream to Gnatty Branch; Dudley Creek from the park boundary downstream to West Prong Little Pigeon River; Roaring Fork from park boundary to West Prong Little River; and LeConte Creek from Painters Branch downstream to West Prong Little River.