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Anglers 13 years and older (16 and older in NC) need a valid Tennessee or North Carolina fishing license to fish in the Park.
The Park does not sell licenses. Check with local chambers of commerce for purchase information. No trout stamp is needed.
Fishing is permitted year-round in open waters, from 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset. Stop by a park
visitor center to get a full copy of the regulations.
Daily possession limits:
Any combination of rainbow trout, brown trout, smallmouth bass totaling 5.
20 rockbass
It is illeagal to possess brook trout
A person must stop fishing once reaching the limit.
Size limits
rainbow and brown trout: 7in. minimum
smallmouth bass: 7in. minimum
rockbass: no minimum
All brook trout and any fish below the minimum must be immediately returned to the water.
Lures, bait, and equipment
Only one hand-held rod may be used.
Single hook only
bait must be fully artificial
Liquid scents are prohibited.
All equipment is subject to inspection by authorized Park staff.
A few words about brook trout and other fish
Brook trout are the only trout native to the Smokies. Heavy logging during the early 1900s elimated the fish from half its range. Brown trout and rainbow trout, stocked in the mid 1900s, outcompeted the brook trout, further limiting its range. Restoring the brook trout to its native range is a primary objective. The goal of the brook trout restoration program is to foster a self-sustaining natural population able to support angling pressure. Streams populated only by brook trout are closed to help this be
a future reality.
In total 40 species of fish including darters, dace, suckers, bass, shiners, and trout populate the Smokies' streams. Salamanders, crayfish, aquatic insects, and algae are other important components of local aquatic ecosystems.
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