Guide rec for Smoky Mountains, staying near Gatlinburg, TN

[Gus1Gus1]

Does anyone have a guide recommendation for the Smokey Mountain National Park area?  I will be staying north of the park, near Gatlinburg.   A quick google search yields lots of possibilities, but I thought I'd ask this educated group to see if anyone has any firsthand experience with a guide.  I'm looking to do a full day guided trip.  I will probably do some fishing on my own inside the park, and outside the park, particularly in North Carolina.  I will be there the last week of March, 2018.
Thanks in advance!

[Yambag Nelson]

Honestly, unless you have not fished much, I don;t see the point in getting a guide to fish those streams.  They are all relatively small and not difficult to figure out on your own.  There are several guidebooks out there on the park that will give you all of the information you need to know.  

[Yambag Nelson]

That said, there is a llyshop just outside of the park on the tenessee side.  They seemed knowledgeable when I stopped in there a couple years ago.  Could be a place to start.  

[John Mathews]

You might want to consider going over to Cherokee on US 441 and get your guide out of River's Edge Fly Shop.  They have access to private waters and the Tuckasegee at that time of year is a really good river to fish.  There's a lot of good water to fish in that area with my favorite being the Raven's Fork Trophy water on the Reservation.

https://www.flyfishingtrail.com/

On Wednesday, February 21, 2018 at 10:46:17 AM UTC-5, Gus1Gus1 wrote:

[Steven Gusky]

Thanks for the advice both of you.   I called a few places, and they all said there's plenty of small trout in the park, but best bet for bigger fish is outside the park in NC.  Tuckasegee in particular.   I'll give River's Edge a call.  Thanks!

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[Yambag Nelson]

The trout in the park definitely tend to run on the small side. Every now and then you might find a bigger brown but the majority of the streams are loaded with rainbows that tend to average 7-8 inches with the occasional fish over 10. There are a handful of streams with Brooke's that are your typical Appalachian brook trout. That said, the fish in the park are all wild and the streams are beautiful with solitude easy to find. As far as I know, most of the streams outside the park are stocked fisheries. Really up to you as to your preference.

[VolFan]

Little River outfitters in Townsend has fly gear, reports, and works with some local guides. I like the Abrams Creek/Little River areas of the park, including Elkmont and Tremont. This is small water once you get in the park, so a 4 wt would be the absolute max you would need, and I fished a 3 for years. One of my favorite things to do was to hike to below Abrams Falls from upstream, and then fish downstream from the falls with streamers or big meat flies. You'll catch rainbows and smallmouth, with the very (and I mean very) occasional brown towards the lower end. That is a full-day excursion though. Basic rule of thumb for there is hike upstream to find more fish and solitude, hike downstream for larger fish. But some of the high plunge pools will surprise you.

[Ben H]

Ian and Charity Rutter have a good reputation and have been guiding that region for a long time http://randrflyfishing.com/

If you jump over to the NC side and want to fish some bigger waters like the Tuck, you could try Tuck Fly Shop http://www.tuckflyshop.com/

[Speycaster]

I realize I am late to the party but I second the recommendation to visit Little River Outfitters in Townsend, TN   They have a great shop and give honest information. Their website gives a daily report as well. The Townsend side of the Smokies haven't changed in 50 years unlike the Gatlinburg tourist show. 

Lee

FFI - CCI