ARTICLE'S - 5 & 6

"Smallies In The Great Smoky Mountains National Park"

There is great smallmouth bass angling opportunities found in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The Tennessee side of the Smokies boasts four major streamsheds and a minor one: Abrams Creek located at the southwestern corner of the park, Little River which leaves the park at Townsend, West Prong of the Little Pigeon River which leaves the park at Gatlinburg, Middle Prong of the Little Pigeon River which exits the park near Pittman Center, and Cosby Creek which leaves the park near Cosby and flows into the Pigeon River a few miles away. All but little Cosby Creek hold smallmouth (and redeye) bass somewhere in their lengths in the national park. Granted, smallmouth bass occupy considerably less range in the national park than do trout, but the lower reaches of these streams in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is prime bronzeback country.

The existence of smallmouth bass in these streams comes as a shock to many, including a few lifelong trouters in the region. However, these marvelous gamefish, as well as rock bass and even a few largemouth bass, are found in these streams. It is a bit ironic that most trout fishermen frequenting these streams ignore the brown bass, as it is a far better battler than any of the trout occurring here.

Smallmouth bass prefer rock- or gravel-bottomed feeding stations, which characterizes most of their habitat in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Two- to three-pound smallmouth bass are trophies from these waters are common, while a 12-inch rock bass is a true "eye popper." Each season, a few larger bass are taken from park waters.

Crawfish, which are common to park streams, are key diet items, along with small fish such as darters and sculpins, spring lizards, and insects and other invertebrates. These fish are slightly more meat-conscious than trout, although they will take small flies. Fishing specifically for smallmouth bass is a challenging sport, but their abundance in the Park makes it worthwhile. I could easily devote an entire book to this subject, as the various techniques and awesome array of fishing situations can take years to master.

One reason many trout fishermen visiting these waters fail to catch smallmouth and rock bass from the streams of the Smokies is they fail to recognize the distinctly different habitat preferences of the sunfish clan to that of trout in these waters. Trout, and especially rainbows, are far more likely to be caught in modestly swift runs. Smallmouth bass shun fast water, preferring to "lay up" in the rear of pools in shaded areas. All of the bass in the Smokies are most common in the lower reaches of the largest streams.

Smallmouth bass in the streams of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park not only can be caught on hardware such as spinners and small crankbaits, but also a variety of flies, ranging from streamers to nymphs. During the early years of the Park, fishing for smallmouth bass was almost as common as for trout. During the 1940 streams in the Smokies were not all tree lines and were warmer, providing smallmouth bass with great habitat. The lack of shade on many reaches of water as a result of 50 years of intensive logging. These days though, these streams are now canopied at least half of the year) resulted in prime smallmouth bass habitat.

During those early days of the Park, fishermen used what was known then as flyrod baits. In most instances, these were scaled-down versions of proven plugs such as Heddon's Flaptail or South Bend's Bass Oreno. These bantam-sized plugs were too light to be cast with any tackle of that era other than a flyrod. Experienced Park smallie fishermen agree that more consistent results are obtained with light tackle and relatively small baits. I like two- to four- pound-test tippets, but some fishermen advocated the use of six- to eight- pound-test line. Favorite smallmouth fly patterns for park waters include Muddler Minnows, Joe's Hopper, large stonefly nymphs, and the Wooly Booger. Favorite hardware includes Mepp Comet Squirreltail and Roosertail spinners, but be sure to remember to trim off all but a single hook when fishing inside the boundaries of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. In these waters only single hook, artificial only lures are legal to use. Presented to the rear of pools, these fly patterns and lures are deadly on lurking smallmouth bass.

Late winter is one of the finest times to fish for brown bass in the Park. Water temperatures and normally abundant rainfall help keep these cool-natured fish active. Streamers and spinners can't be beat at this time, when the metabolisms of these fish has slowed. These offerings worked slowly over drop-offs, saddles, and bars can bring surprising results. Around late March, smallmouth bass become increasingly active, and wander. Plumbing the bottom along rocky drop-offs by vertical jigging is an old-time tactic that still works at this time.

March and April are exciting months for tangling with Smoky Mountain brown bass. In most streams, these fish can be found shallow in the slow runs. Two- to four-foot depths are not uncommon. Quarter-ounce spinners, as well as Rapala and Rebel Crawdad crankbaits (modified to be single-hook), streamers (#2- to #6-sizes) and nymphs (#6- to #10-sizes) retrieved at a brisk pace are often met by violent strikes. Spawning action at this time can be located along sloping gravel- or rock- bottomed areas. Plastic twister-tail style grubs on leadheads, marabou streamers and crayfish patterns (#2- to #8-sizes) plus big nymphs (#4- to #8-sizes) bounced through likely bedding cover can net an irate parent fish or two. Following the spawn, the fish spread out along rocky-bottomed areas where they feed throughout late spring and summer.

The best in smallmouth bass action available in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park at Abrams Creek and Little River, although the final couple miles of both prongs the Little Pigeon River offer good bass fishing. The sport fishery at Abrams Creek downstream from the Abrams Creek Primitive Campground located near Happy Valley is about 50 percent smallmouth. Lightly fished due to how difficult it is to get to it and then to get around once you are there, brown bass in the 2- to 3-pound brown are common in the long, slow pools of Abrams Creek. The final five miles of this stream offer superb bass fishing-- unquestionably the best in all of the Park.

Little River is not as loaded with smallmouth bass as is Abrams Creek, but it is certainly a lot easier to access and worth exploring. The best fishing is on the East Prong is downstream from Metcalf Bottoms Picnic Area to the river's conjunction with the West Prong (approaching from Tremont), and then beyond at Little River to the park boundary at Townsend. I once observed Vic Stewart, an old angling buddy of mine from Morristown, catch a 14-inch rock bass from the Junction Pool early one morning on a Tellico Nymph. He and the fish were equally surprised to see the other. Vic expected to see a trout, and the rock bass was not expecting to see Vic

"Smallie Fishing Downstream From National Park Boundary"

By:
Brock Ray

The phone rang at midnight a few years. It was Allen Collette, well-known angler from Knoxville. "Hey, uh if you want to now, go ahead and write about trophy smallmouth bass fishing during the spring at the Little Pigeon River around Sevierville," he said.

Paralyzing shock overcame me. Several years earlier Collette had introduced me to the incredible trophy smallmouth bass fishing found there in early spring. Since that time he and I caught tons of big brown bass right in the shadows of passing tourists' cars. During that time, we kept fishing there a guarded secret, never telling anyone of its existence, much less writing an article about it. To this day I still think it is too good to share with anyone failing to read this article.

"Well, uh, well Don, I just came in from filming a TV show with Jerry McGinnis, (host of the wildly successful "Fishing Hole)," said Collette.

"Well, the cat's outa the bag, eh?" I responded, feeling great relief that he broke the code of silence before I could.

Collette was one of the first to discover the better than great fishing for big smallmouth bass that is found at the Little Pigeon River between this time of year and late spring. An engineer by profession, Collette approaches catching big brown bass from the Little Piegon River with great care and precision. He instructed me on the ways of using large black minnows he carefully transported from north of Knoxville in large plastic bags filled with oxygen.

"Many people are unaware that beginning in late winter and proceeding well into spring, that a portion of the mature smallmouth bass in Fort Loudoun Lake and French Broad River migrate up the Little Pigeon River to spawn," says Collette, who has guided anglers and himself in the past has caught state record book breaking pike and striped bass.

"These fish begin moving upstream in late winter, and their numbers climax in mid- to late-April, although there is always big bass present in the Little Pigeon from its starting point at the confluence of it two feeder prongs to its mouth. Because the river is generally so clear and shallow, these big smallmouth bass must be approached with considerable stealth to avoid spooking them and ruining your odds for coaxing a strike. You need to make long casts to along opposite shore to likely bass holding pockets, where you allow the brisk current to skip your live minnow along the bottom. If you do that, you will catch big fish," says Collette.

Collette says having a big, 3- to 4-inch long black minnow maintained and fished in the most lively condition possible is a big key to attracting the attention of protein conscious smallmouth bass. He uses small diameter, 6-pound test line, and places sinkers over a foot above this baited hook. As you might guess, such a rigging snags the bottom frequently. According to Collete, break it off, retie and bait up again, and keep on casting. Above all avoid spooking these fish.

Greg Ward, who grew fishing this river and now owns Rocky Top Outfitters in Pigeon Forge beside the West Prong of the Little Pigeon River, has his own twists for consistently putting his clients on smallmouth bass in the 4- to 6-pounds (and even better) range. He and his guides place out minnow traps in the little brooks and creeks feeding into the two prongs of the Little Pigeon River. I can not tell which or what type of darter or dace or chub or whatever it is that you might find in a trap works best for taking big bass, Ward swore me to never reveal details of that secret. However, I can say that if you trap your own creek minnows, odds are good that your catch will include a few of those highly coveted whatmacallits.

"Most people fail to realize the incredible caliber of smallmouth fishing in the streams exiting the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee," says Ward, one of the planet's most knowledgeable stream fishermen. "My guides and I have fished these waters so much over the years that we intimately know the best pools and runs were smallmouth bass that have traveled up from Fort Loudoun Lake and the French Broad River like to locate. We also how to show anglers how to deftly drift a large, live creek minnow close enough that it will drain a take."

Ironically, during the spring some of the best fishing for trophy class smallmouth bass is right in the middle of "tourist hell," i.e. Pigeon Forge and Sevierville. For example, the pool under the bridge in front of Hardie's restaurant has yielded up at least four 6-pound or better smallmouth bass to me alone in the last three seasons. That particular pool is not bigger than a putting green at cheap municipal golf course, may be 4-feet deep at its greatest depth. When vehicle traffic is heavy through Sevierville and Pigeon Forge, which is always, you can almost envision yourself casting at an attraction of a carnival side show--that is until a big bass yanks your arm from its socket.

The Little Pigeon River only flows about 8 miles before it enters the French Broad River. Its lower three miles is generally is too deep to wade, but is great for float fishing. Upstream from there the Little Pigeon River is one of the easiest wading streams in the state. The old fair grounds area is a favorite access point of mine for entering the river. From where with four hours you can wade and fish most of the very best runs and shoals on the river. Upstream access to both prongs is hodgepodge, often requiring permission to cross private land, although occasionally you can park in a shopping center parking lot and walk right into excellent fishing. I can say too much about how good fishing is here when the conditions are right.

Little River downstream from the park continues on for over 20 miles to Fort Loudoun Lake. For some reason this stream is better known for its summer season float fishing for smallies and rock bass than it is for spring season action. Then it could be that no one at Little River has really applied latest, highly refined "minnow-technology" now in common use at nearby West Prong of the Little Pigeon River. I do not have first hand knowledge of it, but I suspect it would work very well, especially in that area a few miles upstream from the lake.

Live minnows may be the ace in the hole bait for guides and engineer fishermen, but this is not the only offering these smallmouth bass in the waters will seize between late winter and late spring. Other live baits that produce well include 3- to 4-inch spring lizards, nightcrawlers, grampus (hellgrammites) and crawdads. The presentation is same--deep along the bottom, allowing the current to carry it by where the bass are.

Insofar as many of my trips to these waters have been spur of the moment adventures where gathering or procuring the correct size live minnow was impossible, I must confess to pretty good results using artificial lures. Crankbaits have always produced pretty well for me here, especially a 3-inch, short diving lip, Rebel Crawdad, and a 3-inch, gold, short diving lip Rapala minnow. Also, leadheads tipped 2-inch twister-style grubs in olive, black, and chartreuse (when the water is cloudy) produce well.

For guide information contact:
Greg Ward
Rocky Top Outfitters
2721 Parkway, Pigeon Forge, TN 37863
Phone: 423-429-3474.

For complete smallmouth bass (and trout) fishing information to Park waters, "Fly-fishing Guide To The Great Smoky Mountains," by Don Kirk, is available from the author for $20 (shipping and handling included) by writing to:

Don Kirk
275 Tecumseh Street
Montevallo AL 35115.