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Pigeon Forge Fishing

What to Know About Fishing in the Smokies

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is one of the best places to go fishing! The park has about 2,900 miles of streams within its boundaries, all of which you can fish in. It protects one of the last wild trout habitats in the eastern United States, and about 20 percent of the park’s streams are large enough to support trout populations.

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park offers a variety of angling experiences from remote, headwater trout streams to large, cool-water smallmouth bass streams. Fishing is permitted year-round in the park, from 30 minutes before official sunrise to 30 minutes after official sunset.

Fishing License Information

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To go fishing in the Smoky Mountains, you must have a valid fishing license or permit from Tennessee or North Carolina. Here are the fishing license requirements:

Tennessee: Residents and nonresidents age 13 and older must have a valid license. Residents age 65 and older may obtain a special license from the state.

North Carolina License Requirements: Residents and nonresidents age 16 and older need a license. Residents age 70 and older may obtain a special license from the state.

People under 16 in North Carolina and under 13 in Tennessee are entitled to the adult daily bag and possession limits and are subject to all other regulations.

Fishing licenses can be purchased in nearby towns or online.

Daily Possession and Size Limits

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A total of 5 brook, rainbow or brown trout, smallmouth bass, or a combination of these each day or in possession are allowed. This includes if they are stored in an ice chest or otherwise preserved. Twenty rock bass can be kept in addition to the 5 fish. Brook, rainbow, and brown trout, as well as smallmouth bass, have a 7-inch minimum size limit. Rockbass does not have a minimum size limit.

Our resort is just 5 miles from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, so you’ll have easy access to miles of streams for a fun day of fishing in the Smoky Mountains. Stop by a ranger station in the national park for a full list of fishing regulations and a map of fishable streams.