Photo by Ron Sinfelt

A small drop between two boulders forms a tabletop-sized pocket in a stream of about twice the width of the pocket. A flyfisherman lays a No. 16 Royal Wulff atop a current line at the head of the hole. The little fly dances swiftly at first and then begins slowing. As it slows, a wild rainbow appears from nowhere and nabs it. The angler plays in the 8-inch brilliant-colored fish, admires it for a moment as it splashes near his feet and then twists the hook from the trout's mouth with his hemostats, releasing the fish without ever touching it.

Wild trout generally don't grow as large as tailwater fish, and densities may not be as high as in stocked water. But anglers fish wild trout streams because of the appeal of catching stream-bred fish, which present more of a challenge than their cousins and tend to be beautifully marked. The waters wild fish reside in also have their own appeal as they tumble down the sides of mountains amid rhododendron banks, high hemlocks, rock bluffs and boulders.

Excluding the waters of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee has roughly 625 miles of wild trout waters, all in a 10-county region along the eastern edge of the state. The Smokies add another 220 miles of Tennessee trout waters. The Tennessee/North Carolina border roughly follows the ridge of the western Blue Ridge, so most wild trout waters rise close to the border. The majority of the state's wild trout waters flow through the Cherokee National Forest, providing good public access for fishermen.

Several wild trout stream sections on national forest land are managed with special wild trout regulations. While there are a few variances, generally that means only single-hook artificial lures or flies may be used or possessed. The limit on most of these streams is three trout, with a 9-inch minimum size for rainbows and browns and a 6-inch minimum size for brook trout.

Many wild trout streams, especially headwaters branches that contain wild brook trout, are too small to highlight on their own. However, numerous streams spread along the eastern edge of the state offer wild trout fishing opportunities that do warrant discussing. Rainbows are the most abundant wild trout, but browns live in the lower reaches of several trout streams and native brook trout inhabit feeder creeks well up the mountainsides. Let's take a closer look at some of the state's best wild trout streams and their offerings to anglers.

TELLICO WATERSHED
The namesake of the Tellico Nymph, which is one of the best-loved and fish-catchingest flies ever created, the Tellico River is legendary for its trout fishing. However, when most anglers think about Tellico, they think about the main river and its "permit waters," which are heavily stocked on a weekly basis from a special streamside hatchery. Often forgotten is the outstanding wild trout fishing that Tellico's tributaries provide.

The North and Bald rivers, two of the Tellico's largest feeders, both are managed strictly as wild trout waters. Both streams contain a blend of wild rainbow and brown trout, plus brookies in their upper ends.

Rainbows predominate in the North River, but some brown trout grow to large sizes, according to Bart Carter, Region IV stream fisheries biologist for the TWRA. North River Road (Forest Service Road 217) parallels the river, providing very good access. The upper half of the stream is well suited for wading, Carter noted.

In recent years, TWRA has stocked some brook trout in the upper end of the North River. A handful of tributaries also contain wild brook trout. One feeder, Meadow Branch, deserves special note because it contains an introduced population of Northern-strain brook trout, which grow a little larger than the Southern-strain fish that are native to the region.