# Smoky Mountain Slam



## wallace1 (Dec 8, 2010)

Made a trip to the smokies and managed to pull off the slam in one day despite some pretty mediocre conditions. Rained every day we were up there and the rivers were blown out. Only fly I used up there was a squirmy worm which is slightly embarrassing but it sure produced. The brookie was a stocker that must have ran up into the park from somewhere but counting it anyways.


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## Jason (Oct 2, 2007)

I'll be up there next month....we kill em on live crickets! Last year, I caught trout, bream, warmouth, small mouth, and catfish!!! I killed the species, not much quality except the smallies


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## Lieutenant ZKO (Jan 19, 2015)

That second pic sure is purty...looks like a relaxing time.


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## wtbfishin' (Jul 31, 2016)

Nice change of pass up that way. What makes you think the Brookie was a stocked fish?


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## jonasmagn (Mar 3, 2009)

Wallace - did you put those roll casts to use up there?


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## jim t (Sep 30, 2007)

VERY cool!

Thanks,

Jim


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## wallace1 (Dec 8, 2010)

jonasmagn said:


> Wallace - did you put those roll casts to use up there?


Not as much as I would have liked. Tried a dry fly a couple different times and was able to roll cast with it no problem. We fished one area that was open but with limited room to backcast and the majority of my casts there were roll casts. Most of the time though we were in tighter cover and I was fishing a nymph and indicator and the casts were very very short as in 10ft or less so we did quite a bit of lobbing. Playing with the dry fly on was good practice though.

Wtbfishin a couple of things about the brookie lead me to believe it was a stocker. Number one is size/coloration. The wild brookies are typically much smaller and much more colorful. Second is location, in that the stream I was on is a tributary of a river that is stocked with brookies. Also, I was at a fairly low elevation and the wild brookies are typically found much higher. Still was a nice fish and by far my biggest of the trip.


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## Dunt (Aug 14, 2015)

Looks like fun. Do they call that last fish bull trout or dolly varden in those parts?


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## lastcast (Oct 12, 2007)

Brook Trout.


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## Dunt (Aug 14, 2015)

lastcast said:


> Brook Trout.


None of these are Brook Trout.


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## lastcast (Oct 12, 2007)

I believe in the E/NE the only species of trout with white on the leading edge of the fins is a Brookie. Captive breading brings out all kinds of color morphs. Been catching many for many years.


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## wtbfishin' (Jul 31, 2016)

Dunt said:


> None of these are Brook Trout.


I believe you're wrong on this one. Brooks are in the Char family they're not actually trout. Only thing going to be up there is either a Brown, Rainbow, Brook or a possible hybrid mix. I think this is a stocked fish, they do not have the same colors of a wild fish.


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## Dunt (Aug 14, 2015)

My Fisheries Science degree has to correct you...

The first fish is a Brown Trout, probably of German variety (trout, not a char), the second is a Rainbow Trout juvenile, still with parr marks (trout, not a char), the third is either a "Dolly Varden" or, as we call them out west, Bull Trout (yes, a char).

By definition, trout have dark spots on light bodies. Char are the opposite - light spots on dark bodies.

Browns and Brookies can interbreed, but the mixes are very pronounced.

Reference photos...

1 - Brown - http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ah-XieL1p_E/TbQF8XADnYI/AAAAAAAABd4/MfvyG1_rnck/s1600/RRb+Wld+Brn.jpg

2- Rainbow - http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1d/Female_Rainbow_Trout_in_hand.JPG

3 - Dolly/Bull - http://unaccomplishedangler.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/P8021022.jpg

Correct, Brookies are also char, but have glaring orange bellies and orange-on-black-on-white ventral fins, gigantic heads and black eyes - http://dnr.maryland.gov/fisheries/PublishingImages/Brook_Trout01.jpg


All beauties!


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## wtbfishin' (Jul 31, 2016)

Dunt said:


> My Fisheries Science degree has to correct you...
> 
> The first fish is a Brown Trout, probably of German variety (trout, not a char), the second is a Rainbow Trout juvenile, still with parr marks (trout, not a char), the third is either a "Dolly Varden" or, as we call them out west, Bull Trout (yes, a char).
> 
> ...


Well I guess 2 out of 3 ain't to bad. You'll not find that last species you call out in the Smokies.


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## wtbfishin' (Jul 31, 2016)

Damn I even knew google was my friend! Seems you are correct there could be a Dollyvarden in the park.
I'm not sure I agree with this, I'm going to have get back to you. The degree is nice!


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## Lieutenant ZKO (Jan 19, 2015)

Dunt said:


> My Fisheries Science degree has to correct you...
> 
> The first fish is a Brown Trout, probably of German variety (trout, not a char), the second is a Rainbow Trout juvenile, still with parr marks (trout, not a char), the third is either a "Dolly Varden" or, as we call them out west, Bull Trout (yes, a char).
> 
> ...


mic drop :clapping:


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## wtbfishin' (Jul 31, 2016)

Dunt what do you believe this fish is?


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## wtbfishin' (Jul 31, 2016)

Dunt I put the photo in front of 9000 NE Georgia fisherman old and young alike. These people commonly fish the GSMNP and all over North Ga, NC, Tn. many are Blue line fanatics. One in particular has a very similar degree as you. 

The consensus is that it is a female stocked Brook Trout. 
I stand by my original statement. You will not find a DollyVarden or a Bull trout in this part of the country. Check their range Dunt.

By the way the small Trout in the photo I ask you what you thought it to be, the one that looks so much like the ops trout. It is a wild Appalachian female Brook Trout :yes:.


ZKO you can pick up your mic now.


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## Lieutenant ZKO (Jan 19, 2015)

hahaha I never had a mic. I know absolutely nothing about what you guys are talking about. never done that style of fishing


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## wtbfishin' (Jul 31, 2016)

wallace1 were you fishing Straight Creek in the park when you caught this Brook?:whistling:


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## wallace1 (Dec 8, 2010)

Usually don't like to drop stream names but deep creek isn't exactly a secret. Also, fairly certain the tuck is only stocked with brookies, browns, and bows which is where this guy must have wandered up from. The stockers tend not to have the same vibrant coloration as the locals.


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## wtbfishin' (Jul 31, 2016)

wallace1 said:


> Usually don't like to drop stream names but deep creek isn't exactly a secret. Also, fairly certain the tuck is only stocked with brookies, browns, and bows which is where this guy must have wandered up from. The stockers tend not to have the same vibrant coloration as the locals.


I know what you mean and I agree. I had the wrong creek 1st time out I meant to say Deep Creek. 

Thing is every one of those streams are named in more than one book nowadays clearly describing their potential catch. 

Reason I ask, a friend had talk with someone in the know up that way. He said that "GSMNP fisheries personnel discovered stocked trout (brookies) four (4) miles inside the Park...in Deep Creek. The brook trout alledgedly worked their way up Deep Creek in an effort to spawn. These were stockers from the new Tuck DH in Bryson City. As a result, brook trout are no longer stocked on the lower DH". :shifty:


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## lastcast (Oct 12, 2007)

In Pa. we found Brookies and a few Rainbow miles up small feeder "runs" from the main creek. Brownies seem to go downstream. Fun areas to fish.


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## Dunt (Aug 14, 2015)

wtbfishin' said:


> Dunt what do you believe this fish is?


First glance says Brookie, but the dorsal "wormwood" markings suggest some sort of hybridization with possibly a Tiger or some other species.


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## hjorgan (Sep 30, 2007)

Pretty fish


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## BananaTom (Feb 16, 2008)

I am in Gatlinburg now, thinking of wetting a line.


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## chasing tail (Oct 14, 2015)

That last fish is definitely a stocked brook trout


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## TNtroutbum (Jan 20, 2016)

wallace1 your post made me miss home. I'm from Knoxville and I've fly fished all over east TN, west NC and north GA.

Just to throw my two cents in on trout identification...

There are two distinct types of brook trout in the SMNP and surrounding area. The northern brook trout and the Southern Appalachian Brook Trout. The Southern Appalachian Brook Trout is the only native trout to the area, it is commonly referred to by the locals as a speck, speckled trout, or google-eyed trout. 

Here is some supporting info. 
http://www.tn.gov/twra/article/wild-trout-streams
http://www.ncwildlife.org/Portals/0/Fishing/documents/BrookTrout.pdf


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## wallace1 (Dec 8, 2010)

wtbfishin' said:


> I know what you mean and I agree. I had the wrong creek 1st time out I meant to say Deep Creek.
> 
> Thing is every one of those streams are named in more than one book nowadays clearly describing their potential catch.
> 
> Reason I ask, a friend had talk with someone in the know up that way. He said that "GSMNP fisheries personnel discovered stocked trout (brookies) four (4) miles inside the Park...in Deep Creek. The brook trout alledgedly worked their way up Deep Creek in an effort to spawn. These were stockers from the new Tuck DH in Bryson City. As a result, brook trout are no longer stocked on the lower DH". :shifty:


I know I used the book when we were up there :shifty:
I actually heard the exact same thing from a guy at one of the fly shops up there. He gave us some good advice so on the last day we went back to say thank you and buy some more extras so I asked him about it. I was at most a mile or 2 inside the park and he said it was still fairly common to see them in there.


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## 69Viking (Oct 30, 2008)

I'm leaving for Gatlinburg Saturday, it will be my first time fly fishing, so excited! Jason, when you going to the Smokies and where?


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## tmber8 (Mar 2, 2011)

Way to go Wallace! Your post has stirred up quite a commotion on this normally-quiet section of pff...we all need a little excitement and fish slime on our hands.

Matt

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk


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