Raven Fork North Carolina Fishing Report & Options for Selecting Flies: Email us at (sales@perfectflystore.com) with the dates you will be fishing and we will send you a list of our fly recommendations. We can get flies and gear to you within two to three business days from the time you place your order via Priority Mail. If you provide a budget for flies, we will select them to match the budget and get them to you on time for your trip. Your can also call us at 800-594-4726 and we will help you decide what flies and gear to use. All orders are shipped free in the U.S. If under a $100 order requiring Priority mail is a charge of only $8.10. Orders over a $100 are shipped free via Priority Mail.
We also have custom Perfect Fly selections in 3 different price ranges for this stream that come with or without fly boxes. They make excellent gifts. Click Here To Order or Call us at 800 594 4726 or email us at sales@perfectflystore.com.
Type of Stream
Freestone
Species
Rainbow Trout
Palomino Trout
(Stocked)
Size
medium
Location
Western North Carolina
Nearest Towns
Cherokee, Tennessee
Season
Eleven Months of the Year (Closed
during March)
Access:
Easy
Special Regulations
Tribal Permits Required. Special
Catch and Release Section. An
additional $20.00 annual fee is
required for the C&R Section.
Non-Resident License
State License Not Required
Tribal Permits Are Required
Weather
National Weather Service Link
Seasons:
The fishing season is open eleven months of the year. Itis closed most of the month of March.
Spring:
Spring is the best time for fly fishing the Raven Fork.
Summer:
The fish activity slows down some during the hot days of
summer.
Fall:
Fall is an excellent time to fish the Raven Fork.
Winter:
If the weather is reasonably warm, and it often is during
the winter, the fishing will be good.
Recommended Tackle & Gear
Fly Line:
4, 5 or 6 weight
Leaders:
Dry fly: 9 to 12 ft., 5 or 6X Nymphing:
71/2 ft., 3 or 4X, Streamers 0-2X
Tippets:
Dry fly: 5 or 6X, Nymphing: 3 or 4X,
Streamer 0-2X
Best Fly Rods:
Perfect Fly Supreme Four, Superb Five
or Ultimate Six
Fly Reels:
For 4/5/6 fly line
Fly Floatants and Misc Items:
Floatants, KISS Strike Indicators
Tools & Accessories:
Nippers, forceps, retractors, etc.
Copyright 2013 James Marsh
Fly Fishing The Raven Fork (Cherokee Tribal Waters) North Carolina
The Raven Fork is a beautiful freestone mountain stream that flows from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. While the stream is difficult to access inside the park (a separate section is available for the Raven Fork inside the park) it is very easy to access outside the park in the Cherokee Indian Reservation. The fishing is under the control of the Cherokee Indian Nation (Cherokee Tribal Waters) who stocks and manages the Raven Fork.
The trout shown above is a Palomino Trout. It is a hybridized pure stain of a Golden Trout and a rainbow. The stream is also stocked with brown and rainbow trout.
There is a special “catch and release” section of the Raven Fork that is about two miles long. An annual permit is required for fishing the Catch and Release Area. Tribal Permits are required to fish any area of the Raven Fork outside of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
There are some trout that hold over and continue to grow. There are also some very large trout that are stocked. It is not unusual to see rainbows in the twenty inch range caught from the Raven Fork.
For fly fishing the Raven Fork within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, see this section of our website. It is the best brook trout stream in the park but it does require some leg work to reach the best waters.
Fly Fishing Guide to the Raven Fork:
Fishing conditions can be crowded in the Special Catch and Release Section at times.
The Raven Fork flows in from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park a short distance and is joined by the waters of Straight Fork Creek which flows from a different section of the park. At that point it becomes a larger stream. There are pools and runs in the upper section of the stream. Some areas of this part is pure pocket water. Farther downstream near the town of Cherokee, the stream widens out and flows over shallow riffles for much of its length. There are also some long, large pools.
The Raven Fork is stocked at several locations on a regular basis. The fish tend to congregate in certain areas and so do the anglers. The large Palomino trout can be easily spotted due to their light, bright color. They are cast at often.
Downstream of the Catch and Release Section, the fishing is more the normal trout stream fly fishing but it too, is stocked heavily – just with by huge trout.