Raven Fork Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Raven Fork inside the Great Great Smoky Mountains National Park is in my opinion one of the most difficult streams to fish.  It is accessible by only three possible routes.  One is to take the strenuous 1.8 miles hike to campsite #47 via the Enloe Creek Trial.  The Enloe Creek trailhead may be accessed by taking the Balsam Mountain Road down from the top of Balsam Mountain or by taking the Straight Fork Road up from the extreme end of the Cherokee Indian Reservation.

Another route to campsite #47 would be to hike in from Smokemont Campgrounds via the Hughes Ridge Trail and the Enloe Creek Trail for a total of about 9 miles to campsite #47.  A third possibility would be to reach the upper end of Raven Fork by taking the 3 ½ mile trip on Beech Gap Trail from Round Bottom, which can be arrived at by traveling down the road from Balsam Mountain.  The upper end of Raven Fork is even more difficult to fish, however.

Due to the fact that Campsite #47 is small and situated on solid rock, it can accommodate only 8 campers so you will need to make reservations to camp there.  I have seen horses there but it is not a legitimate horse site.

The reason that I discuss the access first is that you must be very determined and experienced to attempt to fish the Raven Fork, but if you do decide to fish there, I can only recommend the first route and plan to camp over night 47 because of the strenuous hike.

The stream exits the GSMNP into the Cherokee Tribal Lands via a canyon that can not be penetrated.  Once it exits the GSMNP it is stocked by the Cherokee Indians. Inside the GSMNP the Raven Fork is populated by wild Appalachian Brook Trout that are among the largest found in the southeast. It is not uncommon to fine them as large as 15 inches in length.

Most sections of the creek are accessible only by fishing upstream without the benefit of a trail.  Fishing upstream is made more difficult by the need to crawl over some boulders that are as tall as I am. The only way back is to walk back down the stream.

Blue Winged Olives are good for most of the year but stoneflies are probably the most important insects on Raven Fork with the hatches of several species occurring throughout the year, starting with the Little Brown Stoneflies in January followed by the Giant Black Stoneflies in May and Little Yellow Stoneflies in summer.

Blue Quills hatch from about the middle of February and on into the first of May. Quill Gordons hatch in fairly good quantities from about the last week of February on into the first of April and of course terrestrials are good in the summer months as well. 

Autumn and winter months will bring out the Little Yellow Quills, Great Autumn Brown Sedge and Slate Drakes.

Spring:

This is by far the best time to fish the Raven Fork with some excellent hatches, but be aware of the levels of the streams since it drains a large watershed and the stream can rise rapidly.  Blue Winged Olives and Stoneflies are probably the best choices.

Summer:

Due to heavy tree cover the stream remains cool through out the summer months. Blue Winged Olives, Little Yellow Stoneflies, and Slate Drakes remain good choices as well as trestrials.

Fall:

This is a pretty time to fish Raven Fork and the water levels are usually lower making the water more accessible. Good choices are Little Yellow Quills, Great Autumn Brown Sedge and Slate Drakes.

Winter:

Winter fishing remains good however, due to the harsh conditions it may not be advisable.

Raven Fork Pictures

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