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General License Information (Lake and Stream)
Licenses go on sale on March 1, at the beginning of prime fishing, and will be valid until the last day of February. All licenses, except
Sportsman's license, are available from most county clerks, sporting goods stores, hardware stores, boat docks and other interested merchants and from TWRA offices.
Anglers 13 years and older (16 and older in NC) need a valid Tennessee or North Carolina fishing license to fish in the Park. The Park does not
sell licenses. Check with local chambers of commerce for purchase information. No trout stamp is needed. Fishing is permitted year-round in open waters, from 30 minutes before sunrise to 30
minutes after sunset. Stop by a park visitor center to get a full copy of the regulations.
Daily possession limits:
• Any combination of rainbow trout, brown trout, smallmouth bass totaling 5
• 20 rockbass
• It is illegal to possess
brook trout
• A person must stop fishing once reaching the limit
Size limits
• Rainbow and brown trout: 7in. minimum
• Smallmouth bass: 7in. minimum
• Rockbass: no minimum
• All brook trout and
any fish below the minimum must be immediately returned to the water
Lures, bait, and equipment
• Only one handheld rod may be used
• Single hook only
• Bait must be fully artificial
• Liquid scents are
prohibited
• All equipment is subject to inspection by authorized Park staff
A few words about brook trout and other fish
Brook trout are the only trout native to the Smokies. Heavy logging during the early 1900s eliminated the fish from half its range. Brown trout and rainbow trout, stocked in the mid 1900s, out competed the brook trout, further limiting its range. Restoring the brook trout to its native range is a primary objective. The goal of the brook trout restoration program is to foster a self-sustaining natural population able to support angling pressure. Streams populated only by brook trout are closed to help this be a future reality. In total 40 species of fish including darters, dace, suckers, bass, shiners, and trout populate the Smokies' streams. Salamanders, crayfish, aquatic insects, and algae are other important components of local aquatic ecosystems.
Some Information provided by http://www.nps.gov/grsm/
Prices are APPROXIMATE ONLY!
You can call the local welcome centers for current pricing.
Annual Trout (type 22) $12.00
Annual Fishing and Hunting Combo (type 01) $21.00
(Both required to Fish for Trout) Total: 33.00
NON-RESIDENT LICENSES
Annual All Fish (type 81) $51.00
10 Day All Fish (type 80) $30.50
3 Day All Fish (type 78) $20.50
1 Day Trout (type 97)
$10.50
Gatlinburg Trout Daily (type99) $2.50 (This charge in addition to the above stated fees.)
No fishing license needed if:
- You are under 13 years of age (resident or non-resident)
- You are a landowner or a tenant or a dependent child fishing on land that you own or tend to.
- You are on military leave, carrying a copy of your leave orders. A pass does not meet this requirement
- You are a resident who was 65 years of age before March 1, 1991. (To qualify for this exemption, you must carry proof of your age
to show to a wildlife officer, if requested.)
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