Elkmont (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elkmont,_Tennessee) is one of my favorite places in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. You can hike, camp, fish, look at the old homes, and you might even see a ghost or two, but that is a story for another time. I am going to focus on fishing Jake's Creek. Jake's Creek is a small stream that flows on the back side of Elkmont and joins the Little River just down stream from the bridge on Elkmont Road.
When I talk about Jake's Creek I break it up into 3 general sections of stream. The Lower Stream, the Middle Stream, and the Upper Stream. The Lower Stream reaches from where Jake's Creek flows into the Little River to the end of the gravel access road. This is where the houses are. The Middle Stream runs from where the Gravel access road ends to where it flows under the bridge where Jake's Creek Trail crosses the stream. The Upper Stream flows from where the creek flows under the bridge to the headwaters of the creek. I want to cover each section of stream separately since they are different.
The Lower Stream:
These are some of the houses and a stone bridge remaining in the Elkmont area near the lower section of Jake's Creek.
You can also see a lot of wildlife the wild life while fishing Jake's Creek.
This a huge honey bee swarm on the side of one of the houses. It was fascinating to watch. What you can't see in the picture is all the bees that were flying around and that in the middle of the mass of bees they were going round and round as a group.
I saw this snake sitting on the side of the creek warming itself in the sun. FYI - It's not poisonous and it is illegal to kill any snake in TN.
This is a Turkey what was hanging out in the upper parking lot. In the background you can see the bridge over Jake's Creek to one of the cemeteries and the campground.
There are also several bears in the area. FYI - Don't be a stupid tourist and approach them. Even a small bear can kill you. They will also be killed if they even scratch you so stay away from them.
The lower stream has a good population of Rainbows and Brown Trout, but is heavily fished by folks camping in the Elkmont Campground. You can still catch fish in this area (See the Brown Trout)
especially since most of those folks don't fish above the bridge between the Upper Elkmont parking area and the Camping Area. That is where the stream gets tight and there is no trail, but also has the better fishing in this lower section. There are also spots where you can easily access the stream up the gravel road past the houses, but those areas are also heavily fished.
There is also way too much trash along the stream that is left by the tourists. If you see some trash, pick it up and pack it out. Also, stay out of the buildings. There is a $5000 fine for trespassing in any of the Elkmont buildings. Read the sign when you get there. It explains the fines.
Middle Stream:
The middle section of the stream begins up were the gravel road ends. To follow the stream you have to start following the ? trail. The ? trail crosses the stream after about 150 yards and doesn't follow the stream so you have to follow the stream from that point forward. Brown trout disappear from the stream around this point and you will start to pick up Rainbows from here on out. Some of the are good sized, but most are 4 - 6 inches in length.
This a typical rainbow caught in the Middle section of the stream.
There also used to be homes in this area and you will some relics here and there. There is also barbed wire still strung in some spots along the stream and throughout the area. I have found it the hard way a couple of times.
Here is a small clip where I was getting ready to fish in the Middle section. It will give you an idea of how rough the country is. Jake's creek trail is about 100 +/- yards away from the stream uphill from this point, but you really can't see it and was only April when I filmed this. The foliage will get a lot thicker in the summer.
The upper part of Jake's creek gets pretty tight. It's actually hard to follow the stream after the bridge where Jake's creek trail crosses Jake's Creek. You have to climb a series of very large boulders right after the bridge to stay in the stream. After this point the fish get a lot smaller, but there seem to be a lot of them. Below is a typical Rainbow from this part of the stream.
It is a very pretty area if you can get into it. This is typical pool that I was able to pick a couple of Trout out of, but as you can see the vegetation is thick and hangs out over the water.
I need to do some more exploring in the upper portion of the stream. I plan to hike in an fish that area here soon. Look for the update.
Fishing Techniques:
It's all fly rod work in Jake's Creek. I use a 7' 6" rod with about a 7' leader. Most of the time I use a a #12 Yellow Stimulator, but I have used Elk Hair Caddis with equal success. Fish moving up the stream from pool to pool. Stay low if you can or hide behind rocks or trees and wear a neutral color or camouflaged clothing to blend in with the surroundings. I have noted that you generally get about 2 - 3 casts to pick up a fish and a stealthy approach is needed in all sections of the creek. After a few casts you either get a strike or you have scared the fish. I have also noticed that the preferred holding location is at the back of the pools so not getting ahead of yourself is very important.
Best of luck to you. Now get outside!
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