We’ve done some volunteer work with fisheries biologists in the Smokies. We now have concrete evidence of what we suspected. Two consecutive years of massive winter flooding has had an impact on native brook trout in the Smokies, but it’s not all bad news.
Action seemed a bit light on our favorite brook trout streams, but we’ve caught some really nice ones. This is usually a result of depressed reproduction. The past two winters have seen extreme floods in the Smokies. Most brook trout fry were likely washed out as they weren’t large enough to hold in their own in such massive flows. This means that the overall population is down for the time being. A positive result is the bulk of the population is composed of adult fish and a large percentage of those fish are older fish. That means the average size has gone up and the potential for an exceptional brookie is as good as it gets. Brown trout also have the same spawning season so you can expect the same thing in their population dynamics.
GSMNP fisheries biologists and volunteers shocking Lynn Camp Prong
A typical year would find something in the range of about 1500 or more brook trout per mile in Lynn Camp Prong. This year’s sample showed 500 or less. That’s still plenty of fish, just not the exceptionally high numbers we’re used to. Also, since the trout are mostly adults there are more than enough fish to successfully spawn this fall.
Our kids, Boone and Willow, measure and weigh brook trout under the supervision of park biologist Caleb Abramson. Note the solid fish Boone is measuring.
Fishing has been good in the brook trout streams, but there are times when it has been spotty. We haven’t seen many of episodes with five or six fish coming from a single small pool. Those are mostly smaller fish when that does happen in years with high populations. This year we are finding fish in the absolute best spots (not always large pools) and they usually have that piece of water to themselves.
An example of the quality of brook trout we’ve seen this season.
With fewer fish we are seeing larger fish, though. One reason is that fewer fish have more food to go around. Another is that there are simply fewer small fish in the mix. That also means that larger fish have a better opportunity to eat your fly with fewer small fish to beat them to it.
Regardless, this is a result of natural events so there isn’t any reason to panic. We’ll likely see high numbers of small to medium fish in a couple of years. Also, keep in mind that rainbow trout have a spawning season that is completely different, so you can expect streams with rainbow trout to be in great shape right now. We’re seeing good number of rainbows across the park.