The Trophy Waters of the Raven Fork.
I don’t travel in my car or cycle, without a couple of fly rods. My motorcycle trip to “The Tail of the Dragon” would be no different. I didn’t know if I was going to fish or where, but I was going to be prepared. I packed my recently acquired four piece G.Loomis IMX Pro #4 wt. fly rod. Four piece rods pack in nicely when loading a motorcycle. Along with the rod, I packed my waders, wading stick, reel, leaders, some flies/nymphs and I was good to go.
I had been told about a Trophy Waters section of the Raven Fork river around Cherokee, NC. by Tyler Bruce at Greentop Sporting Goods in Hanover, Virginia. I was intrigued. I am not by any stretch of the imagination a great trout fisherman, but I love wading mountain streams. It is my church. To quote John Muir, “I would rather be in the mountains thinking of God, then be in Church thinking about the Mountains.”
My continuing ride would take me back to the Great Smokies along the Cherohala Parkway. I did a little on-line research, found the Raven Fork, noticed a group called Fly Fishing the Smokies and set up a day of wade fishing in the Trophy Waters. http://flyfishingthesmokies.net/
Now many people think fly fishing is some type of snob sport. I probably reinforced that image by referencing the trophy waters above. Fly fishing for me is pure enjoyment when the wind isn’t howling. To understand my referencing trophy waters, you have to realize that I spent my youth chasing 5-10″ Native Brook Trout in the creeks and streams of Hunterdon County, New Jersey(Yes, there are native Brook Trout streams in New Jersey).
Now, at this stage of life, I have to have the thought that something bigger can hit-a big fish–big fish being a relative term. A big fish in a trout stream is usually anything over 14″, but it can be 19-20 inches or more. For me, it is about the adrenalin rush I get at a hook-up and the feel of that hopefully big fish at the end of the rod.
I met my guide, Jake Tapper, in downtown Cherokee, NC. We didn’t get off to the most fabulous start because he didn’t know the score of the World Series game the night before. Seriously, I liked him immediately. He was a graduate of E.Carolina University and had grown up in the area. He was a fisherman who loved what he was doing. The highest compliment I can pay is: I will fish with him again.
We weren’t in that stream 10 minutes when I had a hit from a big fish(really, really big fish are the ones that get away.) It was in the rapids, and I played it hard, really hard, too hard. The tippet broke, I was peeved, to say the least. At that point, Jake diligently reminded me we were fishing with a 6x tippet. Nice fish-gone because I forgot the 3.5 lb. test tippet at the end of the leader. You get a nice size fish in the fast current and try to muscle it-it breaks off.
Aah but not to worry. It wasn’t 15 minutes later another hook-up. I played it smart and diligently. It aerialed out of the water, nice rainbow, but as I worked it into the shallows, the nymph(underwater insect) pulled out. That didn’t surprise me as we were fishing with tiny nymphs that someone my age needed three magnifying glasses to see, let alone tie the leader on. Thank God for Jake.
Finally, sometime within the next hour I hooked up and actually landed a nice rainbow. That is the way it went all day. I didn’t hook into anything huge the remainder of the day but caught numerous good size rainbows and brookies. It was a ball. I had the fall colors, the beautiful stream, it was cold in the morning, comfortable in the afternoon and just made for a superb great day on the river. So much so that I asked Jake to check with his boss to see if I could book him again for the next day. I was in luck. I was going to get to spend another day on the Raven Fork. Good stuff. It would prove to yield some big fish.
I got on my bike, headed back to my KOA campground. Ate some food, drank a beer or 
two, climbed into bed with my Kindle and had a great nights sleep. It was chilly, about 30, but I had a great REI bag with me, and so it was toasty. I was staying in a bare-bones, you needed your camping gear cabin that the owner of Fly Fishing the Smokies told me about. It was a good recommendation. The river was just down the mountain a little.
The next day started quickly. Jake picked me up at the camp-ground, and we got to the stream likity split. We had seen a huge Brook Trout the night before, but it wasn’t feeding. We saw it now cruising the pool’s lower rapids, and it was feeding. I got my nymph in the right drift, and the fish was on. On a 4wt. rod it was a big grin fight. We got it. It’s coloring, as you have seen were fall spectacular. Brookies get vivid colors in the fall, just like the trees.
The next few hours we kinda picked up a few nice fish. The river was getting more fisherman, as it was later in the week and the weather was off the charts great. A fantastic day to be on a trout stream. Then suddenly somebody turned on the light bulb. We hooked up a beautiful rainbow and shortly after that another nice brookie. Then another beautiful rainbow and the day was over. I could have stayed trapped there forever. It was spiritually fulfilling.
I had to leave the next day, so I said my adieu’s to Jake, and I began packing up the bike for an early start the next day(early being relative). I was looking forward to a great ride over the Smokies towards Gatlinburg and checking out the Little River, even though I would have no time to fish it. As it turned out the next day was just a great ride, except for all the cars pouring into the “Great Smokey Mountain National Park,” to experience the incredible fall colors. But I still reflected on my great time along the Raven Fork. Check it out.
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