The Appalachian Mountains in east Tennessee are home to some of the largest populations of naturally reproducing trout in the state. There are roughly 850 miles of rivers, streams and creeks that support prolific populations of rainbow, brook and brown trout. Best of all, many of these streams are overlooked and experience very little fishing pressure.
The following map shows the locations of the rivers and streams that have strong trout populations and provide good to excellent fishing opportunites for wild trout. The map doesn’t include all the trout streams in Tennessee, but it does includes most of the best streams.
The above map doesn’t show roads, but the tables below include names of all the rivers on the map. Find the name of the river on the map and throw it into Google Maps to view a higher resolution image of the area and get directions. Many of the streams identified on the map are located on public land, but not all. Some are located on private property where you’ll need to get landowner’s permission before fishing.
Rainbow Trout Streams
Rainbow trout streams are marked in red on the map. Some of our favorite streams for rainbow trout fishing are the Clinch, Little Pigeon, Abrams Creek and South Holston. The Clinch and South Holston rivers aren’t marked on the map, but you’ll find links to both rivers in the list below. If you’re looking for large Rainbows hit the Clinch River.
| Wolf Creek | Hickory Flat Branch |
| Kirkland Creek | Fighting Creek |
| Doublecamp Creek | Dudley Creek Little Dudley Creek |
| Citico Creek | Injun Creek |
| South Fork Citico Creek | Indian Camp Creek |
| Black Gum Branch | Roaring Fork |
| Panther Creek | Surry Fork |
| Forge Creek | Long Branch |
| Rabbit Creek | Porters Creek |
| Abrams Creek | Cannon Creek |
| Mill Creek | Cole Creek |
| Rowans Creek | Lynns Camp Prong |
| Hesse Creek | Thunderhead Prong |
| Sugar Cove Prong | Big Cove Creek |
| Laurel Creek | West Prong Little River |
| Little Brier Branch | Laurel Cove Creek |
| West Prong Little Pigeon River | Fish Camp Prong |
| Bullhead Branch | Whites Creek |
| Sugarland Branch |
Rainbow and Brown Trout Streams
Streams that contain both Brown and Rainbow trout are marked in yellow on the map. If you’re looking to catch some lunkers, these rivers will provide you a good shot at catching some decent size rainbow and brown trout.
| Bald River | Caney Fork River |
| North River | Clinch River |
| Little River | Hiwassee River |
| Middle Prong Little River | Whites Creek |
| South Holston River |
Brown Trout Streams
Streams that are primarily brown trout fisheries are marked black on the map. However, we’ve also included several Brown trout fishing streams below that are not marked on the map. A few favorite brown trout fishing spots include Clinch and Abrams creeks.
| Turtletown Creek | Little River |
| Clinch River | Watauga River |
| Elk River | Whites Creek |
| South Holston River | Abrams Creek |
Brook Trout Streams
Streams where brook trout are the main fish are marketed in green on the map. Probably one of the best brook trout streams in the state is the Left Prong of Hampton Creek. Areas known for superb brook trout fishing are Carter and Johnson Counties. Lynn Camp Prong in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park also offers some good action.
| Brookshire Creek | Goshen Prong |
| Rough Ridge Creek | Grouse Creek |
| Sugar Cover Branch | Snake Tongue |
| Falls Branch | Devil Branch |
| North Fork Citico Creek | Spud Town Branch |
| Curry Prong | Little River |
| Henderson Prong | Meigs Post Prong |
| Bunch Prong | Road Prong |
| Marks Creek | Walker Camp Prong |
| Sams Creek | Caney Fork River |
| Tanager Branch | Clinch River |
| Ash Camp Branch | Meadow Branch |
| Buckeye Gap Prong | Sams Creek |
| Fish Camp Prong | Starkley Creek |
| Silers Creek |
If you want a fun—risk free—fishing trip, we recommend fishing the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP) or Cherokee National Forest lands. You’ll find a lot of good trout fisheries with ample public access.
