Troutline

Tellico River

Tennessee·Cherokee National Forest·35.34° N, 84.20° W
Flow
160 CFS
Tellico River at Tellico Plains
Water Temp
—
Condition
Above Normal
Weather
73°F
Slight Chance Rain Showers
near Tellico Plains

Insights

Wind
Wind 0 mph — calm
Easy casting and clean surface presentations.
Flow
160 CFS — higher than typical
Push to the banks and softer water. Heavier flies.

The Tellico is the biggest freestone trout stream in Tennessee, running about twenty miles out of the North Carolina line down through the Cherokee National Forest to Tellico Plains. It has a split personality that decides how you fish it. The lower, roadside water along Tellico River Road (FS 210) is put-and-take — the state dumps catchable rainbows in weekly through spring and summer, and in season you buy a $3.50 Tellico-Citico daily permit and share the bank with families and bait anglers. Go the other direction, up into the tributaries and the delayed-harvest reach, and you're into wild rainbows, some genuinely large wild browns out of North River, and native Southern Appalachian brook trout in the highest, coldest headwaters.

It fishes like classic Southern freestone pocket water: plunge pools, boulder gardens, and short riffles you wade and fish tight, not float. A 4- or 5-weight, a high-stick nymph rig, and short accurate casts do most of the work. It's rain-driven — a hard mountain rain bumps it up and off-color fast, then it drops just as quickly — so you watch the Tellico Plains gauge and the sky more than a hatch calendar. Roughly 50-150 CFS wades well, around 60 is prime pocket-water clarity, and above 250-300 it's high and stained. Spring is the headline season, when Blue Quills, Quill Gordons, and an underrated Little Black Caddis stack up from late February through April. Late August into September the lower river gets warm and thin and you're better off high in the system.

The context that matters most is the permit-and-season structure, which is unusually specific. From March 1 to August 15 the stocked mainstem runs on the Tellico-Citico scheme — permit required, and the river closed to fishing Thursdays and Fridays so crews can stock ahead of the weekend. From October 1 through the end of February the reach from the mouth of the North River up to the TN-NC state line flips to delayed-harvest catch-and-release, single-hook artificials only, no bait — the best shot at numbers of decent trout in the main river, freshly stocked plus holdovers running 12-14 inches. Bald River (with its 90-foot falls right at the road) and North River are the flies-and-lures-only wild-trout tributaries, much of it reachable only on foot.

Species

  • Rainbow Trout
    Primary · Mar-Jun, Oct-Nov · 8-14"+

    The backbone of the fishery. Stocked catchables (8-11") pack the roadside river March through August; wild rainbows run 6-10" throughout the tributaries, and the delayed-harvest reach carries fresh-stocked and holdover fish of 12-14"+ through the October-February C&R season.

  • Brown Trout
    Common · Oct-Nov · 8-14", larger to 18"+

    North River is the standout brown-trout tributary — small water that gives up surprisingly large browns. Wild fish with some stocking; fall pre-spawn is the best window, swinging and stripping streamers through the deeper holds.

  • Brook Trout
    Occasional · May-Sep · 4-8"

    Native Southern Appalachian "specs" in the highest, coldest headwater tributaries — Bald River above the gorge, Sycamore, Brookshire, Sugar Cove, and the upper North River. Restoration-managed; a few reaches (Sugar Cove, McNabb) carry special brook-trout size and creel rules.

Ideal wading flow50–150 CFS
Blow-out>275 CFS
Ideal water temp50–62°F

The Tellico Plains gauge (03518500) fishes well for wading from roughly 50-150 CFS, with around 60 CFS the prime pocket-water clarity. It's a rain-driven freestone that rises and colors fast on a hard mountain rain — above roughly 250-300 CFS it's high, stained, and tough — then drops back fast, often fishable a day or two after a spike. Spring (Mar-May) is the peak: Blue Quills, Quill Gordons, and a heavy Little Black Caddis from late February through April, with cool flows and the best mayfly activity on overcast, drizzly days. Fall (Oct-Nov) is the sleeper season, when the delayed-harvest reach is freshly stocked and fall browns turn aggressive. Winter fishes on warm days with midges and BWOs in the C&R water. Late August into September the lower roadside river runs thin and warm into the upper 60s, stressing fish — move high into the shaded tributaries when it does.

Sections

4 sections on this river

Lower Tellico — Roadside Stocked Water (Tellico Plains to Bald River Falls)

WadeRainbow Trout

The bigger, most accessible water in the system — plunge pools, boulder pockets, and riffle-run sequences paralleling Tellico River Road (FS 210) with roadside pullouts the whole way and Forest Service campgrounds (Sourwood, Holly Flats) lining the corridor. This is the put-and-take heart of the fishery: heavy state stocking March through August, the Tellico-Citico permit water, and family-friendly bank fishing. The USGS gauge at Tellico Plains sits at the lower end and reads the whole roadside river's response to rain. Fish it as easy wade-and-nymph water for stocked and wild rainbows on nymphs and attractor dries — but expect company on a spring weekend.

Best for: Stocked and wild rainbow trout on high-stick nymph rigs and attractor dries, fished tight through the pocket water with short, accurate casts.

Delayed-Harvest / Catch-and-Release Section (Mouth of North River to TN-NC State Line)

WadeRainbow Trout

The upper roadside river above the North River confluence — pocket water and pools, cooler and higher-gradient than the lower stocked reach, including the Green Cove fly-fishing water near the upper end. From October 1 through the end of February this stretch flips to delayed-harvest catch-and-release: single-hook artificials only, no bait, all fish released. Freshly stocked for the C&R season on top of holdovers, it gives up the best numbers of decent trout in the main river, with 12-14"+ fish common on nymphs, streamers, and small dries. FS 210 continues upstream past Green Cove Store & Lodge toward the state line and the small diversion dam above Sourwood.

Best for: Delayed-harvest and holdover rainbow trout on nymphs, streamers, and small dries — the best shot at numbers of quality fish in the mainstem, all catch-and-release October through February.

North River (Tributary)

WadeBrook Trout · Brown Trout · Rainbow Trout

The second major Tellico tributary and the standout wild brown-trout stream — smaller than the mainstem but with three distinct reaches: a lower section of waterfalls and rapids, an easier-gradient middle, and upper pocket water, with wild rainbows and native brookies up top. It routinely gives up browns that are surprisingly large for water this size, best in the fall pre-spawn on streamers. Largely roadside along North River Road (FS 217), flies-and-lures only year-round with no daily permit required. Fish dries and tight-line nymph rigs through the pockets.

Best for: Wild brown trout (some large for the water size), wild rainbows, and headwater brook trout on dries and tight-line nymphing — best on streamers for browns in the fall.

Bald River (Tributary)

WadeBrook Trout · Brown Trout · Rainbow Trout

The crown-jewel tributary. Bald River Falls drops 90 feet at the FS 210 bridge — the postcard and the marker where the good tributary water begins. Above the falls, roughly 2.5 miles of fishable pocket water leads into the Bald River Gorge Wilderness, a rugged trail-access-only stretch that's rarely fished and full of eager wild rainbows, with big browns in the deeper holds and native brook trout up high. It's flies-and-lures only, year-round, and needs no daily permit. Access the lower end at the falls bridge; the wilderness above is reached on foot via FS 126 and the Bald River Trail. Fish it with dries and short nymph rigs and a careful stalk in the clear water.

Best for: Wild rainbow and brown trout on dries and short nymph rigs, with native brook trout in the remote upper reaches — low-pressure, flies-and-lures-only wild-trout water.

Regulations

Current fishing rules and restrictions

Managed by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) under the Tellico River / Citico Creek special regulations (rule 1660-01-28), which apply to the Tellico from the Turkey Creek confluence up to the TN-NC state line and to Citico Creek from the Little Citico confluence up to the North/South Fork junction. The structure is unusually specific — a paid daily permit and closed stocking days in the warm months, a delayed-harvest catch-and-release season in the cold months, and flies-and-lures-only wild-trout tributaries. A valid Tennessee fishing license with the trout supplement is required in addition to the daily permit. Regulations change; verify current-year dates against the TWRA trout regulations before you go.

  • Tellico-Citico daily permit ($3.50) required March 1 - August 15 on the stocked mainstem and Citico Creek; not required August 16 - end of February
  • During the permit season the river is closed to fishing Thursdays and Fridays (except when a national or state holiday falls on those days) so crews can stock ahead of the weekend
  • Creel limit is 7 trout per day, no size limit, year-round outside the catch-and-release season
  • Delayed-Harvest Catch-and-Release season October 1 - end of February on the Tellico from the mouth of the North River upstream to the TN-NC state line: single-hook artificial lures and flies only, no bait, all trout released
  • Tributaries — Bald River, North River, and most wild-trout feeders — are flies-and-lures only, year-round; Sugar Cove and McNabb Creek carry a 3-fish daily limit with size restrictions for brook-trout management
  • Fishing hours are 30 minutes before official sunrise to 30 minutes after official sunset; one rod or pole per angler
  • On Free Fishing Day (first Saturday after the first Monday in June), anglers 17 and older may not fish from Sourwood Campground up to the diversion dam between sunrise and noon (reserved for kids)

Know which season and reach you're standing in: the paid-permit, closed-Thursday-Friday stocked river runs March 1 - August 15, and the delayed-harvest C&R reach (mouth of North River to the state line) runs October 1 - end of February. The tributaries stay flies-and-lures only all year. Regulations reflect the 2024-2026 seasons; confirm current dates annually.

Source: Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA). Regulations change annually — verify before fishing.

Access & Logistics

Getting there, fly shops, and lodging

Getting There

Tellico Plains, TN

~1.5 hrs southwest of Knoxville, TN (nearest major airport, TYS); ~2 hrs from Chattanooga; ~2.5-3 hrs from Atlanta

Fly Shops

Camping & Lodging

Forest Service campgrounds line Tellico River Road (FS 210) and the tributary roads — Sourwood, Holly Flats, and others along the Tellico and Bald/North River corridors. Green Cove Store & Lodge sits streamside near the delayed-harvest water and sells the $3.50 Tellico-Citico daily permits, TN licenses, and tackle. Tellico Plains has gas, groceries, restaurants, and permit vendors.

The river corridor is all Cherokee National Forest above town via Tellico River Road (FS 210), with roadside pullouts the whole way up the lower stocked reach. Bald River Falls, a 90-foot drop at the FS 210 bridge, marks where the good tributary water begins — Bald River above via FS 126 and the Bald River Trail (foot access only through the wilderness), and North River via North River Road (FS 217). The Tellico-Citico daily permit ($3.50) is required March 1 - August 15 on the mainstem and Citico; the tributaries need no daily permit but hold to flies-and-lures-only rules. A TN fishing license plus trout supplement is required year-round.

Conditions data is live from public monitoring networks. Regulations change annually — always verify current rules with your state fish & wildlife agency before fishing.

More in Tennessee

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Cherokee National Forest

Hiwassee RiverTN

A big, scenic TVA tailwater running through a forested gorge in the Cherokee National Forest near Reliance — and a river with a quirk. Apalachia Dam doesn't release into its own riverbed; it shunts the whole flow through an 11-mile mountain tunnel to the Apalachia Powerhouse, and the trout water starts there, at Big Bend. So the number that decides whether you wade, float, or stay home isn't a dam gate but how many generators are spinning, which is exactly what the TVA release reading reports. Cold tailrace temperatures keep stocked rainbows and wild browns fishing year-round, over what locals call the most diverse bug life of any Tennessee tailwater — spring grannom caddis blizzards, a famous May-into-summer sulphur show, and big summer Isonychia.

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Nashville's trout river — a cold Army Corps bottom-release tailwater running out of Center Hill Dam and, above all, a midge factory. Center Hill is a hydro-peaking dam, and TVA reports its release on the Lake Info feed, so the whole trip revolves around the generation schedule: wade the gravel flats only on zero generation, float through one or two units. When the turbines spin up the river rises several feet in minutes, so check the release before you go and give it a couple hours to drain after they cut water.

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Little RiverTN

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Nolichucky RiverTN

The big freestone that drains the west slope of the Unaka and Bald mountains and punches through the deepest gorge in the Southeast before it spills out at Erwin. Be honest about what the "Chucky" is: first a smallmouth river, second a whitewater river, and only in the cold months and only up top a trout river. From Chestoa and Erwin down it's rock gardens, ledges, and boulder pockets you work with a 6- or 7-weight and Clousers, crawfish patterns, and dawn poppers for river-wide smallmouth, big muskie in the slow lower reaches, and a seasonal put-and-take stocked-rainbow reach near the Erwin hatchery that warms out of trout tolerance by May.

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