Print it. Bag it. Bring it.Phones die, screens crack, and most of this water has no signal. Print this map, fold it into a zip-top bag or dry bag with your license, and you have a backup your electronics can’t give you. Every marker is numbered so you can say exactly where you are.
| # | Point | Type | Lat, Lon | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cataloochee Ranger Station & Seasonal Quarters NPS · Great Smoky Mountains NP | Agency / conservation office | 35.62949, -83.09347 | Park ranger station and seasonal quarters at the head of Cataloochee Valley, beside the creek. |
| 2 | Cataloochee Campground NPS · 27 sites, reservation only | Campsite | 35.63142, -83.08535 | Park campground strung along the creek in Cataloochee Valley; the base for fishing the upper water. |
| 3 | Cataloochee Group Camp NPS · group campground | Campsite | 35.65067, -83.07385 | Group campground on the creek downstream of the valley proper. |
| 4 | USGS 03460000 — Cataloochee Creek near Cataloochee USGS streamflow gauge · the site's reference gauge | USGS gauge | 35.66722, -83.07278 | The gauge GuidedFloats reports for this creek, at the lower end of the valley. A long, clean record for a wholly protected watershed. |
| 5 | Walters Dam Carolina Power impoundment — Waterville Lake | Dam / hazard | 35.69489, -83.05029 | Cataloochee Creek ends in the Waterville Lake backwater above Walters Dam. Fishing stops being creek fishing here. |
Gauge: USGS 03460000 — CATALOOCHEE CREEK NEAR CATALOOCHEE, NC. Live flow on the web page.
Species: Brook Trout, Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout, Rock Bass
Regulations: www.ncwildlife.gov/fishing/regulations
Emergency: call 911 and give the number of the nearest point on this map plus its coordinates.
Cataloochee Valley - the open historic valley the creek runs through, the main destination.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park - the federal land covering the entire drainage.
Cataloochee Campground - the park campground on the creek in the valley.
Cove Creek Road - the long gravel route over the ridge into the valley.
Waynesville - the nearest town with full services, to the southwest.
Pigeon River - the larger river receiving the creek downstream.
Big Creek - the neighboring park drainage to the north.
Spring: rising temperatures, strong hatches and the most active wild trout fishing.
Summer: warm afternoons with the best fishing early and late in the shaded upper water.
Fall: cool clear water, elk in the meadows during the rut and heavy visitation.
Winter: cold and quiet, with the access road subject to closure after snow.