Gatlinburg Trout Facility

Gatlinburg Trout Facility Herbert Holt Park is the location of Gatlinburg's Trout Facility. No fishing is allowed on Thursday. All other fishing regulations apply.

The facility is managed to maintain a trout fishery within the city limits of Gatlinburg, TN and a portion of the water along "the Spur" between Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. Fish raised at the facility are transported throughout and stocked into the city's waters on Thursday. The waters around the park, including a short distance upstream and downstream, are designated as "children only." The park also provides a handicap-accessible fishing pier within this section of children only waters. The pier allows wheelchair-bound individuals to get right down next to the river to fish, and is unique because it is one of only a few handicap fishing piers on freestone trout streams in the state. The pier is restricted to children as well as wheelchair-bound people of all ages. The West Prong of the Little Pigeon River is the main waterway that travels through Gatlinburg's city limits. It is accessible to fishermen within the Gatlinburg city limits from just downstream of the Gatlinburg Welcome Center on U.S. 441 through town up to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park boundary at the south end of Gatlinburg. There are three tributaries of the West Prong that are also included in Gatlinburg's fishable waters: Dudley Creek, Roaring Fork Creek, and LeConte Creek. There is a second "children only" section of stream at Mynatt Park located along LeConte Creek. This section extends from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park boundary to approximately a quarter mile downstream from Mynatt Park.

09/25/2026

We’ve seen a lot of anglers fishing along the spur today. You might get lucky and find a few holdover fish from the spring, but that area has not been stocked since June due to high water temperatures and will not be stocked again until we are sure that water temperatures will remain at a safe level. 

09/25/2026

This family was lucky enough to show up during feeding time so the kids were able to help us feed the fish this morning.

Now that water temperatures have cooled and the fish are no longer as stressed by the shadows of people standing over and looking into the raceways, we will be trying to open the facility for fish viewing and tours more often.

For anyone interested in viewing the fish or getting a tour of the facility, we recommend contacting us ahead of time to make sure someone is available. Our staff may be out checking the river and enforcing regulations.

Stocking update!Although we are still a couple of days away from prime water temperatures, we are finally seeing cooler ...
09/24/2026

Stocking update!

Although we are still a couple of days away from prime water temperatures, we are finally seeing cooler water for the first time in several weeks. Since this weekend should give us our first shot at decent fishing conditions after this week’s rain and cooling temperatures, we bumped our stocking back up to 400 pounds this week.

Of the 400 pounds stocked, 300 pounds were fish approximately 12 inches long, while the remaining 100 pounds were made up of fish ranging from 16 to 20 inches.

Unfortunately, we will not have any fish over 5 pounds available to stock for the next few weeks. This long, hot September produced dangerously high water temperatures that were stressful on all of the fish, especially the larger ones.

Sadly, we lost six fish over the past couple of weeks that weighed between 8 and 10 pounds each. Water temperatures climbed above 75°F several days and did not drop back below 68°F at night, leaving the larger fish particularly vulnerable to the prolonged heat.

We do have several larger fish on order for delivery in October. We will do our best to feed and grow them so we can get a few more trophy fish back in the water as soon as possible.

Most fish were stocked in the downtown area. The Spur will not be stocked until we see that water temps will remain safe down there.

We appreciate everyone’s patience during this unusually hot stretch, and hopefully the cooler water will bring some much-improved fishing conditions this weekend!

We have received several calls regarding the delayed harvest (catch-and-release) season, so we wanted to clarify a few i...
09/23/2026

We have received several calls regarding the delayed harvest (catch-and-release) season, so we wanted to clarify a few important details.

Delayed harvest does not begin in Gatlinburg until December 1.

Unlike the delayed harvest waters in the rest of Tennessee and North Carolina, Gatlinburg’s waters are still closed every Thursday for stocking.

Also, a valid Gatlinburg fishing license is still required to fish in Gatlinburg during the delayed harvest season.

Stocking and water update!With water temperatures barely dipping into the upper 60s at night and climbing into the mid 7...
09/17/2026

Stocking and water update!

With water temperatures barely dipping into the upper 60s at night and climbing into the mid 70s during the day, fishing will still be slow until at least midweek next week.

Hopefully, some relief is on the way next week, as weather predictions are calling for highs in the upper 70s and nighttime lows dipping into the 50s. Those nighttime lows should help push water temperatures down enough to get the fish feeling comfortable again.

Unless we get some rain, once those water temperatures drop back down, the fish will still be very wary due to the low flows, so stealth will be very advantageous. Fishing from bridges, where the fish are looking straight up at you and seeing your shadow cast over them, will not be productive under those conditions.

This week, we stocked 200 pounds of fish, which is approximately 250 fish at an average of 12 inches.

09/10/2026

Stocking update:
-220 pounds of fish(approximately 275 fish)
-12 inch average length
-Most fish this week were stocked along River Road between Greystone Heights and Maples Lane.
-The water temperature dipped to 66.8° this morning. While not prime fishing temperature, it is the coolest water we have seen since August 27 and hopefully the start of a slow cooling trend heading us into fall weather. 
-Stocking numbers will be increased once we see water temperatures consistently not exceeding 65° 
-The Spur will not be stocked until at least October due to water temperatures

Even though air temperatures are much more comfortable than they were last week, water temperatures are still very high....
09/09/2026

Even though air temperatures are much more comfortable than they were last week, water temperatures are still very high. Unfortunately, this means fishing conditions are likely to remain poor for at least the next two weeks.

When water temperatures rise above 68°F, catch-and-release fishing can be extremely harmful to trout and will very likely result in delayed mortality for released fish. The warmer water holds less oxygen, and fish are already using much of their energy simply to survive.

Catch-and-keep fishing will also be very slow because trout are in survival mode rather than actively feeding. Please keep these conditions in mind when deciding whether to fish. Waiting for water temperatures to return to safer levels is the best way to protect the fishery and ensure better fishing in the weeks ahead.

09/04/2026

Regulation reminder.

Please read and obey all regulations. These are not simply guidelines—they are state laws and are enforceable by TWRA, local law enforcement, and trout facility employees.

The waters around Herbert Holt Park, including a short distance upstream and downstream, are designated as "children only-" fishing for kids ages 12 and under. The park also provides a handicap-accessible fishing pier within this section of children only waters. The pier allows physically handicapped individuals to access the river to fish and is significant because it is the first fast-water handicap fishing pier in the State of Tennessee. The pier is restricted to children and physically handicapped persons of all ages. All other fishing regulations apply including a creel limit (only 2 fish may be kept while fishing this section of stream).

The pier is the rectangular platform at the bottom of the ADA accessible ramp near the bridge. All other areas including the concrete walkways at the bottom of the stairs are for kids ages 12 and under.

https://www.gatlinburgtn.gov/page/fishing

Stocking and water update.The water is not dropping below 68 degrees at night and is getting higher in to the 70’s each ...
09/03/2026

Stocking and water update.
The water is not dropping below 68 degrees at night and is getting higher in to the 70’s each day. We stocked 200 pounds of fish this week, but fishing will be very slow due to high water temperatures.

08/31/2026

Water update:
Water temperatures have not been below 68° since Saturday and are reaching the mid 70’s during the day. Based on the weekly weather forecast, water temperatures will likely continue to increase throughout the week. Catch-and-release fishing should not be practiced at these water temperatures. All trout fishing at our elevation will be very slow this week.

Address

Gatlinburg, TN
37738

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 3pm
Tuesday 8am - 3pm
Wednesday 8am - 3pm
Thursday 12pm - 3pm
Friday 8am - 3pm

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