fishing on the AT

Is fishing permitted on the AT?
I have not heard about fishing on the AT anywhere. Is carrying a pole and fishing for dinner even feasible? If so can anyone give info about fishing the different regions on the trail? The main reason I am asking is because my fishing expereince is limited to the south. I know that trout fishing is available in the streams farther north than Alabama and I have no idea how to fish for them, and am looking for some general info. So if anyone could help with types of, how to's of fishing on the trail.....Please help

you wont be able to fish very often without hiking way off the trail. my AT experience has only been NJ and there are many lakes close to the trail but you would need to hike a 1/2 mile or more to get to them and many are private property. i believe NH, VT and Maine have lakes closer or on the trail. I dont know about the south though. dont plan on feeding yourself on a regular basis by fishing. think about the weight of your fishing gear verses how often you will use it.

the following is a post made by a guy named wingfoot who authored a few editions of a book called The Thru Hikers Handbook, i found this post in a thread created by someone posting a similar thread to this one at wingfoots webstite www.trailplace.com


"The Appalachian Trail is designed to be a ridge trail that follows the height of the land, so places for swimming and lingering near large bodies of water are somewhat scarce. There just aren't any rivers and streams, and few lakes or ponds, near the tops of mountains anywhere. There are a few places, such as in middle Vermont or in sections of Maine, where the A.T. somewhat matches what you are seeking. Another possibility and one you may want to check out is Upper Goose Pond Cabin in Massachusetts, operated by AMC-Berkshire Chapter. It's just off the A.T. on a side trail. You can camp there for several days using a campsite (something not really encouraged at most A.T. shelter or campsite areas, which are intended for people on the move), or there is a cabin that offers bunk space and a small kitchen. The cabin/campsite is located on a beautiful pond that offers swimming, although I'm not sure fishing is allowed (and, if so, a license is required). "

try doing a search on fishing in this forum a you should find more info.

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Originally Posted by Trapper01

Is fishing permitted on the AT?
I have not heard about fishing on the AT anywhere. Is carrying a pole and fishing for dinner even feasible? If so can anyone give info about fishing the different regions on the trail? The main reason I am asking is because my fishing expereince is limited to the south. I know that trout fishing is available in the streams farther north than Alabama and I have no idea how to fish for them, and am looking for some general info. So if anyone could help with types of, how to's of fishing on the trail.....Please help

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Trapper01,

It would be very tough to combine your two noble pursuits of hiking the AT and fishing. The bodies of water are so few and far between in the southern three quarters of the trail that you really won't have much of an opportunity to fish. Where you do cross rivers, you're usually in or near a town and you'd probably be looking for some town food. The many ponds in Maine might allow you to do some fishing.

If you're interested in trout fishing, the national forests in north Georgia are indeed your closest options (actually the Chattahoochee below Lake Lanier all the way into metro Atlanta is stocked). You can get a map from them showing the trout streams.

Take Care,

Tim

Trapper,
If you are in the Smoky Mountains N.P. its feasible to fish Fontana Lake and Big Creek. Fontana for the bass, crappie etc. and Big Creek for trout. The trail crosses Fontana dam and also its 1.5 miles from Big Creek, ones in the south end the other in the north. You'll need permits.
Check out and see if a thru-hiker named "Troutman" has a trail journal on-line. I met him after watching him catch a rainbow trout just outside of the Park last year. They don't call him Troutman for nuthin.

[QUOTE=Tim Rich]Trapper01,

The many ponds in Maine might allow you to do some fishing

Hi Trapper,

If you should come to Maine to do a SoBo hike or are NoBo later in the season you might have some good fishing either in Baxter park or to the South on the A.T. I can think of several good trout ponds from this area south to Monson and there are more beyond. Some are either beside the A.T. or a little walk from it. Some parts of the A.T. are remote enough so the ponds do not get a lot of pressure. Some are not even fly fishing only. In my opinion the more difficult it is to get to a pond the better the fishing... if that pond has any trout. Maybe you could combine that with a zero mile A.T. day.
Again you might want to consider the weight of your gear.
You do need a Maine fishing license and rule book too. :)
Tight lines,
Walkin Wally

Thanks All for the info.

I think the fishing reqs in the Smokys are to have a NC or TN license plate on your car. In 2002, a hiker (Kingfisher?) was trying to thrufish in the Smokys. So, rather than taking the AT, he let at Fontana Dam and took a lower elevation (but very pretty, much harder, and without many people) from Fontana over to Davenport. Off the AT, the Smokys have tons of fish bearing streams, so thrufishing wouldn't be too hard, except that the hiking will be a lot harder and you won't be able to claim a 2000 miler merit badge.

Parts of the AT in southern Virginia parallel streams large enough to fish in. The problem I see is that you are going to have to have a freshwater fishing license to fish here (legally). The non-resident fee is $30 and there is an additional $30 to fish in water stocked with trout. I seem to recall seeing threads previously that stated you'd need a license for each state you passed through.

The portion of the West Branch of the Pleasant River, which hikers must ford midway through the "100-mile-wilderness" has some of the best trout fishing in Maine, especially if you take the Gulf Hagas loop trail and fish the river above the last waterfall.

Fishery biologists say this section has the purest strain of wild trout left in the state since it has never been stocked. And it's an almost pure native fishery, since only one small non-native minnow has been found. Most rivers in Maine have dozens of foreign species, mostly introduced by negligent bait fishermen.

Yes. You do need a license. But most stores in trail towns will sell you a license.

Weary

Yea......When I'm up The Trail, I carry a 20' section of thin, thin mono rolled in a zip-lock, with a small artificial spinner. When I see a good spot near a shelter or where I plan to camp for the night, I'll try a few throw and pulls to see if there's any action. I've had some pretty good dinners that way. Don't need any kind of rod, that's fancy man's fishin'. Just chuck and pull, jerk back in. Take a couple of wraps around you're pulling hand. Works for me. KZ@

lots of fish at the delaware water gap

If you wrap your stashed fishing line around your water/fuel bottle you can cast pretty good. Hold the bottle with your left hand, top toward you, with your right hand swing the lure/bait on about two feet of line and when you let go with your right hand point the bottle in the direction of the lure/bait. If by luck ya catch someting the pull of the line on the bottle will keep ya from cutting your hand with the line. This is the basic concept behind an open face fishing reel. The weight of the lure/bait pulls the wound line from the bottle.

Hi-

Here is a post I wrote about places to fish on the AT:

http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/show...3724#post43724

Hope this helps.

Bear Magnet
Jonathan Amato