
Fishing
The seclusion and unspoiled nature of Lake Santeetlah make it a fishing paradise. Teeming with largemouth and smallmouth bass, lake trout, walleye, bream, and crappy, the lake is destination to many enthusiasts, and until recently boasted the state records for walleye and largemouth bass. Two of the top ten trout streams in the eastern US flow into Lake Santeetlah, the Big Snowbird Creek and the Little Santeetlah Creek. A third, the upper Nantahala River is within 20 minutes of the lake.
All these streams combine unimaginable beauty, challenging waters, rewarding catches, and are among the most biologically diverse settings in the world. Western North Carolina has over 2000 miles of streams and rivers. These fishing areas range in size from small back-country brook trout streams to large tailrace rivers. Wild Rainbow, Brown and native Brook trout inhabit the many cool mountain streams throughout The Great Smoky Mountains, where the many trails in the National Park, the Nantahala National Forest and the Joyce Kilmer Memorial forest offer endless opportunities for back-country fishing.