The major outdoor pursuit on the reservation is fishing. Thirty miles of streams are stocked with 400,000 trout annually. Supplemental fish stocks include rainbow, brook, and brown trout, ranging up to trophy size.

Anyone 12 or older needs a tribal permit to fish the Cherokee streams and ponds. No other type of fishing license is accepted on the reservation. The annual season begins the last Saturday of March and ends the last day of February in the following year. Fishing is allowed beginning a half-hour before sunrise and ending a half-hour after sunset. The creel limit is 10 trout per day per permit holder. Certain enterprise waters are open only to tribal members.

For complete fishing information, contact Cherokee Fish and Game Management (tel. 828/497-5201), P.O. Box 302, Cherokee, NC 28719, or the visitor center.