Fishing Permit Cherokee NC

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Tribal Permit Requirements

A permit is required when fishing in Cherokee, or within what is known as the Qualla Boundary, for each person 12 years of age and over. Children under 12 are allowed to fish when accompanied by a permitted adult.
You are required to carry your tribal permit with you at all times while fishing on the Qualla Boundary
The Enterprise Waters include most of the main stems of Raven Fork, the Oconaluftee River, Bunches Creek, and Soco Creek.
Access to the rest of Cherokee’s Qualla Boundary waters is restricted to Tribal members, and off-limits to the general public.
The permit applies to Enterprise Waters only, which are managed by the Cherokee Fisheries and Wildlife Management Program. No other fishing permit or license is accepted. If you are fishing outside the Boundary you must have a valid state fishing license.
Catch-and-keep means you have the option to keep fish caught using traditional spin rods, fly rods, and barbed hooks or fish can be released (NOTE: all fish caught in the ponds must be kept).
Opening day for general fishing waters is the last Saturday in March, with fishing closed to everyone two weeks prior to that date. Trophy fly-fishing waters are open year-round.
Enterprise Waters offer a 10-fish limit per day, per permit holder, allowing anglers of all ages to bring home a sizable catch.
Permits can be purchased online and in-person at several locations.

Catch-and-Release Special Use Permit

The Parkway Haven is a portion of Raven Fork set aside for catch-and-release fly-fishing only. This 2.2-mile stretch of trophy fishing waters runs north from the point where the Blue Ridge Parkway crosses Raven Fork, up to the south end of the River Valley Campground on Big Cove Road.

A special use fishing permit, as well as a daily fishing permit, is required to fish this section .All general fishing regulations apply to this permit, as do the following special-use regulations within the catch-and-release area:

Tackle is limited to fly rods, reels, and line with a maximum of 18 feet of leader material or monofilament line attached.
Only artificial flies and streamers constructed of natural or synthetic material on a single, barbless hook are permitted.
Fishing with multiple flies attached to a single line (droppers) is permitted.