Gatlinburg is starting Earth Month out strong! This April will see the return of the popular Spring Trout Tournament and River Cleanup event. Grab your fishing gear and get ready for some family-friendly competition!
The Spring Trout Tournament and River Cleanup is a unique fishing tournament that replaces an entry fee with litter collection. Bring a grocery bag full of trash from the river and it will be free for you to enter!
Stay away from roadside trash for safety. Obviously, if you are caught littering, you're out. Keep it clean and fun!
It's a two-fish limit, catch-and-keep deal. Fish will be weighed! You are limited to fishing in Gatlinburg (basically Gnatty Branch down to the park line at Traffic Light 10, and up Roaring Fork to Treetops Resort). Competitors are required to have a Tennessee fishing license for Gatlinburg.
Competitors are split into two groups: the kids (15 and under) and the adults (16 and up – gotta follow those Tennessee fishing license rules, you know?). Wanna sign up early? Visit http://gatlinburgrec.recdesk.com before noon on Friday, March 28th, 2025. Otherwise, you can sign up in person the morning of, but be there by 7:30am sharp!
Per the event website,
• In accordance with local regulations, anglers may start fishing 30 minutes before the forecasted sunrise time forecasted by the National Weather Service.
• All fish must be freshly caught and fully in-tact (not dressed or cleaned).
• All fish must be weighed in by 12:00pm noon.
• All fish will be weighed and measured by Gatlinburg Trout Facility staff to ensure fairness, and all fish are subject to being cleaned and inspected by staff if cheating is suspected.
Competitors can win all sorts of prizes, including biggest fish, most trash collected, and weirdest find.
This tournament takes place on April 1, 2025 at Mynatt Park. If you love to fish, then you won't want to miss it!
