It was in the 40’s along the peaks of the Smoky Mountains this morning and there was a slight chill in the air all day long. I was wet wading but waders wouldn’t have been out of order. A #18 Parachute Blue Wing Olive drew most of the strikes for the anglers I was guiding. If I didn’t know better I would think it was October, not the 23rd of August.
A curious deer fawn comes to the creek to get a closer look at fly casting
Warmer weather is forecast for this week and we’re expecting terrestrials to become effective once again. Ant patterns are our top choice for hot summer days on the stream.
I took a quick trip over to Abrams Creek on Friday. I didn’t get much fishing in but the stream looked great! Abrams is a bit different from other Smoky Mountain streams and the fish do tend to get a bit picky about flies. Nymphs always work better than dries here and I noticed a number of Isonychia husks on the rocks. Bigger Pheasant Tail Nymphs or Princes are good imitations.
An Isonychia husk on a midstream boulder
Abrams Creek and its signature ledges
A quick heads up for next week. A re-dedication ceremony for the 75th anniversary of the national park will close Newfound Gap Road between Cherokee and Gatlinburg on September 1 and 2. That will prevent any fishing on the West Prong of the Little Pigeon River and Oconaluftee River and their tributaries.
Tailwaters
No sooner did I comment that the tailwaters were essentially unfishable last week when TVA cut the generators back. I almost hitched up the drift boat and headed for the Clinch, but there was some interference with that plan. That’s why I ended up making an abbreviated trip to Abrams Creek.
Keep your eye on the schedule for the Clinch, but it looks like there will be two generators around the clock until next weekend. Recreational schedules are still in effect on Saturdays and Sundays, so you can count on that to get on the river.
Jon | Fish Pittsburgh says
Nice pictures, thanks for sharing.