In early October we were in the throes of exceptionally low water levels in the Smokies. They weren’t record low flows, but were certainly flirting with the category. After weeks upon weeks of high flows last winter and spring we had great flows through the summer, but the bottom fell out in September and this carried over into October. Fortunately we saw our stream flows rebound by mid-month and that has carried us well into November along with seasonably cool weather.
Fall arrived late this year, but once the cool weather arrived the fall colors came on strong!
Dry fly fishing was fine this fall, but not nearly as strong as we’ve seen in past years, so nymph fishing was an important component of our strategy. This has only increased as cool weather has set in for good and dry fly fishing would fade in any year as November wears on.
Most years we will see good hatches of midges and Blue Wing Olives in the Smokies along with a smattering of varied caddis.This year the hatches were more sparse, but the trout ate #16-#18 beadhead nymphs quite well along with all of the usual dry flies in #14 – #16.
One solid brook trout along with a smaller one several miles from the trailhead in the Smokies
Believe it or not we’ve already seen a bit of snow in the Smokies. It wasn’t much, but enough to coat the trees. We had a fair amount in Townsend, but the ground was warm enough that it didn’t stick to anything but the trees and grassy surfaces. However, the higher up in the mountains you went there was certainly more. In fact, there have been a couple more occasions when the mountains got more snow.
October began with three of the hottest days of the year in the mid 90’s, but Halloween night fell just a few weeks later with snow flurries blowing across the highest peaks. Overall it’s been a dry fall, but that’s in the context of autumn being the driest season of the year. Stream levels have been anywhere from on target to slightly above for about a month. At the moment flows have dipped slightly below the typical flow for the date, but significant rain is in the forecast over the next few days and the long range forecast is calling for wet weather over the next month or so.
Recent snowy day at Tremont
The dry weather turned out to be beneficial for fishing on our local tailwaters. Autumn is when TVA drains the reservoirs so flows are typically high. However, the dry weather made it such that flows from the dams were pretty mild and allowed for some good wading. While there was some good fishing, from what we saw it was somewhat streaky; some OK days of fishing interspersed with some pretty slow days. That’s not completely out of character for October on the tailwaters, but these rivers often improve as the calendar moves into December with increased midge hatches with lower flows.
Right now the best flies for the Smokies with be #16 beadhead nymphs fished about 24″- 30″ under a strike indicator. We prefer to fish two nymphs at a time and often like one of the flies to be a larger #10- #12 Prince Nymph or Rubber Legs Nymph. You may find a few fish willing to take a dry fly, but this will likely be in sunny runs late in the afternoon.
Our son Boone hooked up on the Hiwassee
We’ve spent some personal time floating the Hiwassee lately. This is a river we don’t guide, but it’s a beautiful river that’s a fun float. A few years ago TWRA enacted Delayed Harvest regulations on the river where it’s stocked in October with catch and release only regulations until spring. This tailwater doesn’t grow fish as large as the Clinch and others, but flows remain cold most of the year with a good variety of aquatic insects.
Our son Boone has enjoyed this river a few times this summer and fall and always manages to land some fish. While he’s spent time on most of our rivers and streams, I tend to like taking him to the Hiwassee because he can fish any place from the boat since he’s not very tall yet. The fish in the Hiwassee are also a bit more forgiving than those on the Clinch while putting a little more bend in his rod than the brook trout just up the road from the house. He’s also pretty accustomed to hiking for trout, so floating is a little more of an event for him.
Boone shows off a pretty good rainbow he landed on a nymph.
From this point on we tend to guide half days in the Smokies as it’s at least 11:00 before the trout really get moving well. This is the general program until early March based on the weather. Let us know if you want to get out and enjoy a pretty afternoon on the stream in the Smokies.