Fly fishing with Tenkara in the Smokies
The national park has been open for about a week now with restrictions, but we’ve guided a few trips and have more on the calendar. It’s good to get back in the park and guiding again, but here’s what you can expect.
Only the main roads in the park are open at this point. That means the ONLY Newfound Gap Road, Little River Road, Laurel Creek Road, and Cades Cove Loop Road are open at this point. All campgrounds are closed. The only picnic areas open are Metcalf Bottoms, Chimneys, and Collins Creek. All covered picnic pavilions are closed. All of the closed road are open for walking and bicycling, so this is a pretty cool opportunity to cycle these areas with the kids and not worry about traffic.
Also it’s important to note that Laurel Falls, Alum Cave Bluff, and the Chimneys trails are all closed. The extreme popularity and limited space on these trails don’t allow for appropriate distancing.
The park is opening in phases and we are hoping for secondary roads like Tremont, Elkmont, Greenbrier, and Straight Fork to open soon.
Our guiding protocol has changed as well. We are no longer taking anglers in our vehicles. Our anglers will follow along in the their own vehicles. We are providing lunches. Right now we are pretty limited as to where we can fish but there is still plenty of water available.
Spent Hendrickson
Dry fly fishing has been pretty good, but we’re probably having our best success on dropper rigs. Nothing out of the ordinary. Water levels are great and temperatures have been pretty mild. It’s still appropriate to wear waders, but wet wading will come in season as soon as the weather warms up. In fact we we waded yesterday for the first time, but it looks like a cool and wet bit of weather this week will keep the waders in use.
Tailwaters
The tailwaters have FINALLY come into shape! The Hiwassee has had some good windows lately, but we’re also starting to see the Clinch fishable for the first time in months. Things still favor floating, but there are windows for wading if you know how to schedule your fishing on the lower sections of the rivers.
Charity and Boone show off a nice Hiwassee rainbow trout
We’ve been taking some family days down on the Hiwassee and having a blast! We don’t have guide permits for that river, but it’s one we’ve fished often over the years. There have some good sulphur and caddis hatches down there with some pretty good dry fly fishing.
Boone nets a nice fish for his grandfather, Papa Paul
We’ll keep you posted as things start to open up in here East Tennessee and the Smoky Mountains. Stay healthy!
Robert Maner says
It makes no sense that they didn’t open up the roads for Greenbrier and Tremont, but I see where those are opening up Saturday May 23rd. Was there last weekend and Greenbrier was packed in more than I’ve ever seen it up to the ranger house where the gravel road begins and was closed. Parking at Tremont was treacherous and again is concentrated people in one place and put them in danger walking on the road with unlimited traffic going to Cades Cove. Made no sense in any way to have ever closed down the Smokys completely and businesses in Townsend suffered greatly.
But, on a more positive note, my son and I took our bikes to Tremont and peddled in past Tremont Institute. Very peaceful with no cars/dust and very few fishermen. Maybe one of the most enjoyable fishing trips we’ve had and the weather was perfect.
Cliff Ellerbrook says
Thanks for the update. Happy to see things are starting to open up in the Smokies.
Jack says
Always enjoy your posts and hope you and your family stay healthy and happy. Maybe we’ll see you on the creek someday. Thanks