It’s been one of two very distinct stories when we consider how the fishing in the Smokies has been lately. The fishing is either on fire with incredible dry fly fishing or we’re blown out with high water. This is often the case with spring fishing, but has become increasingly common in recent years.
A typically colorful wild rainbow trout caught last week in the Smokies
Every afternoon we’re seeing good numbers of Quill Gordon mayflies, Early Brown Stoneflies, and an assortment of smaller mayflies like Blue Quills, Blue Wing Olives and some little black caddis too. This has kept the fish looking up and a variety of dry fly patterns are working well.
A solid rainbow trout caught in the park with a Haystack on a Tenkara rod
You can start out in the morning with a dry fly, but you’ll probably get a better response fishing a nymph until almost noon. Feel free to go with a dry and dropper rig if you just can’t stand looking at a strike indicator. Basic nymphs like a beadhead Pheasant Tail Nymph, Tellico Nymph, Prince Nymph, or Hare’s Ear Nymph will all work. They are best in a #14-16 if you’re fishing them under a #12 dry fly.
We’re doing quite well fishing dries in #12, but a few fish may be keyed in on smaller bugs so keep a couple of #16’s handy. Again, nothing out of the ordinary and any fly pattern with the word “Adams” in it will work. The Parachute Adams is a perennial favorite because it has a great buggy shape and is easy to see.
Beth Jones fishing some pocket water in the Smokies
Lately our problem hasn’t been finding will trout as much as finding good water conditions. We’ve been on a carousel of heavy rain followed by a few good days of weather, then more heavy rain. This has led to several days of unfishable water conditions followed by spectacular fishing before we start the process again. We’re old pros at the game of “guide calendar Tetris” where we try to make everyone’s schedule line up with the best conditions, but there’s only so much that can be done.
If you’re not sure if water conditions are high or not you can always check our Stream Levels page to get a good idea. Hope you can hit it right!
