There’s no doubt about it anymore, fall is in full swing. Foliage is at peak color in many locations and the highest ridge lines have already shed most of their leaves in the Smokies. We will likely see our first frost here around Townsend this week as well.
Smoky Mountain trout stream are very colorful right now!
Fall is one of our favorite seasons because the scenery changes every day. The colors on the trees are nearing peak right now on our favorite waters and the weather has been great so far. Stream flows got pretty low on the Tennessee side of the Smokies but remained pretty good in North Carolina. Furthermore, we received some rain over the past few days and that made a marked improvement. We’d still like to see better flows in Tennessee, but they are far better than what we experienced the last two years at this time. Even better, we have rain in the forecast next week, so we have reason for optimism.
Fish have been looking up in the Smokies!
Our favorite thing about fly fishing in the Smokies is the way our wild trout rise to dry flies so well. We continue to fish with dropper rigs, a bushy #14-16 dry fly on top with a smaller #16-18 beadhead nymph about 18″ underneath. This has continued to produce well with the bulk of the fish taking the dry fly on most days. In fact, we’ve been getting rid of the nymph on sunny afternoons and just sticking with the dry fly. Nothing out of the ordinary, basic Parachute Adams, Stimulators, and Elk Hair Caddis all get the job done.
Brown trout are in the mix on the right streams, but they’re just as skittish as ever
Just because the trout are feeding aggressively doesn’t mean they’re pushovers, though. We can tell you with certainty that you need to get that first cast right and in the right place. Low water and bright autumn skies make for extra spooky trout. One thing we’ve seen in our guiding lately is nearly all the fish are coming on the first cast in the right spot. Chances are good the trout have vacated the premises if it takes a few casts to get the fly in the right place.
Smoky Mountain native brook trout
Many anglers are curious about both brown trout and brook trout in the fall. While they’re always colorful here in the Smokies, they take on deeper hues with their spawning colors. The main thing to be aware of is that they don’t tend to eat nearly so well in spawning season. This seems to be something that happens every autumn. The fish are eating great, then one day they won’t eat a thing. Most of the time we’ll also notice them paired up, chasing each other around, or sitting on beds of pea gravel.
Rainbows will continue to feed aggressively, so most streams with them should fish great. The one thing to consider is not walking on redds, the gravelly areas where trout have laid eggs. Predators are often blamed for poor fishing, but a single angler can destroy hundreds or even thousands of trout eggs by stepping on areas where they were laid. Watch are very clean areas in gravel that are about the size of a plate. Large brown trout can have redds that may be a few feet long and wide.
The season is getting short so be sure to get out while the weather is nice and the trout are happy!
