The warm, sunny days of autumn are behind us and we’re looking at the gray, cold days of winter here in the Smoky Mountains. That doesn’t mean our fly fishing opportunities are gone, but they certainly are limited. It’s no longer October when every stream on the map was fishing well. Anglers will need to exercise a little bit of judgement to find success on the water.
The first consideration for winter fishing is always water temperature. You should look for at least 42 degrees and hopefully 45 or warmer. These conditions are most prevalent when it’s either raining or just after a rain. Clear conditions are more enjoyable, but long clear periods are typically accompanied by colder temperatures. Watch for frost free nights as a leading indicator of warmer water.
Nymphing is the best method to stick with until spring arrives
Winter Methods
This is the time of year for nymph fishing. You might get rewarded with a rising trout, but that’s more of an exception than the rule in the Smokies. Still, it can happen, so you might consider a dry and dropper rig if water temperature is in the high 40’s. The average nymph rig should be at least 20″ deep if not deeper. There are no hard and set rules, but the deeper the water, the deeper your nymph should be. That also goes hand in hand with water temperature. Fish will often suspend in the current or at least feed up in the water column with warmer temperatures, but remain glued to the bottom when the water is in the low 40’s or cooler.
Use a strike indicator for the best success, but don’t hesitate to try old school tight line nymphing techniques or modern Euro Nymphing. These are optimized for fishing deep. Your fly will go as deep as you allow it so there’s no need for adjusting the depth of an indicator. This requires excellent line control though. Anything more than a few inches of slack between the fly and rod tip will have no sensitivity to detect a strike. Even though this is the most difficult way to fish, it’s highly effective and the skills you hone by doing it will have a positive effect on aspects of your fishing.
Perhaps our favorite element of fly fishing in the winter is that it’s essentially an afternoon pursuit. There’s nothing keeping you from getting out early, but the fish are almost always more active mid-day to late afternoon. Pour another cup of coffee, tie a few more flies, return some calls or emails and don’t feel like you missed anything. Better yet, it’s a good excuse to maybe drive a little further to go fishing. That extra drive time will happen when the fishing was slow anyway.
Other places to fish in the winter
Fishing in the national park is our favorite, but we’ll readily admit it is among the toughest places to catch fish in the winter. We don’t guide these other places, but they could be worth making the trip:
Tellico River – This is down in the Cherokee National Forest. Anyone who fishes the Smokies will feel right at home. The river is stocked in the winter and has delayed harvest, catch and release regulations until spring. Not only are the stockers easier to catch than the wild fish, but they’re bigger too.
North Carolina Delayed Harvest – There are dozens of these streams. The Nantahala and Tuckaseegee Rivers are probably the best known. Keep in mind these are perennial favorites with many Southeastern anglers are intensively stocked through the winter, but only in certain areas. Our main piece of advice is to take your success with a grain of salt. These are super fun places to fish, but don’t fish much like wild streams. Enjoy your time in these places but don’t let it go to your head.
Delayed harvest Tuckaseegee River brook trout
Gatlinburg – Many of our friends love fishing in Gatlinburg in the winter. The setting is pretty jarring to us as we’re more accustomed to backcountry locations. However, the river is well stocked and you’re never more than a few casts away from any number of restaurants where you can warm up at the end of the day.
Tailwaters – The Clinch, Hiwassee, South Holston and Watauga Rivers can all have superb winter fishing. The South Holston and Watauga near Johnson City and Bristol are both known for rising trout and hatches in the winter. Naturally, both are excellent options.
Winter day on the South Holston
The Hiwassee operates under delayed harvest / catch and release regulations on the upper end of the river. It may not be friendly for wading at all times, but the fish are definitely there. In the past TWRA has even stocked cutthroats in the river, so that’s a definite change of pace.
A solid winter rainbow trout on the Hiwassee
The Clinch is the real sleeper here with plenty of real deal, large trout. These are picky fish that have a preference for small flies. These of chunky, hot fish so bring a net and expect to hear your drag sing when you hook one. The wrinkle in the Clinch equation is hitting flows right. You’ll need zero generation and that’s not something you find for more than a few hours very often on this river.
Clinch rainbow trout caught an a midge pupa on a mild winter day
