We’re rounding out August here in the Smokies with the best weather we’ve seen in a long time. Daytime temperatures in Townsend have been in the 70’s and overnights have been in the 50’s. Shave off another 10 degrees if you’re further up in the mountains and 15-20 up on the high ridges over 5000′. […]
Good Stream Flows During the Heat of Summer
This July has been a hot one in the Southeast. Daytime highs have been at or about 90 here in Townsend for the past few weeks. That has led to higher water temperatures in some area streams, but fortunately things are far from all doom and gloom. July is typically the wettest month of the […]
A Wet Summer Pattern Has the Trout Happy in the Smokies
Almost daily thunderstorms are keeping the trout streams well watered in the Smoky Mountains. Stream flows are running a bit above typical which is great moving into the heat of summer. Water temperatures have warmed up now so there’s no question about wearing waders or not. Cool weather lingered for a while and cloudy days […]
Ideal Summer Fly Fishing Conditions in the Great Smoky Mountains
We had a wet spring in the Smokies and that pattern has continued into June. This has set us up for a great summer of fly fishing. So far June has been warm but mild with an abundance of scattered rain showers and thunderstorms. The Smoky Mountains are a rain forest, so it’s been nice […]
Warm Weather is Here to Stay in the Smoky Mountains
Spring is always a period of ups and downs in the Smoky Mountains. Warm days are followed by frosty mornings. Sunny days can give way to cloudbursts of rain. Blown out streams quickly rebound to just about perfect. Now it finally looks like things are settling down after a March and April full of roller […]
The Ups and Downs of Spring Fly Fishing in the Smokies
Fly fishing conditions have been up and down this spring in the Smoky Mountains. We came out of the winter season exceptionally dry with extreme wildfire risk across Southern Appalachia. Believe it or not, we had humidity readings that would be taken for the Arizona desert, not the Smoky Mountain rain forest. Fortunately, things have […]
Spring Fly Fishing is On the Horizon
The calendar still says February, but we’re right on the brink of March when fly fishing in the Smoky Mountains gets good. Right now we’re still in that weird space when the warmer weather feels even warmer than it really is because it was so cold for the last two months. In reality, we’re a […]
Winter Thaw in the Smokies
This week has seen a dramatic warm up from the deep freeze we experienced for all of January. Last month was well below average and amounted to one of the longer stretches we’ve ever had without being on the stream with a fly rod. We did plenty of hiking regardless of the weather, but iced […]
Real Winter in the Smokies
Every year is unique when it comes to weather in the Smoky Mountains. We’ve had some exceptionally mild winters, more or less normal winters, wet winters, and cold winters. This year is shaping up to be exceptionally snowy and cold. Our personal fishing time has been somewhat limited by several things including the weather. There […]
Transitioning to Winter in the Smokies
It’s safe to say we’ve crossed the line from autumn to winter here in the Smoky Mountains. We’ve had to scrape frost from the windshield before taking our son to school in the morning. Our view of Thunderhead Mountain and the Smokies’ crest has been white too. We had a little snow up high last […]
