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. Every […]
Heart of Winter in the Smokies
Every year is different from every other, but this winter has certainly been a cold snowy one in the Smoky Mountains. There has been snow on the ground most of the time with very few days without. This winter has been dryer than the previous two when we had multiple high water events. However, water […]
Winter Has Arrived in the Smokies
We’re at the end of another fly fishing guide season here in the Great Smoky Mountain of East Tennessee. It was my 26th and Charity’s 19th and we’re glad to say we’re still plugging along with gas still in the tank. Today is the Monday after Thanksgiving, the day we usually look at as the […]
Fall Fishing Starting to Cool Down
2020 has been a long year for all of us, but we have to say it was pretty good as far as fly fishing in the Smoky Mountains was concerned. Water levels never got low. In fact, our flow issues were related to high water, but fortunately they usually correct within a few days. Autumn […]
Feels Like Fall in the Smokies
There’s no doubt that it feels like fall in the Smokies. Overnight lows last night dipped into the 40’s in Townsend which means they were well down into the 30’s in the higher elevations. Water temperature on Little River in Townsend has even fallen down into the 50’s. Waders might even be necessary for the […]
A Wet August Sets Up the Smokies for Prime Fall Fishing
We’ve seen the typical heat and humidity that come with August in the Smokies, but with well above average rainfall. Most of this has come in the form of afternoon thunderstorms so it’s not like we’ve seen days upon days of dreary weather. While August hasn’t officially come to an end and there’s more rain […]
Daily Thunderstorms Keeping Stream Flows and Temperatures Optimal for Summer Fly Fishing
We’ve had an exceptionally busy summer guide season this year. After the park re-opened in May visitation has been very high and our guide calendar has been booked solid. Flows got a little skinny as July progressed but it seems we have moved passed that. The mountains have seen daily thunderstorms for a couple of […]
Population Sampling in the Smokies Reveals Lower Brook Trout Populations and Larger Sizes
We’ve done some volunteer work with fisheries biologists in the Smokies. We now have concrete evidence of what we suspected. Two consecutive years of massive winter flooding has had an impact on native brook trout in the Smokies, but it’s not all bad news. Action seemed a bit light on our favorite brook trout streams, […]
Summer Fly Fishing Is In Full Swing in the Smokies and East Tennessee
We’ve been wet wading for a week and water conditions have been perfect (finally!!) in the Smokies. Charity and I have both been guiding quite a bit as folks with cabin fever (not Covid-19) have been getting away to the mountains. We’ve been fishing a lot of dry and dropper set ups, but most days […]
Smokies Gradually Open Up More Areas
After two weeks of limited opening Great Smoky Mountains National Park will open more areas tomorrow, Saturday May 23, 2020. However, several areas and facilities are remaining closed. The most noteworthy areas opening up are Tremont, Greenbrier, Big Creek, Roaring Fork, and Cosby Creek. All trails will be open as well. Up to this point […]