We’re experiencing exceptionally mild weather here in East Tennessee as we kick off 2020, but that isn’t necessarily adding up to great fly fishing opportunities so far. As is so often the case here in the Smoky Mountain region, mild temperatures in the winter also come with abundant rainfall. At the moment stream flows in […]
Cool Weather and Ideal Water Levels Across East Tennessee and the Smokies
In early October we were in the throes of exceptionally low water levels in the Smokies. They weren’t record low flows, but were certainly flirting with the category. After weeks upon weeks of high flows last winter and spring we had great flows through the summer, but the bottom fell out in September and this […]
Autumn Women In The Woods Fly Fishing and Glamping Weekend
Our weekend kicked off with a welcome reception on the deck of a luxury tent! We sat by the river on a covered deck, sipping our favorite drinks and met like-minded women who like to travel and fish. Most people think of camping as roughing it in the woods. Glamping takes it up a few […]
Another Great Trip to TroutHunter on the Henry’s Fork
We’ve been hosting western fly fishing groups since 2005 at several locations in the greater Yellowstone region. We’ve been going to TroutHunter in Island Park, Idaho every September since 2011 so it felt like a homecoming when we returned last month with a group. We’ve come to think of the owners, guides, fly shop staff, […]
Hot, Dry Start to Fall
We’re in the middle of one of our slower months for guiding in the Smokies as it’s after Labor Day but before fall color season. So far this has been one of the hottest Septembers on record with most days 90 degrees or warmer in Knoxville. It’s been pretty dry as well and we’re starting […]
Remembering Steve Claxton, the Mayor of Hazel Creek
It’s with deep sadness that we relate the news that Hazel Creek legend Steve Claxton passed away last weekend. Steve was a lifelong resident of Bryson City, North Carolina and often referred to as the mayor of Hazel Creek. He was the linch pin to the success of our camps there. We got to be […]
Wet Weather in the Smokies is Keeping Stream Levels Optimal for Fly Fishing
We’ve been in a bit of a wet weather pattern for over a year now. That’s had mixed results on the fishing in East Tennessee and the Smoky Mountains. River fishing on the large tailwaters has been spotty at best because of high flows. Typically we’re in a pretty predictable pattern in June. We usually […]
Cool Wet Weather Keeping Fly Fishing Conditions Ideal in the Smokies
We’re coming off of a bit of a wet spell here in East Tennessee that kept us nervous about fishing conditions but it all worked out great. While some locations did experience heavy rains, the Smokies had nothing more than beneficial rain that has kept streams at ideal levels and temperatures excellent for trout. After […]
A Guide to Fly Fishing with Kids
We’ve been hard core fly fishers for a long time. There were autumn tent camping trips to Yellowstone with subzero temperatures when we had to trudge through snow to get to the river. There were many tarpon fishing trips on small skiffs in the hot sun. One of those was a multi night camping trip […]
Spring Turns to Summer
Another busy spring seems to be transitioning into summer. We started wet wading last week as warm, sunny days have made it quite comfortable to leave the waders behind. Dry fly fishing has been excellent and water levels are about as good as we’ve seen them in a long time. After an exceptionally wet autumn […]