We spent the weekend out on the water, but not where most people might think. We live within spitting distance of the largest wilderness area and selection of wild trout streams in the eastern United States and only an hour or so from a few quality tailwaters so it only makes sense we’d be fishing […]
Fly Fishing Forecast for the Labor Day Weekend
The rivers have been all but devoid of fishermen this week. Even though one of the major recreation weekends of the year is upon us, you should be able to find some good fishing. You can even escape the crowds if you’re willing to fish during a football game. Mountain streams in the Smokies are […]
Great fishing conditions but not many fishermen on the water
Water and weather conditions are absolutely perfect, but there aren’t many anglers out on the water. That’s probably typical considering most people are getting back into the swing of getting the kids to school and it’s the week before Labor Day weekend. The water will surely be more crowded once the weekend arrives. Charity and […]
Unseasonably Cool Weather Makes for Excellent Fly Fishing Across East Tennessee and The Smoky Mountains
The weather across East Tennessee and Western North Carolina barely cracked 80 degrees over the weekend. We managed to fly fish in a variety of locations for a variety of fish species and it was excellent everywhere. Generation at Cherokee Dam fell off significantly over the weekend so we hitched up the drift boat and […]
A Warm Guides’ Day Off on Little River
I spent a few hours with a fly rod on Little River this afternoon. Fishing buddy and fellow guide Tim Doyle came along. It’s been an exceptionally cool August, and while I’m not exactly complaing, it’s put a crimp in our terrestrial fishing. Today was the hottest day we’ve had in a while, but I […]
Feels Like Fall Fly Fishing in the Smokies
It was in the 40’s along the peaks of the Smoky Mountains this morning and there was a slight chill in the air all day long. I was wet wading but waders wouldn’t have been out of order. A #18 Parachute Blue Wing Olive drew most of the strikes for the anglers I was guiding. […]
Smokies Stream Levels Don’t Get Any Better Than This in August
It’s been a kind of soggy week here in the Smoky Mountains but stream levels just don’t get any better in August. If I woke up one morning with amnesia and couldn’t find a calendar I’d think it was April or May judging by the amount of water in the streams. I’ve been on the […]
Tennessee’s tailwaters running high; Rain forecast for the Smokies
Weather has been pretty mild here in the Smoky Mountains and fly fishing conditions have remained very good. The biggest obstacle to fishing has been a rock slide on Little River Road. The road has been closed between Metcalf Bottoms and Elkmont Junction, the most popular section of the river for fly fishers. News reports […]
Three Days of Fly Fishing the Smokies in Cataloochee Valley
Charity and I noticed some blank days on the guide calendar and decided we needed to take advantage of the break. Even those of us who live in the Smoky Mountains like to take a few days to get away and do nothing more than camp and fly fish. After a quick scan of a […]
Biologists Count Trout at Tremont
Yesterday I helped electroshock trout on the Middle Prong of Little River at Tremont. We worked 200 meters of the stream on the section followed by the gravel road. We were about a quarter mile from the end of the road. There were a lot of biologists and volunteers involved. I helped net fish as […]
