Yesterday I took Kenny and Harry Macintosh for a float on the Holston River. Kenny was well aware of the drought situation and heat wave and told me to take them wherever the fishing was good. My suggestion was that we float the Holston and fly fish for smallmouth bass. Fishing with poppers has been […]
The heat persists; Tailwaters continue to fish well
The hot, dry conditons continue to persist here in East Tennessee. However, all is not bleak. The tailwaters continue to fish well and better weather seems to be just around the corner. The weather forecast includes some rain this week and milder temperatures going into this weekend. We had a pretty busy weekend. Charity was […]
Smokin’ Smallmouth and We’ve Found a Cure for the Drought
After an intensely physical day of fishing high elevation streams in the Smokies I took Walt West and his son-in-law Michael for a day of fly fishing for smallmouth bass on the Holston River. As many of you know, this is a favorite pastime of mine in the hot summer months. I had the guys […]
Brook trout in the remote backcountry of the Smokies
Yesterday set a record high of 101 in Knoxville but it was still cool in the highest elevations of the Smoky Mountains. While water temperatures along the most accessible stretches of Little River are spiking at or above 70 degrees, I’m happy to report that most backcountry and higher elevation waters are still in the […]
Fly Fishing Update for the Smoky Mountains & Tailwaters
Weather conditions remain hot and dry here in Tennessee, but there are some opportunities for fly fishing. Fishing on larger streams in the Smokies is best described as poor. The guage on Little River is not only recording low water levels, but high water temperatures as well. I would stress, however, that the guage is […]
Swimming with Trout in the Smokies
It’s been pretty hot here in Tennessee. Hiking way back into the backcountry of the Smokies seems more than oppressive in this kind of heat and humidity. A good swim in the river sounds so much better. One thing I can’t help but notice is how trout are easily spooked by things outside of the […]
Hottest week of the year in Tennessee
Fly fishers will be up against some pretty big obstacles this week in the Smokies and on the tailwaters. Water levels are still exceptionally low in the Smoky Mountains. There are, however, regular afternoon rain showers which are preventing temperatures from rising to critical levels. The best thing to do would be to head for […]
Fly Fishing for Tarpon in Florida
Charity and I always do something a little different in the dog days of summer as trout fishing slows down in the Smoky Mountains. Fly fishing for smallmouth bass and backcountry brook trout are two ways we mix it up, but we always head for the saltwater whenever we get the chance. We blocked a […]
Water levels at normal levels in the Smokies (for now)
Hard to say how long things will stick, but water levels are actually quite good! We had some heavy rains in the wee hours of Saturday morning. Water levels had rebounded a bit by that time, but the big rain actually made things pretty muddy and made the water high. Little River was really chugging […]
Rain improves fishing in the Smokies
The Smoky Mountains are living up to their name thanks to recent rains. We’re thrilled to report that we’ve had rain everyday this week. Most of the storms have been relatively short, but there have been more widespread rains all week and some have been heavy. Stream levels have responded and while things are still […]