Warm weather has arrived in the Smoky Mountains and there isn’t any cold weather in the extended forecast. We’ve experienced the usual roller coaster of conditions that are so common in late winter and early spring; a few days of unseasonable warmth followed by a return to winter. Then some rain and high water with […]
Winter Weather Returns to the Smokies After Unseasonable Warmth
Snow is in the forecast for the Smoky Mountains this week after we experienced a couple of weeks of nearly record warmth. A few days flirted with 70 degrees in the mountains, but it was at or above 50 most days since Christmas. It’s not unheard of for a few days like that in the […]
Cool Fall Weather with Peak Colors in the Smokies
There’s no doubt about it anymore, fall is in full swing. Foliage is at peak color in many locations and the highest ridge lines have already shed most of their leaves in the Smokies. We will likely see our first frost here around Townsend this week as well. Fall is one of our favorite seasons […]
Fly Fishing Through the Government Shutdown in Great Smoky Mountains National Park
This is an important update for anyone coming to the Smokies to fly fish in the near term. There is a shutdown of the federal government. National parks are a division of the federal government and their employees have been told not to come to work as their funding has expired. We’ve weathered every one […]
An Early Taste of Fall in the Smoky Mountains
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′. […]
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 […]
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 […]
Late Summer Adventures Before Autumn Arrives
It’s been pretty hot and relatively dry here in East Tennessee, but things have been much more varied in the Smokies. While the Tennessee side of the mountains was extremely dry in July, the North Carolina side was wetter with more moisture from thunderstorms. Water conditions improved all over at the end of the month […]
Fly Fishing in the Smokies Slows Down with the Cold Weather
It’s officially the slow season here in the Smokies. It’s nearly 8:00 AM when the sun peaks up over the mountains and it’s dark shortly after 5:00. Overnight temperatures here in Townsend are regularly in the 20’s and 30’s but much colder up on the crest of the Smokies. Water temperatures have been hovering somewhere […]
The Fall Fishing Season Comes to a Close
It was a busy November here in the Smokies with a roller coaster ride of temperatures. We had several mornings of hard frost with lows waaay down in the 20’s, but the weather was quite pleasant overall. There were even a couple of days with record high temperatures near 80 in the afternoon. The big […]
