We’re well into our “backcountry” fishing season here in the Smoky Mountains. Warm weather precludes the need for waders so it’s easier to hike in with only wading boots and a fly rod. Even as we really enjoy rowing the drift boat or instigating smallmouth bass to eat a popper, there’s something extra cool about […]
Wet Wading and Dry Flies in the Smokies
With the warm weather firmly in place here in the Smoky Mountain region we’ve been wading wet for some time. There was a day last week with scattered rain showers all day that we put the waders on since the cooler weather and lack of sunshine made for chilly wading, but we’re happy to feel […]
A Gray, Damp Week On the Water
It’s been a damp week out there, and that’s not a bad thing. As we always remind people, “Fish like water!” Unfortunately it’s been in short supply recently in East Tennessee so it’s nice to start seeing some rain. Charity and I were talking about it this morning that while we’ve not been particularly worried […]
The Summer Pattern
So far things are essentially what you would expect when fly fishing in June in East Tennessee and the Smoky Mountains. We’re seeing they typical mid to high 80’s temperatures along with enough humidity to trigger afternoon thunderstorms. Most of East Tennessee has been pretty dry but the mountains have seen the bulk of the […]
Smoky Mountain Brook Trout And the Next Generation
Anyone who’s known us or followed us for very long knows we have a soft spot for wild, native brook trout here in the Smoky Mountains. These fish have persisted for thousands of years against everything Mother Nature and mankind has thrown at them. Even as their numbers have diminished significantly over the last century […]
The Back of Beyond
It’s about that time of the season when I look up and realize I’ve spent the past few weeks exclusively behind the oars of a drift boat and barely glanced at the Smoky Mountains in my backyard. This year I was well aware that this would happen and scheduled a backcountry death march backpacking trip with […]
Hit Or Miss Rain
They’re called “hit or miss” thunderstorms and showers for a reason. For the past week we’ve seen storms pop up all across East Tennessee and the Smoky Mountains, but we’ve largely missed most of them. That’s really nice when you’re in a drift boat and the alternative to sprinkles and thunder is crackling lightning overhead […]
Summer Is Here
We’re on the back side of the Memorial Day holiday and that means all sorts of things when it comes to fly fishing around East Tennessee and the Smoky Mountains. First of all that means it’s thunderstorm season. We’re seeing pop up storms somewhere everyday. That doesn’t mean the day will be a washout, but […]
What A Week!
Over the course of the spring Charity and I have felt like the fishing was a little more difficult than usual. There were more days than usual when trout in the Smokies wouldn’t rise to a dry fly very well and the number of fish taking a fly on the tailwaters seemed light compared to […]
Peak of the Guide Season
It’s that time of year when we catch our breath, look up at the calendar and realize that it’s the middle of May already. We’ve been guiding quite a bit lately and the calendar doesn’t have much daylight until we’re well beyond Memorial Day. We’re at that time where Ian is spending most days in the […]
