We still haven’t seen what we’d call “hot” weather, but wet wading season has arrived. Overnight temperatures aren’t as cold and afternoons are pretty warm. Couple that with reduced stream flows where you don’t wade very deep and there’s not much reason to wear a full set of waders. This allows anglers to hike in […]
Classic Spring Fly Fishing in the Smokies
It’s been a phenomenal spring season here in the Smoky Mountains. The forest is greening up more and more everyday and the slopes are carpeted with wildflowers. Bears have gone from absent to relatively common. And of course, dry fly fishing has come on strong… Water levels have been very good. We’ve seen very little […]
Looks Like an Early Spring
It’s popular to follow the groundhog in February to get a sense of how long winter will be, but we’ve found our trout stream insects to be more reliable. This past week has seen a dramatic warm up accompanied by the first emergences of insects. We’ve already seen brown stoneflies, Blue Quills, Quill Gordons, and […]
Looking Forward to the New Year
We’ve just emerged from what will likely be the coldest weather of the season and landed in some remarkably mild conditions. Rivers and streams in the Smokies were frozen over for the better part of a week during Christmas. Fortunately our weather has warmed up quite a bit and we’ve been able to get out […]
Settling Into the Winter Rhythm
We’re well into December and the guide season is getting further in the rearview mirror now. November was colder than average. Along with low water conditions that made for some tough fishing as we rounded out our season. It typically draws to a close after Thanksgiving weekend every year. December has been exceptionally mild, though, […]
Fall Fishing Season Draws to a Close
Somehow we’ve looked up and it’s almost Thanksgiving. It’s been another year with long weeks but a short season. We still have some trips on the calendar but our busy season is behind us. This fall was exceptionally colorful with some great weather. The biggest drawback came in the form of low water conditions and […]
Fall is Around the Corner
To be clear, there’s not much difference between the weather we’ve experienced this week and numerous days last summer. Overnight lows here in Townsend have been in the 60’s and afternoon highs in the 80’s. However, there have been no high 80’s nor any sign of 90’s in the forecast and we’ve even seen a […]
Summer Fly Fishing in the Smokies
It’s been a while since we’ve posted a fishing report, primarily because we’ve been so busy guiding. As always, summer fly fishing can be more difficult than spring or fall but that’s largely a function of where you go. Most of the easiest access waters will be crowded with picnickers and might have marginal water […]
Spring Fishing Has Arrived in The Smokies
We’ve had the usual March weather roller coaster in the Smokies but are happy to report that spring fishing is well underway. There have been regular hatches, the first black bears have been sighted out from hibernation, and turkeys are starting to gobble. All are definite signs of spring! Fishing will continue to be solid […]
Wrapping Up a Busy Fall Season of Fly Fishing in the Smokies
2021 has flown by and another busy guide season is drawing to a close. We’ve finally arrived at the time of year when we cease guiding full day trips. We guide afternoon half day trips as long as conditions are favorable, but don’t get out in the morning while trout are sluggish. Most of the […]
