March is here and it won’t be long before we see abundant hatches on the wild trout streams of the Great Smoky Mountains. Most experienced anglers in the region are familiar with Quill Gordons, Hendricksons, and March Browns but many are less aware of another very important mayfly hatch, the Blue Quill. Here’s a video […]
Recommendations for the Weekend
Here we go again with another beautiful weekend headed our way but with limited opportunities for fly fishing. Actually, let’s not say “limited” because there are plenty of places to go. Every possible option is not available though. On the positive side the mountain streams are in great shape. Expect some cold water and keep […]
A Look at What’s To Come
If you’re anxiously waiting the first hatches of spring you’re not alone. We’ve been keeping an eye on the local streams and while we’ve seen a few Early Brown Stoneflies and Blue Quills the main event has yet to arrive. But don’t despair. It’s imminent and coming soon. Just when we really can’t say, but […]
A Weekend Preview of Spring
We hope you managed to get out over the past weekend. The weather was incredibly beautiful with abundant sunshine and temperatures soaring well into the 60’s. There’s nothing quite like a few days like that after weeks of harsh winter weather to get your blood flowing. It was the perfect weather to get outside. For […]
Great Weather But Challenging Water Conditions This Weekend
The weather forecast is calling for sunny skies and mild weather this weekend but it looks as if water levels will be challenging across East Tennessee and Western North Carolina. We had a restless sleep last night as a strong front passed through with strong storms and heavy rain. This morning several USGS stream gauges […]
Now That Felt Good!
We had some important stuff to get done today. We’re hoping to get our first real e-book completed soon plus there’s some other stuff to get done before our guide season kicks into gear. But today was easily the nicest day we’ve seen since early November. Sunshine and 60 degrees! The rest of the week […]
Holiday Weekend Fly Fishing Forecast
If you’re successfully able to navigate Valentine’s Day you could have a good weekend out on the water. As always, there are plenty of opportunities in East Tennessee and Western North Carolina, but all the snow from this week will certainly play into any plans you might make. All the snow we’ve had will likely […]
Making the Rounds
It’s still February and the latest weather forecast shows plenty of wintry weather in store this week so it’s a good thing I made the most of the bearable weather and good flows available. Last week we made a trip over to the Holston. Over the weekend I also floated the Hiwassee and checked on […]
Making the Best of the Situation
It’s been a tough winter. No secret there. Rivers and streams in the Smokies remained under ice even as warm temperatures and sunshine arrived over the weekend. We considered a trip to either Clinch or Holston but the combination of our schedule and expectations of crowds on the water kept us away. I’ve been burning […]
Tailwater Fishermen Rejoice!
It’s been a long time with only a few windows to get on the big rivers in East Tennessee, but this weekend things are going to change. TVA’s predicted flows for area trout rivers show that there will be wadeable flows on most rivers. The Clinch, Holston, South Holston, and Watauga will have the most […]