Anyone who follows fly fishing in the Southeast knows it’s been a rough year. We started out with high water, then progressed to outrageously high water earlier in the year. By the time we got to our big fall season we had a 17 day government shutdown keep us out of national parks and deprive […]
Winter Fly Fishing Has Arrived
Fleece jacket… Check! Warm hat and fingerless gloves… Check! Fly box of nymphs… Check! Split shots… Check! Are you set for winter fly fishing because it’s here. We always say that Thanksgiving week is usually the best landmark on the calendar to expect winter to set in and that’s certainly the case this year. Cold […]
Fish While You Can
We’ve entered that shoulder fishing season now that really isn’t one of those main events of the year, but perhaps the most important. No, it’s not the ever popular spring dry fly fishing or colorful falling fishing but the “get it while you can” fishing. We’re quickly moving into late November and the weather is […]
Winter to Make Its Debut in East Tennessee and the Smoky Mountains
We’ve seen some classic November weather lately. Sunny but cool afternoons after frosty mornings but change is coming along fast! We’ve already seen the first several days with water temperatures down in the 40’s in the Smokies and we don’t expect things to warm up much over the next few days. If anything they will […]
November Fly Fishing Is Here
There are still some pockets of fall color in East Tennessee but the Smokies are quickly transitioning out of that phase. The tops of the mountains are bare and look like winter. Further down the slopes the vibrant yellow, red, and orange is beginning to fade to brown with a few exceptions. We’re seeing brown […]
The Peak of Fall Fishing is Here!
It’s the last week of October, the weather is cool, the leaves are falling, and the fishing has been great. We’ve already seen some large brown trout moving and that will only improve over the next two weeks as they move into position to spawn. Weather this week will be warmer than we saw last […]
Back on the Water in the Smokies
Yesterday Great Smoky Mountains National Park opened again after more than two weeks of being closed. All national parks are open today but Tennessee’s governor Bill Haslam brokered a deal that allowed the states of Tennessee and North Carolina along with Blount and Sevier Counties in Tennessee to pay for the park to open. Needless […]
Fall Fishing Under Difficult Circumstances
Fall fishing is certainly here. From our window we can see shades of red, orange, and gold along the crest of the Smokies. Mornings require a fleece jacket to be comfortable while afternoons are sunny and comfortable with your sleeves rolled up. Trout are rising well to dry flies in the Smokies, but right now […]
Fishing Report from East Tennessee (Just not the Smokies)
You could say we’ve been out to lunch when it comes to keeping up the fishing reports on our blog, but there hasn’t been a ton to report. The government shutdown, which has closed all national parks, has put a serious dent in our business. If that wasn’t bad enough it’s denied us access to […]
Where to Fly Fish: Government Shutdown Edition
As anyone who pays any attention will know the US Government has been closed along with all the departments it encompasses. At first thought some people might not expect fly fishing to be impacted by Washington politics, but it surely is. Great Smoky Mountains National Park is closed along with every other park in the […]