After yesterday’s scattered snow showers and hard freeze last night, temperatures slowly grew milder today. I took Zeke Foard and his grandson Joshua out for a day of fishing. It was Josh’s first experience fly fishing and Zeke and excited to see him catch his first trout. We started out fishing some beadheads and covering […]
Spring Fly Fishing Continues to Build in the Smoky Mountains and on Tennessee’s Tailwaters
Fly fishing in the Smoky Mountains continues to build as spring progresses. Hatches are beginning earlier in the day, sometimes as early as 11:00 AM, and continuing a little later into the afternoon. Most of our experience in the national park has been on Little River but you can be sure the same trend is […]
Tennessee Fly Fishing Season Off to a Big Start for Guides in the Smokies
Spring fly fishing in the Smoky Mountains and Tennessee has been nothing short of phenomenal. Our guide season has really kicked into gear over the last week and we’ve been spending lots of time on the water. In fact, this post is probably several days late, but we’ll get you up to date. Fly Fishing […]
Spring Fly Fishing has Arrived in Tennessee and the Smoky Mountains
Spring seems to have arrived in the rivers and streams of the Smoky Mountains and East Tennessee along with the great fly fishing that goes with it. We’re now officially in the month of March. We picked up our new Tennessee fishing license yesterday on the way to the water. Flowers and trout stream insects […]
Spring Fly Fishing in the Smokies? Almost, but not quite…
It was only 2 days ago that I was floating down the Holston River in my drift boat with Stan Smartt in the back seat and Tommy Vaughn in the front seat. It was sunny and 60 degrees. Tommy was wearing sandals and I was without a jacket, shirt sleeves rolled up, and pointing rising […]
It’s Official: We’ve got Spring Fever!
Spring fever is catching here in the Smoky Mountains and across Tennessee. Fly fishers have begun to disregard the weather report and just go fishing! We’ve got it about as bad as anyone. This is the time of year when we’re consumed with the mundane details of operating a guide service. We’ve been tending to […]
Warm days provide great tailwater fly fishing
We’ve had plenty of rain and some warm weather here in the mountains of East Tennessee. Local streams are just about where they need to be, perhaps even a little high, and more rain is on the way. For the first time in a long time our rainfall totals are caught up, even if it […]
Smoky Mountain Trout Populations Set to Rebound After the Drought of 2007
2007 saw the worst drought on record for the Southern Appalachian region. Water levels were at historic lows throughout East Tennessee, Western North Carolina, and Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Many fly fishers wrote the park off as a disaster area and headed to other destinations. While we couldn’t blame anyone, we experienced great fishing […]
New Regulations for Clinch River Trout and East Tennessee Smallmouth Bass
There are some new regulations that have taken effect and should help provide better fishing in the future. These regulations apply to trout in the Clinch River tailwater below Norris Dam and smallmouth bass in several East Tennessee rivers. Perhaps the most promising regulation is the new catch and release slot limit on the Clinch. […]
Video preview of spring fly fishing in Tennessee and the Smokies
It’s been a long winter and we’re all itching to get back on the water. Here are a couple of video moments to help you remember what it’s like to be on the river when the sun is shining and the trout are rising. The first clip was filmed by our good friend Carl Babcock […]