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 […]
Spring Fly Fishing Has Begun in the Smokies
After several months of alternating wet, dreary weather or bitterly cold weather we’ve finally hit on a streak of warm, sunny weather here in the Smokies. We’ve started to see decent hatches of mayflies in the afternoons and catching some fish on dry flies. Expect most of the activity to occur in the afternoon, but […]
Fall Fishing Starting to Cool Down
2020 has been a long year for all of us, but we have to say it was pretty good as far as fly fishing in the Smoky Mountains was concerned. Water levels never got low. In fact, our flow issues were related to high water, but fortunately they usually correct within a few days. Autumn […]
Drawings and Watercolors from Ian
We’ve been housebound during the pandemic. We’re getting outside quite a bit, but the kids online school schedule of Zoom classes makes it difficult to take off all day long. As a result we’re doing some gardening, home maintenance, and Ian has been doing a tremendous amount of art. Ian has always done a bit […]
Do Floods Wash Away the Trout? Answers for fly fishers during a wet year
We’ve had an exceptionally wet season already here in East Tennessee and the the Smoky Mountain region. By the end of February Knoxville had a rain surplus of over 10″ that continues to hang in there. Rivers and streams ran high for weeks and we saw some historic flooding in many areas. Fortunately the creeks […]
Another Great Trip to TroutHunter on the Henry’s Fork
We’ve been hosting western fly fishing groups since 2005 at several locations in the greater Yellowstone region. We’ve been going to TroutHunter in Island Park, Idaho every September since 2011 so it felt like a homecoming when we returned last month with a group. We’ve come to think of the owners, guides, fly shop staff, […]
Cool Wet Weather Keeping Fly Fishing Conditions Ideal in the Smokies
We’re coming off of a bit of a wet spell here in East Tennessee that kept us nervous about fishing conditions but it all worked out great. While some locations did experience heavy rains, the Smokies had nothing more than beneficial rain that has kept streams at ideal levels and temperatures excellent for trout. After […]
Spring Turns to Summer
Another busy spring seems to be transitioning into summer. We started wet wading last week as warm, sunny days have made it quite comfortable to leave the waders behind. Dry fly fishing has been excellent and water levels are about as good as we’ve seen them in a long time. After an exceptionally wet autumn […]
