We’ve been out on the water most of this week and quite simply, fall is here. Leaves are certainly changing and the Fall Color Report from Great Smoky Mountains Association says that colors are at peak in the highest elevations near Clingmans dome and other peaks approaching 6000′. Fishing has been pretty good, although the […]
Fall Fishing Has Arrived
I’m writing this at my home in Townsend where it was 40 degrees on my porch this morning. Yesterday I did a float on the Clinch and I don’t think it was over 70 with clear, blue bird skies. The Smoky Mountain skyline seems to soften as the lower angle of the sun creates a […]
Late Summer Conditions Prevail Across the Smokies and East Tennessee
There’s nothing out of the ordinary to report about fishing conditions across East Tennessee and the Smokies. Water conditions are relatively low but we’ll probably get some rain off of the periphery of tropical storm Isaac to bring them up a bit. After a pretty nice cool down we’re experiencing some hot days again, but […]
Another Day at the Office
Things will usually start to slack off a bit for us as the calendar progresses into August. The kids are starting to head back to school, it’s hotter than whiz bang, and water levels aren’t at their best. That’s a normal year, but this year our schedule hasn’t let up much at all and we’re […]
Tailwaters Running High
It’s August here in East Tennessee and you can tell it from the weather as well as the flows on the tailwaters. It’s hot and that goes without saying. At least it’s not so hot as it was about the end of June nor so hot as many other locations in the country. TVA has […]
Some Big Moments for Our Anglers
We’re in the full rush of our guide season and on the river almost every day. I managed to sit one out after 13 consecutive days behind the oars or wading the creek. It was a good to get a day in to recover a bit, but the fishing has been so good we’ve been […]
Peak of the Season on the Tailwaters & In the Smokies
It’s early May and we’re on the water almost every day guiding fly fishers on the big tailwater rivers and on the creeks up in the Smokies. It’s prime time as far as we’re concerned and we’re happy to say the fish are cooperating on most days. There have been a couple relatively tough days […]
Quick Pic: Big Tailwater Rainbow
It’s that time of year. Every day we’re on the water whether it’s up in the Smokies or rowing the drift boat on one of the local tailwaters. Dry fly fishing has been spotty on the tailwaters, but nymph fishing has been very consistent. Caddis hatches are spotty on the Holston and Sulphurs are primarily […]
How Are the Tailwaters Fishing? Pretty Good…
It’s been a well known fact that fishing in the Smokies has been pretty good. Heck, it’s April, so it’s more or less a given that the streams in the Smokies should be fishing well. But the tailwaters? How are they fishing? Two fish in the net at once? That might be enough for most […]
Tailwater Conditions Continue to Improve in East Tennessee
Eric Wetherington shows off a 16″ rainbow trout he caught on a float trip with a #16 Zelon Nymph. Things actually started off pretty slow and while we had a few rising fish, it wasn’t as many as I’d seen only a couple of days earlier. The afternoon session got pretty hot and heavy with […]