We’re wet wading now so you could say that summer fishing has arrived. Water levels are in pretty good shape in the Smokies after significant rainfall last week. It was a relatively dry spring here in East Tennessee and our local reservoirs are far from full. While this may not be ideal for water skiing […]
Here We Go!
The weather is great, bugs are hatching, trout are rising, and our guide calendar is filling up fast. We even saw a flock of turkeys with a couple of strutting gobblers yesterday. No doubt about it, spring is here and it’s a great time to fly fish in East Tennessee and the Smoky Mountains. Up to […]
Spring is in the Air
If your could see out the window here at R&R Fly Fishing world headquarters in Townsend, Tennessee you’d think I was crazy to say spring is here. Snow is falling and there is a dusting on the trees. That doesn’t tell the whole story, though as it’s been in the 50’s and 60’s the past […]
Summer Days in the Smokies
Here we are coming into August and the conditions are exactly what you would expect. Hot, humid, and passing thunderstorms in the Smokies. Generation schedules on our local tailwaters are somewhat unpredictable now as TVA is managing lake levels plus generating power during prime power usage hours when we’re all running the air conditioner. It’s days like […]
On The Count Down to Spring Fly Fishing
We’re shacked up here at R&R world headquarters with the kids out of school yet again as another wintery mix of freezing rain, sleet, and rain sweeps across East Tennessee. The temperature has been dropping all day while the rivers are rising. Not a good day to really consider being out on the water, although […]
Classic Fall Fishing in the Smokies
Now that the wet weather is behind us, the streams have fallen into shape, and the fall foliage is at its peak we’re seeing some classic fall fishing. So far it’s just like we remember; nymphs in the morning and switch over to dry flies once the sun gets on the water. The bugs hatching […]
A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words
Not a bad day in the drift boat
Scenes From A Day in the Life
We’re well into our “backcountry” fishing season here in the Smoky Mountains. Warm weather precludes the need for waders so it’s easier to hike in with only wading boots and a fly rod. Even as we really enjoy rowing the drift boat or instigating smallmouth bass to eat a popper, there’s something extra cool about […]
Wet Wading and Dry Flies in the Smokies
With the warm weather firmly in place here in the Smoky Mountain region we’ve been wading wet for some time. There was a day last week with scattered rain showers all day that we put the waders on since the cooler weather and lack of sunshine made for chilly wading, but we’re happy to feel […]
The Back of Beyond
It’s about that time of the season when I look up and realize I’ve spent the past few weeks exclusively behind the oars of a drift boat and barely glanced at the Smoky Mountains in my backyard. This year I was well aware that this would happen and scheduled a backcountry death march backpacking trip with […]