So far we’ve mostly seen some false starts as far as spring fishing has been concerned. Some nice weather with setbacks and little in the way of hatches. It finally seems as if that’s over and we’re really there! Saturday was easily the best day of fishing we’ve seen so far this year. And by […]
The Cruelest Month?
Yesterday the sun was shining brightly and wearing long sleeves made you sweat on the river. Today it’s raining and the thermometer is set to plunge tonight. Tomorrow morning we’ve been told to expect freezing temperatures in the low 20’s and teens up in the Smokies along with a dusting of snow on the mountains. […]
Spring Fishing Starts Now
It was an absolutely beautiful weekend here in the Smoky Mountains. In spite of warm weather the streams are still a little on the cold side, but things are certainly moving in the right direction. While there have been some insect hatches on the streams we have yet to see the best of the season. […]
Here We Go
It’s not red hot fishing, but we’re seeing bugs and that’s a start. Here’s a fresh arrival we saw on the river today in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. First of all, don’t panic. You’re not really missing much. There weren’t many bugs today and the fish let most of those drift on past unmolested. […]
Video: Fly Fishing the Blue Quill Hatch in the Great Smoky Mountains
March is here and it won’t be long before we see abundant hatches on the wild trout streams of the Great Smoky Mountains. Most experienced anglers in the region are familiar with Quill Gordons, Hendricksons, and March Browns but many are less aware of another very important mayfly hatch, the Blue Quill. Here’s a video […]
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 […]
Cold Weather Setting in As Fall Colors Begin to Peak
We’ve had a somewhat compressed fall season here in East Tennessee and the Smoky Mountains. We spent the second half of September in the Rocky Mountains and came home to the results of the government shutdown. Our home waters in the Smokies were closed and it was mid October before we got back on the […]
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 […]
Fish of the Year So Far in the Smokies
Talk about an exciting event for us. A few days back Ron Vernet caught the best fish of the year we’ve guided an angler to this season in the Smokies. We had a strong set of thunderstorms pass through the night before and the water along Little River road was absolutely filthy as I drove […]