It’s been an exceptionally busy fall season for us guiding fly fishers here in the Smokies. It’s hard for us to believe just how quickly things have moved. It seems like only a few weeks ago we were hosting our group of anglers in Yellowstone, but that was in early September and we’ve barely rested […]
The Fall Fishing Season Comes to a Close
It was a busy November here in the Smokies with a roller coaster ride of temperatures. We had several mornings of hard frost with lows waaay down in the 20’s, but the weather was quite pleasant overall. There were even a couple of days with record high temperatures near 80 in the afternoon. The big […]
Autumn In The Smokies Is In Full Swing
The Smoky Mountains managed to miss out on the extreme heat experienced by so much of the nation this summer, but fall has certainly arrived. This past week the tops of the Smokies received the first frost of the season and we’ve even had one wake up temperature of 39 on our porch in Townsend. […]
September Wraps Up Summer Fishing Before Fall Arrives
We’re on the backside of summer, at least as far as vacation schedules go. We’re still experiencing summer weather but that will all change soon. A few buckeyes and acorns have started dropping, but those aren’t the only signs of autumn. Bull elk on the North Carolina side of the Smokies have moved down from […]
Fall is Around the Corner
To be clear, there’s not much difference between the weather we’ve experienced this week and numerous days last summer. Overnight lows here in Townsend have been in the 60’s and afternoon highs in the 80’s. However, there have been no high 80’s nor any sign of 90’s in the forecast and we’ve even seen a […]
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 […]
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 […]
Feels Like Fall in the Smokies
There’s no doubt that it feels like fall in the Smokies. Overnight lows last night dipped into the 40’s in Townsend which means they were well down into the 30’s in the higher elevations. Water temperature on Little River in Townsend has even fallen down into the 50’s. Waders might even be necessary for the […]
The Seasons Are in Motion
We’ve seen a dramatic shift in the weather over the past three weeks. As temperatures remained in the low 80’s through nearly half of October we wandered if and when we would ever break out the waders. Within just a few days the weather cooled dramatically. Now it’s November and I’m writing this from R&R […]
Dry Fly, Nymph, or Streamer?
One of the biggest questions we get in the fall is what kind of fly to cast in the Smokies. Many anglers have misconceptions about the best flies to use in the autumn. There are a number of things going on in the fall and that gets anglers thinking about their fly selections. The weather […]