I took Sharon and Richard Donnel out for a day of fly fishing in the Smokies with a generous dose of instruction last weekend. They’re local folks from the Knoxville area who decided they wanted to spend more time in the stunning mountain scenery so close to their home. Both were pretty quick studies when […]
Progress Report: Lynn Camp Prong Brook Trout Restoration in the Smokies
Last week Charity and I volunteered one day when the Great Smoky Mountains National Park fisheries biologists went to check on the brook trout population in Lynn Camp Prong. This stream was recently restored with native brook trout from other streams in the Smokies after all rainbow trout were removed from the stream. This is […]
Smoky Mountain Brook Trout And the Next Generation
Anyone who’s known us or followed us for very long knows we have a soft spot for wild, native brook trout here in the Smoky Mountains. These fish have persisted for thousands of years against everything Mother Nature and mankind has thrown at them. Even as their numbers have diminished significantly over the last century […]
Peak of the Guide Season
It’s that time of year when we catch our breath, look up at the calendar and realize that it’s the middle of May already. We’ve been guiding quite a bit lately and the calendar doesn’t have much daylight until we’re well beyond Memorial Day. We’re at that time where Ian is spending most days in the […]
A Close Up Look At A Native Brook Trout in the Smokies
It’s not everyday you spot a native trout going about it’s business. It’s even rarer to see that up close and under water. We’re thrilled with this short bit of video we recently captured on one of our favorite streams in the Smokies. [youtube]http://youtu.be/L3O9jIen_YE[/youtube]
A Warm Week Ahead With Endless Possibilities
If you’re looking for a place to go fishing this week you likely won’t need to look far. Water levels on mountain streams are excellent, tailwater flows are about as good as you can hope for. You can’t float the Hiwassee or South Holston right now, but other than that you can wade on any […]
Video Clip: Southern Salvelinus – Brook Trout Below the Mason Dixon
We’re in the thick of some of the best tailwater fly fishing of the year right now so we’re spending a good bit of time on the big rivers. Even so we can’t help but look up at the Smokies and notice those crevices in the landscape up high where streams drain the high peaks. […]
Camera Voodoo
Fishermen are a superstitious lot and we’re no exception. Anyone who’s followed us over the years knows about our devotion to Rain Jacket Voodoo. (Yes, capitalized.) Rain Jacket Voodoo is where you can carry rain gear for months and never use it, but the first time you venture out without it you’ll get soaked. We […]
First High Country Expedition for Native Broook Trout in the Smokies This Season
It’s about that time. Spring is in full effect, wildflowers are blooming in the Smokies and shades of bright green are ascending the mountains slowly one day at a time. It’s time to start hiking in for native brook trout known as specks in the southern mountains. While the fishing featured more nymphing than is […]
A Beautiful Weekend on Hazel Creek
After last spring’s “Wet & Wild” Hazel Creek camp that featured torrential downpours for the second half of the weekend, it was a breath of fresh air to have nothing but blue skies and sunshine for all four days of our stay this past weekend. In spite of nearly perfect conditions, the fishing was a […]