It’s with deep sadness that we relate the news that Hazel Creek legend Steve Claxton passed away last weekend. Steve was a lifelong resident of Bryson City, North Carolina and often referred to as the mayor of Hazel Creek. He was the linch pin to the success of our camps there. We got to be […]
Wet Weather in the Smokies is Keeping Stream Levels Optimal for Fly Fishing
We’ve been in a bit of a wet weather pattern for over a year now. That’s had mixed results on the fishing in East Tennessee and the Smoky Mountains. River fishing on the large tailwaters has been spotty at best because of high flows. Typically we’re in a pretty predictable pattern in June. We usually […]
Spring Turns to Summer
Another busy spring seems to be transitioning into summer. We started wet wading last week as warm, sunny days have made it quite comfortable to leave the waders behind. Dry fly fishing has been excellent and water levels are about as good as we’ve seen them in a long time. After an exceptionally wet autumn […]
Spring Fly Fishing is Rolling in the Smoky Mountains and East Tennessee
Our guide season is well under way and so is the fly fishing here in the Smokies and East Tennessee. A lot of folks have been concerned about water levels after record rainfall through the fall and winter months, but things have finally come in line and not a day too soon if you ask […]
Spring Fly Fishing Has Arrived in the Smokies
Depending on the day we’re either referring to the current situation as “early spring” or “late winter” fishing, but we’re definitely seeing hatches and eager trout in the Smoky Mountains. After a relatively long period of wet and mild weather we’re back in the midst of cold conditions. A few lonely snowflakes occasionally drift past […]
High Water Across the Southeast
It’s been a long winter…. Usually when you hear that you’ll hear references to icy cold temperatures and snow measured in feet, but this year in East Tennessee has incredibly wet. We’ve had some cold weather and a little bit of snow, but we’re about to lose our mind with all the rain we’ve seen […]
Mountain Streams Fishable While Tailwaters Remain Too High
Local rainfall here in East Tennessee and the Smoky Mountains has tapered off to merely “normal” from soaking wet. As a result our streams have fallen to negotiable fishing conditions if not a bit on the high side. The tailwater rivers remain exceptionally high, and to an almost unbelievable degree. While we haven’t experienced any […]
Tough Fly Fishing Conditions Around East Tennessee and the Smokies
It’s that time of year when everyone seems to be busy with any number of things, but fly fishing doesn’t seem to be one of them. In our case our children have been in some holiday productions including chorale concerts and the Nutcracker. Between rehearsals and shows we’ve been coming or going somewhere nearly everyday. […]
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 […]
Tips to Catch More Trout: Changing Seasons and Changing Tactics
Fall has finally arrived here in East Tennessee. As the leaves change so should your tactics while you’re out on the water. This is something we think about more as we change our fishing location from the Smokies to our tailwaters andon our annual trip to the Henry’s Fork since all of those places are […]