Here we are on the Monday after Thanksgiving and things are just the same as always on this date. We’ve been guiding quite a bit up to this point, but it’s pretty well come to a screeching halt. Don’t get us wrong. We’ve truly enjoyed taking every last one of you fishing, but we’ll enjoy […]
Fall is Here
We’ve been out on the water most of this week and quite simply, fall is here. Leaves are certainly changing and the Fall Color Report from Great Smoky Mountains Association says that colors are at peak in the highest elevations near Clingmans dome and other peaks approaching 6000′. Fishing has been pretty good, although the […]
Another Day at the Office
Things will usually start to slack off a bit for us as the calendar progresses into August. The kids are starting to head back to school, it’s hotter than whiz bang, and water levels aren’t at their best. That’s a normal year, but this year our schedule hasn’t let up much at all and we’re […]
Tailwaters Running High
It’s August here in East Tennessee and you can tell it from the weather as well as the flows on the tailwaters. It’s hot and that goes without saying. At least it’s not so hot as it was about the end of June nor so hot as many other locations in the country. TVA has […]
Sometimes You Have to Suffer For the Fish
All too often the magazines show pictures of anglers holding big drippy trout, but rarely is the real story behind the fish told. Let’s start with Tom Ellison’s hero shot of a 19″ rainbow trout he recently caught on a float with Ian. It really was the stuff of legend. The fish ate a #18 […]
Excellent Fishing on the Tailwaters and in the Smokies
We’ve spent the past week floating the big rivers and wading in several locations across the Smokies. For the most part we’ve had excellent success. Even on the days when things were a little tougher we’d manage to get on a hot streak late in the day. This angler couldn’t resist watching risers as we […]
Some Big Moments for Our Anglers
We’re in the full rush of our guide season and on the river almost every day. I managed to sit one out after 13 consecutive days behind the oars or wading the creek. It was a good to get a day in to recover a bit, but the fishing has been so good we’ve been […]
Peak of the Season on the Tailwaters & In the Smokies
It’s early May and we’re on the water almost every day guiding fly fishers on the big tailwater rivers and on the creeks up in the Smokies. It’s prime time as far as we’re concerned and we’re happy to say the fish are cooperating on most days. There have been a couple relatively tough days […]
Quick Pic: Big Tailwater Rainbow
It’s that time of year. Every day we’re on the water whether it’s up in the Smokies or rowing the drift boat on one of the local tailwaters. Dry fly fishing has been spotty on the tailwaters, but nymph fishing has been very consistent. Caddis hatches are spotty on the Holston and Sulphurs are primarily […]
How Are the Tailwaters Fishing? Pretty Good…
It’s been a well known fact that fishing in the Smokies has been pretty good. Heck, it’s April, so it’s more or less a given that the streams in the Smokies should be fishing well. But the tailwaters? How are they fishing? Two fish in the net at once? That might be enough for most […]