We hitched up the drift boat yesterday and headed to the Holston River. The original weather forecast was for 42 and sunshine when we originally made arrangements, but every subsequent forecast would degrade ever so slightly and by the time we arrived on the water it was overcast with a slight breeze. I don’t know […]
Fly of the Month: Skull & Bones
It’s time for another installment of our Fly of the Month. This month we feature a midge pupa pattern that we frequently fish on our tailwaters. It’s been one of our favorites on the Clinch and Holston Rivers plus we’ve found opportunities to use it successfully on Western Rivers like the Madison, Henry’s Fork, and […]
Dropper Rigs Keep the Action Fast and Furious in the Smokies
Charity and Shrish Rane teamed up to get this photo a few days back on Little River. Charity held the leader and acted as art director, instructing Shrish on the best way to get this underwater photo. Shrish was excited for the opportunity to do some dry fly fishing since he doesn’t get to do […]
Quick Pic: Tailwater Rainbow Trout on a Midge
Now that fly fishing on the Clinch, Holston, and other tailwaters is an option it’s time to dig out the small flies. We were a little disturbed today when some dimpling trout easily resisted a #18 Zebra Midge, but all of them took a #20. One of the beautiful mysteries of fly fishing: fish not […]
Tailwater Fly Fishers, Your Long Wait May Be Over
In most years TVA will start to drain reservoirs in August and we’ll see medium to high flows into December, sometimes early January. Then flows are typically a mixed bag, sometimes good and sometimes tough until spring when TVA cuts flows to fill the reservoirs. This year has been a tough one due to weather […]
Our Spring Fly Fishing Forecast for East Tennessee and the Smoky Mountains
Even though we had a good chunk of winter left we’re taking phone calls and answering emails everyday from folks wondering when the best fly fishing will arrive. Here in East Tennessee good conditions arrive much earlier than they do in other parts of the country. We have a nice variety of mountain streams and […]
Spring Hatches: Watch for These Important Trout Stream Insects in Tennessee and North Carolina
Spring is arguably the best time of year for fly fishing. The reason is that there are more insects hatching on the rivers and streams than any other time. The smart fly fisher knows this and comes to the water prepared. Here are the insects we watch for on the tailwaters and streams in the […]
A Short Return to the Holston
The 4th of July holiday saw TVA hold back flows on several tailwaters. East Tennessee reservoirs are full and power generation from the dams has been enough to make it hard to get on several of the rivers. The Clinch has been steady enough for experienced locals to find a wadeable spot somewhere on the […]
Great Week of Fly Fishing in East Tennessee and the Smoky Mountains
It’s been a great week of fly fishing here in the Smoky Mountains and East Tennessee. Charity, Tim, and I have been on the water in several locations and the fishing has been pretty good everywhere we’ve been. Our guide season has started and at least one of us will be on the water almost […]