Fly fishing with nymphs has always been a little bit of a mystery for anglers. You cast a fly you can’t see to a fish you can’t see, so it’s completely understandable when the concepts are hard to master. The most basic element to success when fishing with nymphs is finding the appropriate depth. There […]
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 […]
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 […]
In Spite of the Thaw It’s Still Winter
We had almost a week of weather that sure felt like spring. Bright sun coupled with some hiking made you take the jacket off and feel comfortable in shirt sleeves. There were a few days of good fishing in the mix, but even then there was melting snow that kept water temperatures relatively frigid in […]
Fly of the Month Download – Copper John
Here we go with another Fly of the Month download. This month we take at look at the Copper John, a fly that’s effective in most trout waters across North America including the Smoky Mountains and several southern tailwaters. You’ll learn a little bit about the history of the fly and the best ways to […]
Fly of the Month – Ian’s Rubber Leg Tellico Nymph
It was a busy summer and fall and we neglected the Fly of the Month but it’s back! This month as we head into cold weather we feature one of our favorite cold water and high water fly patterns, the Rubber Leg Tellico Nymph. The is a pattern I tinkered around with about 13 or […]
Winter to Make Its Debut in East Tennessee and the Smoky Mountains
We’ve seen some classic November weather lately. Sunny but cool afternoons after frosty mornings but change is coming along fast! We’ve already seen the first several days with water temperatures down in the 40’s in the Smokies and we don’t expect things to warm up much over the next few days. If anything they will […]
Waders in August
It’s not something you’d expect in the Southeast in August, but we’re digging out our waders for the cool, wet weather that’s headed our way. The forecast for Saturday in Townsend is a rainy high of 72 degrees. We can tell you from experience that if you head on up to Elkmont it will be […]
Golden Stoneflies in the Smokies
Winter is when most people think about fly fishing with big nymphs in the Smokies. There is no surface activity, the water is cold, and a big nymph will sink and just maybe spur a sluggish trout into action. Most fishermen forget that mid-summer can be a great time for big nymphs as well. This […]
Quick Pic: Nymphing on a Mild Winter Day
Dragging weighted nymphs through a deep pool on a mild winter day in the Smokies