I remember it like it was only yesterday. In fact, it was yesterday. A good float with two fun anglers who have been fishing with me for years now. Overall the day was a little bit streaky. They’d have a slow stretch of water with only a few strikes, then hit a run where the […]
Hazel Creek Camp Report
We spent the last four days on Hazel Creek on the North Carolina side of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. At this point we can’t even remember how many of these camps we’ve hosted, but we typically do at least two every year. By now we’ve probably done close to two months worth of these […]
Busy Days Guiding the Smokies & Tailwaters
Yup, the guide season is in full swing and we’re covering some water now. Water levels in the Smokies are still a touch on the high side, but compared to the truly high levels we’ve become accustomed to they seem pretty good. We just got our first look at the Carolina side of the Smokies […]
Hatches Building in the Smokies While Water Dropping on the Tailwaters
This weekend was one of those typical early season events that we always seem to forget, then remember that’s usually how things play out. There were plenty of bugs, but just a few rising fish. Looks like the fishermen are just a little ahead of the fish. It’s still February, the water is in the […]
Hatches Are About To Start in the Smokies
It looks like another early spring will soon be upon us here in the Smokies. There was snow falling on the rivers and streams in the Smokies only a few days ago but a relatively mild winter seems to have the insects ready to get started hatching and the fish seem to sense it. Up […]
Good Fishing Continues Well Into December
Right now it feels like the Mayan Apocalypse. Here in Townsend we’re seeing sustained winds over 20 mph with gusts over 40. If you’re reading this in Kansas you might be chuckling at out concern, but when you live in a heavy forest it disconcerting to see some many trees bent half way over! Yes, […]
Tailwaters Getting in Shape
There’s a steady rain falling here in East Tennessee as I write this and cooler weather is on the way. That’s OK, though. If it’s going to rain, it might as well do it while you have to be at work, right? Plus it was a beautiful, warm weekend. The weather was unseasonably warm, the […]
Rising Trout
As it always is, the dry fly fishing was fantastic this fall. We spent an afternoon up on the river just enjoying the nice weather and watching the fish rise. Here are some of the highlights. [youtube]http://youtu.be/NtCceXOoWVI[/youtube] Be sure to view this in full screen. After clicking play, click on the sprocket icon at the […]
Another Awesome Weekend at Hazel Creek
While it’s cold and snowy right now in the Smokies, it was much warmer during our fall Hazel Creek fish camp. We experienced rain on Sunday morning before our departure, but other than that the weather was absolutely perfect; warm during the day and cool at night. While some fish were caught on nymphs, I […]
Does It Get Any Better?
When the weather is this nice, the stream flows this good, and the fish are rising I can’t help but ask myself, “Can it get any better than this?” Of course, it probably can. The fish could be bigger, but how realistic is that anyway? And it that a piggish attitude when so much is […]