The Smoky Mountains managed to miss out on the extreme heat experienced by so much of the nation this summer, but fall has certainly arrived. This past week the tops of the Smokies received the first frost of the season and we’ve even had one wake up temperature of 39 on our porch in Townsend. […]
Good Conditions Continue to Hold Up in the Smokies
Here we are in August and the good water conditions continue to hold up. August is generally the low point of the fishing season between spring and autumn. The best fishing in the Smokies is way up high during the hottest weeks of the summer. That’s the case this year, but good flows and relatively […]
Excellent Water Conditions Are Continuing Into the Heart of Summer
We’re well into the month of July and water levels and temperatures have remained excellent in the Smokies. We haven’t seen the usual pattern of afternoon thunderstorms that pop up randomly over the mountains between 3:00 and 7:00. That has happened on some days but we’ve seen more organized rain systems drop precipitation over the […]
Classic Spring Fly Fishing in the Smokies
It’s been a phenomenal spring season here in the Smoky Mountains. The forest is greening up more and more everyday and the slopes are carpeted with wildflowers. Bears have gone from absent to relatively common. And of course, dry fly fishing has come on strong… Water levels have been very good. We’ve seen very little […]
Spring Fishing Coming Along in Fits and Starts
March has given us a real taste of winter after an exceptionally mild January and February. We started seeing some mayfly hatches last month and really expected an acceleration into March. However, we saw a resurgence of winter weather and our view has featured white capped mountains almost daily. The fishing has been pretty good, […]
The Wet Gray Cycle of Winter in the Smokies
This is among the toughest times of year for us. While we’ve had an admittedly mild winter, the fishing opportunities have just as intermittent as you’d expect from January in the Smokies. There has been a rolling cycle of mild and wet weather broken by clear and cold weather. As result the mildest weather is […]
Summer Fly Fishing in the Smokies
It’s been a while since we’ve posted a fishing report, primarily because we’ve been so busy guiding. As always, summer fly fishing can be more difficult than spring or fall but that’s largely a function of where you go. Most of the easiest access waters will be crowded with picnickers and might have marginal water […]
We’re In the Hottest Weeks of the Summer
The dog days of summer have arrived and it is hot here in East Tennessee! Fortunately it’s not so hot in the Smokies as it is in the surrounding valleys, but that’s little consolation with the thermometer readings over 90. This doesn’t mean you need to stop fly fishing, but it does mean you need […]
Typically Warm and Wet Summer Weather in the Smokies
We’re in the middle of a busy guide season here in the Smokies and the fly fishing is generally what we expect in summer. The trout aren’t necessarily easy to catch, but if you’re in the right place they are pretty cooperative. Temperatures have been just about spot on average for summer and we’ve had […]
Hatches and High Water in the Smokies
It’s been one of two very distinct stories when we consider how the fishing in the Smokies has been lately. The fishing is either on fire with incredible dry fly fishing or we’re blown out with high water. This is often the case with spring fishing, but has become increasingly common in recent years. Every […]