Maybe the best part of fly fishing is that you get to play around like a kid. I hear it all the time when I’m guiding and I remember my dad saying it too. His remark was that a grown man playing in the creek strikes people as odd, but put a fly rod in his hand […]
Common Misconceptions About Tenkara
We’ve been using Tenkara and used it to guide anglers in the Smokies for about three years now. If you’ve never tried it you won’t believe what an incredibly effective tool it is for fly fishing in rivers and streams. We’ve had a few folks who have booked trips specifically to fish with Tenkara or […]
It’s Not Winter Yet
Things are quickly slipping towards winter here in the Smokies. The mornings have certainly gotten cold and we’ve had several consecutive frosts. Most of the leaves are off the trees even as a few pockets of brilliant color hang on in sheltered coves. The fish are still rising, but not as fast and furious as […]
Feels Like Spring
We haven’t seen the brutal winter weather New England has experienced this year, but it still hasn’t been a stellar few months for fishing in our part of East Tennessee. Most streams in the Smokies have been frigid and our local tailwaters have had inconsistent flows. There have been times when you can go fishing, […]
Tenkara School at Elkmont April 11, 2015
We’ve seen an incredible amount of interest in Tenkara over the past couple of years. We started fishing with it about 3 years ago, started guiding some trips with it and recently become a dealer for Tenkara Rod Co gear. The response has been incredible! Almost everyday we hear from people who are interested in […]
2015 Begins with True Winter Fishing in East Tennessee
The new year is here and so is the cold weather. The temperature on our porch in Townsend this morning was 24 and that may be our high tomorrow. Water levels in the mountain rivers and streams are a little high but water temperature has started to plummet as you would expect. Fortunately this should […]
Why Tenkara? We’ll Tell You Why
It’s no secret we’ve been fishing with Tenkara rods for a couple of years now. We haven’t used them exclusively but we do use them a pretty good bit, especially when we’re out fishing for ourselves. We’ve introduced many fly fishers to Tenkara and everyone has been very impressed. We even did a short video […]
The Peak of Fall Fly Fishing in the Smokies
The weather is beautiful, fall colors are peaking, and the trout are rising. What else could anybody want from a day in the Smokies? We just returned from four days on Hazel Creek and conditions were absolutely perfect. There may have been a few fish caught on nymphs but we spent the bulk of our […]
Damp & Mild Conditions Across East Tennessee and the Smoky Mountains
The weather across East Tennessee has been in a rut lately. Almost daily it’s partly cloudy and rains somewhere. Some days rain coverage is widespread, but more often it’s a patchwork over the area primarily popping up over the mountains and the northern reaches toward Kentucky and Virginia. As far as late summer weather goes […]
Waders Should Look to Mountain Streams for the Best Fishing This Week
Mountain streams throughout the Smoky Mountain region are in great shape right now with good water levels and water temperatures. The photos in this post are from just a few days ago and the dry fly fishing has been pretty good in many locations. We started to see some unsettled weather yesterday as a front […]