It’s been a little while since our last fishing report. The reason isn’t because we haven’t been fishing. In fact, we’ve been guiding almost every day and have had little opportunity to sit down and type up a report. Smokies Improving Fishing in the Smokies is getting better but cold weather will keep it mostly […]
Adventures on Guides’ Day Off; Rare Wildlife Sighting
We’ve had our usual slow down in guiding in mid-November. This has had us scrambling to get as much fishing in as possible while the weather is still pretty good. That may be up for debate as we’re looking at a week of weather that sure looks like it’s winter. Newfound Gap Road was closed […]
What a Week! You Should’ve Been There
It’s been an eventful week of fly fishing and guiding here in the Smokies and on the Clinch River in east Tennessee. Fall provides the best chances to put a fly on big brown trout and this was the week. I caught this fish on Little River this week The weather, fall colors, and fly […]
First Snow in the Smokies, Great Dry Fly Fishing, & Good Fishing Continues on the Clinch
We’ve been on the water almost every day which is why we haven’t posted a report in a while. East Tennessee and the Smoky Mountains have reached peak fall color and the fly fishing has been great for the most part. There was a lull in the fishing earlier this week after the first snowfall […]
Catch More Trout on Nymphs When You Use the Right Strike Indicator for the Job
The variety of strike indicators an angler can choose from can be dizzying, but many of them might not be the best choice for your nymphing situation. Yarn, foam footballs, putty, and dry flies can all be used as strike indicators. Each has its strengths and weaknesses. You’ll catch more trout on nymphs when you […]
Fly Tying: Learn to Tie the Prince Nymph
The Prince Nymph has been one of our favorite flies for a long time. We’ve caught lots of big trout with it not only in the Smokies but in Western rivers as well. We fish it frequently from the first cold snaps of fall through the winter and spring. We’ll continue to fish it in […]
Clinch River Continues to Fish; Report from Hazel Creek in the Smokies
We’re in the middle of our busy October guide season. The weather has been beautiful and the leaves have really started to change rapidly this week. Water conditions have remained low in the Smokies, but some rain early last Friday helped things out and more rain is in the forecast for this week. The fly […]
Clinch River Fishing Well; Trout Rising to Olives in the Smokies
We’ve floated the Clinch a few times this week and it has been fishing very well. Both generators are down at Norris Dam and TVA is sluicing a steady flow of 420 cfs. That is, they have a gate cracked to keep a steady flow. The result has been great for fishing. While water is […]
Rain will improve Smoky Mountain stream levels; Black bears on the move
Rain is currently falling in the Smokies and this will only improve the fly fishing in the mountains of East Tennessee and Western North Carolina. While water levels have been low, temperatures have been excellent and trout have been feeding quite well. In past week we’ve had guided trips on Little River and the Greenbrier […]
Our Wrap Up from the Madison River and Slide Inn
We’re finally home and while I always get a bit misty when I leave Yellowstone country, it’s very nice to have the beautiful Smoky Mountains and colorful trout to return home to. Every year is different on the Madison. September is a time of dynamic weather in Montana when you can get a sunburn one […]
