Here in East TN the weather is very nice with the temperatures staying close to 80 every day. The fishing in the Smoky Mountains has been great and the tailwaters are getting a break from the generation for a while. I had the opportunity of showing Steve Liptak how good the fishing is yesterday. We spent most of the day around Elkmont and fishing dries. The first half of the day fished pretty good, but the second half was on fire.

Steve is used to fishing pocket water in the mountains of West Virginia for Brookies, so he was right at home in the Smokies. Here he is high sticking a good looking run where a fish was rising to some Blue Quills.

We stuck with a parachute adams for our dry in the afternoon, because they were all over it. Sometimes just keeping it simple is all it takes. The Blue Quills were hatching on and off all day which kept the fish wanting more on top. Towards the end of the day though, the fish seemed to be swatting at the fly more than actually eating it, so we went to a smaller size and started getting more love.

Although we did catch a lot of fish, this one was the biggest and to boot, it rose to a dry.

The March Browns will be the next big hatch and we have already been seeing them. Everything in our area is about a month and a half early, so if you love to fish those big dries in the Smokies don’t let it pass you by. Have a great day and be safe.

We have been fishing in the Smokies and on the tailwaters this past week and both have been incredible. In the park, the dry fly fishing has been so good with the yellow sally’s, hendricksons, and march browns that there is no need to put on a nymph. The Holston River caddis hatch has started too and it has the fish going nuts. Hugh Hartsell and I fished the Holston Monday and had a great time. The fish were eating the adult caddis, emergers and nymphs all day. We caught several fish and a few that would run in the 18 to 20 range on dry’s. The caddis hatch will last until the end of June so you don’t want to pass it up.

Like the tailwaters, the Smokies are on fire. The dry fly action has been outstanding, especially with the yellow sally’s. The yellow sally is a small yellow stonefly in sizes 18 to 14. It’s our longest hatch of the year and they come off all day long. Towards the later part of the day they are very thick, but it doesn’t matter to the fish because they eat them all day. The eawther has been great and the rain has held off for a while which has our rivers at great levels. If you are thinking about a vacation and want to get away, the Smokies would be the place to do it. I can’t say enough about the fishing, it has been awesome and you don’t want to miss it.

Along all the roads and trails by the rivers you will see tons of wild flowers growing, and right now one of my favorites, the Trillium, is blooming everywhere. You will also notice what looks to be a small snake in the rocks and soil, but don’t be alarmed because it is a giant millipede. The Smoky Mountains is an incredible place with very beautiful surroundings and lots of wild animals and plant life. It’s a one of a kind place. Have a blessed day and thanks for reading with us.

We were in the park everyday day last week with clients, and fishing ourselves and it was a good week for dry fly fishing. The Quill Gordons, BWO’s, Blue Quills, Red Quills and even Yellow Sallies, believe it or not, are coming off throughout the day. We have tried nymphs but the fish seem to want the adult more than anything. The sun usually has to come out for the bugs to get active, but when it does, have some dries ready. I would definitely have some adams in #16 – #12 and some Gordons in your box, that should get you by. With the water down and clear, I would also use a thin leader. Here are some photos of the fish we caught.

We also got to float yesterday afternoon and had a lot of fun. It was nice to have a day of warm weather and sun, the fish seemed to like it too. We caught all of our fish on nymphs so it shouldn’t be long until the tailwaters get just right. We saw fish sipping midges but couldn’t get them to eat any dries. It was nice to get the drifter wet and get Ashley out on the water, and as you can see she had a good day spotting, then catching fish. She isn’t too shabby with a fly rod. Oh yeah, and we got to see a family of Bald Eagles fishing in front of us. We hope that you can come join us on the water and experience some of this great fishing. Thanks for reading with us and have a blessed day.

Tim Doyle and I had a trip in the park Thursday with a family of 5. The weather couldn’t have been better, and the bugs were everywhere. The fish weren’t shy when the fly drifted over them either. The family caught quite a few altogether, with a good mix of rainbows and browns. The folks got to see how fast a Smoky Mountain trout can eat a fly and spit it out, a traditional trait of our trout. We had enough takes though, so the fisherman got the hang of it after a while. Tim and Leslie were the folks I fished with and they were great people and really got fly fishing. I would have more pictures of the fish we caught including a 14 inch rainbow that Tim caught and a nice brown from Leslie, but I decided to take a dip and ruin my camera, but here are some that I managed to get earlier in the day.

I also took David, Mike and Jim to the South Holston for a float trip the very next day. We had planned on floating the Holston in Rutledge, TN, but it has been running high for the past 2 weeks and after the day that Hugh Hartsell and I had with BWO’s on Wednesday, I thought we would travel back to Bristol for the hatch. The weather channel was calling for 78 degrees and sunny, but we got about 60 degrees and cloudy with wind, so the fishing wasn’t great to start with. We needed the sun to come out for just a little bit to start the hatch off but it never showed itself. We still caught fish with dries and had strikes with beatis nymphs, but the bugs were not thick and the fish were picky. Jim was 85 and showed us all that because he was up in years doesn’t mean he forgot how to fish; he caught a whopper just down from the ramp. Jim just had it when it came to trout fishing. Mike was also a good fisherman and had a great cast. David, the son, is a student at UT and set all this up so his dad and grandpa could enjoy a day of fishing.

We’ve also been floating the lower Little River for smallmouth. I thought that with these really warm days the smallies would be active, but I think they need another week or so before it starts to get good. I have heard from other fisherman that they are catching a few but it’s not great. Sunday afternoon around 2:00pm we launched the raft and it was a beautiful day, and the water levels were perfect. The water temp was around 58 which is a good temp to be fishing for smallmouth, but their metabolism is still a little slow; however, that should change shortly. The full moon does affects how the fish feed at night and that will limit how much they feed during the day. We also just witnessed a super moon, which makes night seem like day. They will also be feeding on craw patterns and hellgramites right now, so I would spend more time fishing with them. Today was technically the first day of Spring, so we can’t say the fishing has been bad. One thing we can say, is that it is about to get awesome.

Thanks for reading with us and we hope you can get out and spend some time on the water, and if you don’t have much time, you can call us.

I will have to apologize to Eric and Adrianne for posting this so late, but we just got back from Ridgecrest, NC for a youth conference. Eric and Adrian Pettway are from Mobile, AL and they are really into guns. So much that they own a gun store called A and E Gun Shop (251-634-0123) where they sell Fully automatic machine guns to sniper riffles and everything in between. They are also big into Red fishing so this trip was going to be a little different. They came up for their 10th anniversary and wanted to see the Smoky Mountains and do something they have never done before, FLY FISHING. The water was a little high, but the bugs were coming off and the fish were eating them.

There were brown stones coming off all day and the fish would rise to them but the fish were waiting on the big boy (Quill Gordon) to get excited. We had a few strikes on Pheasantails, but they were really subtle, so we put on an Adams in a size 12 and got strikes right off the bat. Eric is a Red fisherman, so he had to learn to go easy on the hook set and when he realized how easy it had to be he started catching fish. The first fish we caught was a male that had his spawning colors and lots of spots. We wanted a picture but he started milting so we put him back in. As soon as the sun was over us the Gordons were coming off pretty consistently so there was no reason to switch flies. It wasn’t very hard to to get Eric and Adrianne addicted to the sport, especially when the trout would come up and eat. He told me that he could see himself moving here and becoming a Trout fisherman. We had a great time and the Pettway’s were awesome people. They picked up fly fishing really quickly, too. I’m Looking forward to getting some good shots and videos of rising fish on the next trip.

Harris and myself drove up to Cades Cove Friday to do a little fishing in the snow. It was pretty chilly in the morning and didn’t think it was ever going to warm up. It was a beautiful morning and surprisingly enough, there weren’t that many other people out. Where there was a lack of people the deer made up for it. They were everywhere and the bucks were out and about moving around, along with a few turkey. We were pretty fired up about fishing because neither one of us has gotten the chance to go in about a week. When we got out of the truck and started gearing up Harris realized that he had forgotten his boots, so we had to run back into town to Little River Outfitters where they took care of us like they always do.

On the drive back up the mountain we noticed a lot more people going into Cades Cove, but we got back to the creek and didn’t see any other fisherman around. This time of year most of the folks going into the park aren’t getting out of their cars anyway so it is a really good time to fish or hike. We walked the creek trying to spot the fish first because with the water being lower and gin clear they can be really spooky. We noticed fish spooking but going right back to their runs which told us they were starving. We started with Pat’s nymphs and a BWO pattern that I tie. We had a few strikes but not enough love to keep them on. The fly of the day was a size 14 quasimoto pheasantail with some flash on its back. Hang it under an indicator about 24 to 30 inches with a small splitshot and you have a recipe for success.

Also stay low to the ground or try to hide behind something and move slow. I would also go with a light tippet but be delicate on your hook sets, you don’t want to break off. It looks like we are going to have some fare weather headed our way and it will be here for a while so get out and enjoy God’s work before the cold weather comes back, and it will. We are going to get some rain and the creeks might come up so watch out while wading. We’re glad that you could join us today and hope we could be of some help to you on the water.

Beautiful scenery, perfect weather, lots of fish and great folks are just a few ways to describe the trip I had with the Scarbrough family. We headed out late Monday afternoon to the park for some great dry fly action and we found it. The Caddis (Brown, October) are coming off really good in the afternoon, but anything dark in a # 16 will  work or orange in a # 12 or # 10 will do just fine. Don’t forget the BWO’s, it is a little early for them, but they are still coming off here and there. The fly that worked so well for us was a #16 peacock Caddis and a very fine leader, also a good presentation never hurts.

We hit one of my favorite holes in the park where there are always at least 10 good fish rising. To my surprise there was not a one in the spot, so someone must have beat us to it. The next spot we went to, the fish told us that nobody had been there, no I don’t speak fish but Wills got a few rises right off the bat. Wills saw that dry fly fishing in the Smoky Mountains can be frustrating, but hung in there and landed a fat Brown on his next cast. Wills is a great golfer so patience is something he has. Here is a shot of the first fish of the day.

We moved on after a short while, just a little higher up where we got into some more fish and some wildlife. As we were fishing I happened to look over and spot 2 doe cruising down the bank without a care in the world. After spotting a few fish Archie and Wills got into position and hooked up with fish only for them to get off. This happened a couple of times, but Archie managed to catch 2 nice rainbows about 10 inches a piece. Here is a shot of  Archie’s catch and of the deer we got to see.

I decided to take them a few miles down stream to show them some different water and how to fish it. We were fishing longer, slower pools in the early part of the trip and they were interested in learning how to fish the park so we went to some really productive pocket water and they picked it up quick. High sticking, mending and fast hook sets are what you need for this type of water and they saw it. We had strike after strike but the fish were usually faster than us and I explained that it was normal to miss fish in the Smoky Mountains. Anybody that fishes here will testify to that I’m sure.

We had a great day on the water and caught quite a few fish. The Lord blessed us with a beautiful day and warm weather. Archie and Wills were great fisherman and super easy going guys and Kathy, the Mrs., was a super nice lady who came along to take photos and enjoy the fall weather. What more could you ask for with all of that. I look forward to fishing with these guys again in the future. Fishing in our area is great, so go fishing when you can and call us for any details about the stream, bugs or taking a trip. Later guys.

I had a trip up in the park today and I thought to myself that most people fishing in the park right now would be searching for higher ground and cooler water. We stayed pretty low in Tremont though and caught just as many fish. I realized that even with the little bit of rain that we’ve gotten recently the water is cool enough that the fish are still pretty active down low. We got a lot of strikes for the short amount of time we had and the group was pumped about catching some fish. So what I am getting at is don’t rule out lower stretches just because of hot temperatures.

Another thing I think a lot of us tend to do is try too hard to “match the hatch” and forget that the flies we all grew up chucking at trout, haven’t stopped working. I catch myself always trying to create new patterns to catch fish and add too much junk to the fly. Today we were throwing quasimoto pheasanttails and fishing in the pocket water just like we all learned how to do. Don’t get me wrong, I have a few of my own patterns that “match the hatch” as every fisherman does.

Also when you are fishing up in the park be careful about where you walk and put your hands. I have been hearing and reading about people having close encounters or even bitten by Copperheads and Rattlesnakes. I myself had a run in with a Copperhead this afternoon as we were walking through the woods. I try to always walk in front of my clients so I can see the snake or at least clear the way for them. If anything knock down all the spider webs with my face. Thanks for reading with us today and I hope this helps some of you guys and gals with your fishing and just remember to be safe because in the mountains you are a good ways off from the nearest hospital. Don’t let this scare you though because there aren’t that many accidents for the amount of people in the park.

Remember to still have fun and share it with others. I am very thankful that my dad spent time with me and taught me how to fly fish and would take me fishing. Going to the park with my dad was a pretty special thing and I would think about  it all week long and Saturday morning we would grab the rods and hit the road, sometimes Sunday mornings too. Later guys.

Sorry guys for the long delay on the latest fishing report, but it has been crazy the past week. Last week my wife and I taught a family of 7 to cast a fly rod. This was the first time for most of them, but I’ve got to say that they all had a lot of talent. Ages of the kids ranged from 7 to 16 and they were very easy to teach. My wife Ashley and I work with the youth group at our church so we know that those ages are tough to teach sometimes, but not these kids. After the casting lesson they went back to their cabin to get a good meal and a good nights rest because they were we were taking them fishing early the next morning to put their skills to the test.

Now keep in mind that we have been in a small drought for a little while and didn’t see any rain in sight. When we all met up the next morning at 7:00am the clouds started rolling in and a cool breeze blew through the mountains. I was glad to see the rain coming in but it just had bad timing for my clients. It held off for about an hour and then the flood gates opened up, but the fishing was kind of slow anyways so we decided to take a break for some snacks and wait out the rain. The rain did not last long so we went back out after about 25 minutes and that amount of time was just enough for the rain to bring the water up a little and add some color. As soon as we got back in place the fish were ready to eat, and they did. The small amount of rain was all that we needed to get the fish active. Here is a shot of Carolina’s first trout on a fly rod; you can’t tell but she is pretty excited about it.

I think around 10 fish were caught in all between all the kids, one of which was around 13 or 14 inches caught by William.  Unfortunately we did not get a shot of the fish. I know, I know catching a fish like that in the park and not having a photo is like hitting a hole in 1 and nobody seeing it, but I will vouch for him.  Like I said these kids have some talent and picked up on it quick. If there is anything you can do to protect the sport that we all love so much it is passing it down to our youth. Even though we all got pretty wet and cold it was a great morning. Oh, did I mention that I fell in the mud, hey it happens sometimes even to the guide. I will definitely look forward to seeing this family again and maybe with better weather. Here are a couple of shots of the family and the morning we had in the park.

Thanks for joining us on the fishing report and we hope that you enjoyed it. See you guys next time and hope that you have a blessed day.

Yesterday I took a few guys up into the park to do a little hiking and fishing. We started the day off at daylight because we didn’t want to fish in 96 degree weather. Well it didn’t take long for it to get to us though. We also wanted to hit some higher water where it might be cooler. We started hiking at about 6:45am and hiked for about an hour and already worked up a sweat before 8:00am. We arrived at a very good looking hole with fish rising, but not many bugs coming off.

After watching the fish for a few minutes we decided to move in and try our luck. We snuck up behind them, stayed low and made the first cast. We quickly realized that because the water was so low and pretty warm, the fish were very spooky. The hole had very slow water running through it so we agreed to move on to fish faster water and not waste  time. I had a March Brown shuck stick to my leg so we tied on some nymphs and immediately started getting strikes. After moving up about 100 feet I started working with them on fishing the nymph and everyone started hooking fish and Brad caught his first Smokies trout.

The fishing was kind of slow after a while so we grabbed a bite to eat, took a break for a minute and pulled off the packs. After lunch we all decided to go a little higher and hit some of the river that veered off the trail a good ways. We ran into a spot where the creek split in two, so we fished both sides and starting catching more fish. Here is a good shot of one of the fish that Nathan caught which happened to be his first Smokies trout as well.

We caught a few more fish like these in the next few runs, and by that time the sun was at it’s peak and the fish were sluggish. We started heading back and fished a couple more spots we noticed on the way up, but the sun had already done it’s damage so we agreed to head back. Brad, Will and Nathan are definitely outdoorsman and at no surprise picked up the sport very quickly. They had an exciting week full of roller coasters, rafting, rock climbing, mountain biking and I had the pleasure of taking them Fly fishing. Not bad. Thanks for joining us and we will see you next time.