Category: Fishing Reports

It’s that perfect time of the year to float eastern Tennessee’s South Holston River, a cornucopia of gargantuan brown trout and husky rainbows. Armed with 7x tippets and Pheasant Tails (#20, #22), we cruised ten miles nymphing all the way and caught plenty of fish, including a brown measuring over 25 inches! At one point, an otter seemed to be following us till a closer look revealed another brownie well over 30 inches!

On the other side of the border—in the Smokies—we waded the Oconaluftee River (the Luftee) where the browns and bows struck our Thunderheads and Elk Hair Caddis. All of the action was on the surface of the river, and we pulled fish from both deep and shallow pockets wherever the sun hit the water. Overall, the Luftee was a little low, but that’ll change this weekend when Sir Ian brings showers our way. This week’s good fortune whetted our appetite for what’s in store for us beginning on October 7 when Delayed Harvest begins.

Yes, folks, we’re less than two weeks away from a marathon of non-stop excitement when the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission begins stocking selected rivers and streams across twenty counties. It’s an angler’s dream! And for most of the fall and winter, you’ll find us floating the Tuckasegee River (the Tuck) seeking a healthy mix of brookies, browns and bows.

We should add that the best time to fish for trout is when the water is cold. To be successful, we must bundle up and meet these fish on their terms. Now’s the time to start booking fall and winter trips with us. Plan on dressing in layers, and stock up on girdle bugs, mop flies and egg patterns. We’re going to bump up our tippet sizes to 4x or 5x and turn our attention to the river bottom. If you’re also a hunter, then book our Cast ‘n Blast option—a morning of hunting geese and an afternoon of trout fishing with an expert who knows the woods and water better than anyone!

Have wonderful weekends!

The cooler mountain air is thick with anticipation as the most exciting trout-fishing event of the year approaches—the Delayed Harvest program! In a just few weeks, the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission will begin stocking selected rivers and streams across twenty counties where frigid fall and winter water temps ensure the well-being of these fish. You’ll find us fishing the Tuckasegee River (the Tuck) which will be loaded with Brookies, Browns and Bows! We prefer floating the Tuck since it enables us to target our favorite honey holes and explore more of the river.

This year, the initial stocking of the Tuck is scheduled for October 10 with a subsequent round on November 3. From October to early-June, anglers fishing the Tuck must use single-hook artificial lures and adhere to catch-and-release rules. But serious anglers willing to fish in colder weather should have excellent results since there’s less pressure on the water and live bait is prohibited. Some of our cold-natured friends seem to forget that trout thrive in cold water!

So start booking fall and winter trips and plan on dressing in layers. In preparation for these exhilarating times ahead, stock up on mop flies, girdle bugs, egg patterns, and squirmy worms. Grab your toboggans and bundle up with an eye toward catching lots of trout and landing that lunker of a lifetime!

Last call for young deer hunters! Remember—this Saturday, September 24, is Youth Deer Hunting Day! If you’re 17 years old or younger, you can use guns or any other legal equipment to hunt deer of either sex.

Have wonderful weekends!

Cooler days have led to better fishing in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP)!

On the Tennessee side, we had excellent luck nymphing on the West Fork of the Little Pigeon River. With fewer folks around and less pressure on the water, the rainbows swarmed the lower reaches while the brook trout gave us plenty of action on top. One brookie measured ten inches! Hare’s Ears, Pheasant Tails, and Squirmy Worms held the interests of these fish, and we found strike indicators useful, too.

In North Carolina’s Deep Creek, our Golden Stone Flies and Squirmy Worms caught us a dozen rainbows and a mammoth brown trout over twenty inches long! On the Little Tennessee River, rains from last weekend had us floating at 1000 cubic feet per second (CFS), and although the water had a slight tinge, the smallmouth bass didn’t seem to mind. On the stretch between Rose Creek and Tellico, we landed several smallies on fly rods using streamers. If you haven’t fought a bass on a fly rod, now’s the time to try!

This weekend looks promising with highs in the low-eighties and no rain in the forecast. For trout, we’d stick with Royal Wulffs, Thunderheads, Pheasant Tails, and olive Midges. If you’ve got a taste for smallmouths, pick up your fly rod and bounce a streamer along the bottom. Smallies are strong fish, so prepare yourself for a good fight!

Attention, young deer hunters—Saturday, September 24 is Youth Deer Hunting Day! If you’re 17 years old or younger, you can use guns or any other legal equipment to hunt deer of either sex.

Have a wonderful weekend!

All the lovely streams and rivers in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP) have distinct identities and qualities that set them apart from one another. This week we fished Ravens Fork’s Trophy Section—a 2.2-mile stretch that’s home to jumbo trout measuring more than eighteen inches. Our catch included several huge rainbows tempted by cream-colored mop flies, olive Perdigons and pink Squirmy Worms. If you decide to try your luck here, please note that fishing the Trophy Waters on the Cherokee Reservation requires a $10 tribal permit and a $25 catch-and-release permit.

This weekend should be excellent for fishing with daytime highs in the mid-seventies. Be sure to pack a rain jacket and bring along your Light Cahills (#14 to #18), Midges (olive, black, grey) and Terrestrials (beetles, black ants, crickets).

Attention, bowhunters! Archery deer season opens this weekend! Beginning on Saturday, September 10, you can enjoy a thrilling bowhunting experience with one of our guides! Just give us a call at 1-888-852-6842.

Have wonderful weekends!

At the Smokies’ Noland Creek trailhead, our first cast off the bridge landed a shimmering foot-long rainbow. From then on, we found action everywhere—behind rocks, in deep and shallow pockets, and along the edges of riffles and runs, sticking with the same fly—our trusty Parachute Adams.

But Noland Creek casts a disorienting spell over many anglers, making it difficult to fish sometimes. The sheer beauty of this stream is unfathomable, from the seductive whisper of its water to the dark seclusion provided by a dense canopy of interwoven vines and branches that allows only a smattering of light to bleed through. The fish are uncommonly smart. We lost as many as we caught.

Elsewhere in western North Carolina mountain streams, our Euro-nymphing yielded an enviable collection of browns and bows. We had excellent results with a mocha Girdle Bug and a Hot Head Pheasant Tail. In private waters, a funky neon-yellow nymph with a double-bead head captured the imaginations of several rainbows.

This weekend, pack a raincoat because there’s showers in the forecast. For trout, you might try Chasteen Creek, Bradley Fork or the Oconaluftee River (The Luftee) where we’d recommend mop flies, red and pink Squirmy Worms, Purple Hazes, and Stimulators. Or you might try Noland Creek for an enthralling, all-consuming encounter with the natural world.

Bowhunters, just a reminder—archery deer season begins on September 10. To book a bowhunting experience with one of our guides, call us at 1-888-852-6842.

Have wonderful weekends!

Now that the weather’s cooling off and the trout aren’t as easily spooked, they’re hitting a variety of dry flies and nymphs, especially in the higher-elevation waters. Some anglers are catching trout with nightcrawlers and spinners, too.

In the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP), the Oconaluftee River (the Luftee) offered plenty of action once we left its warm lower stretch. The brown trout seemed more open-minded about our choice of flies, and we landed a lunker on a purple Duracell. Further up the river, in tight water beneath overhanging trees, the brookies struck our dry-droppers—Stimulators and Thunderheads with Pheasant’s Tails (#12) underneath. In the Little Tennessee River, smallmouth bass smacked soft-plastic Rapalas and Poppers.

On the Tennessee side of the Smokies, the water remains down, but not at drought-level. Our trip to the West Prong of the Little Pigeon yielded ten nice-sized rainbows.

Fishing prospects look good for the weekend. Just downsize your tippet and don’t be afraid to change flies. The trout are biting later in the morning, now that they’re more comfortable, and the lunchtime lull doesn’t begin until nearly a couple hours after noon. Expect the fish to resume feeding around cocktail hour.

Bowhunters, be sure to mark your calendars because archery deer season begins on September 10 and runs until October 2. During this period, deer of either sex may be taken. We offer guided bowhunting experiences, so call us to book a trip at 1-888-852-6842.

Have wonderful weekends!

Panther Creek, an uncharted stream of Fontana Lake, is full of rainbow trout! And when the first bow smacked our Thunderhead, no one seemed happier than Sunny, our young canine companion. In the solitude of that untouched stream, our dachshund friend’s amusement was an unexpected perk as we reeled in an impressive afternoon catch.

At Noland Creek, we added Pheasant Tails and Hare’s Ears to our Thunderhead to create a ravishing dry-dropper that snared foot-long browns lying beneath overhanging rocks and behind dead logs. Better water flows and a solid canopy of trees provided ideal cover for wading and more freedom of movement overall.

Now that the Tuckasegee River (The Tuck) is too warm for trout, those fish have relocated to the cooler waters of The Tuck’s Deep Creek tributary. There, another dry-dropper—a Golden Stone Fly (#8) with a green Caddis underneath—helped land us a nice mix of bows and browns; unfortunately, our wades in the Oconaluftee River (The Luftee) proved uneventful due to the excessively warm water and crowds of people.

This weekend should be good for fishing now that the weather’s cooling and the lunchtime lull is shorter. Be sure to pack a rain jacket and keep in mind that feeding patterns will shift somewhat as the fish make adjustments to upcoming seasonal changes.

Have wonderful weekends!

Where there’s rain, there’s rainbows, so don’t cancel a fishing trip when there’s showers in the forecast, especially if your destination is the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP)!

Even on the Tennessee side, where the water levels are lower and clear, we’ve been catching bows after making adjustments. At the West Prong of the Little Pigeon River, we reduced our tippet size, sported neutral colors and moved stealthily as we approached the stream, minimizing our movement while wading as well. Once we arrived at the higher-elevation waters—above 3200 feet—the brookies began to strike. We pretty much stuck to nymphing—Hare’s Ears and Pheasant Tails—though we also had some luck with Pink Squirmy Worms and Golden Stone Flies. In the Smokies’ section of the Little River, rainbows filled the honey holes at 2500 to 2800 feet.

This weekend, start fishing early, carry a sack lunch and don’t forget your rain jacket. Target the higher-elevation waters and keep moving to cover as much of the stream as possible. After the lunchtime lull, we’d suggest starting cocktail hour with a Light Cahill, and hopefully, that’ll carry you into the sunset.

Have wonderful weekends!

We’ve had a blast chasing rainbows in Western North Carolina hatchery-supported waters with Pink Squirmy Worms, Mop Flies and Royal Wulffs. In the Green River, bows lurking in private waters pursued an array of nymphs, especially in shady places; when we switched to spinning gear, they struck black- and teal-colored Rooster Tails. A series of storms from last weekend raised water levels a bit, and by noon, higher-elevation temps topped 65 degrees which is just too warm for trout.

This weekend, bring along a raincoat because afternoon storms are projected, along with a high of 82. Get started early with an eye toward wrapping up by noon. Bring along your Golden Stone Flies and Terrestrials, particularly inchworms, beetles and crickets. If you’re fishing in higher-elevation waters that cool off after dusk, you might try a Light Cahill.

Overall, fishing should be good all around.

Have wonderful weekends!

This week we had great fun in the Smokies fishing Straight Fork and the Oconaluftee River (The Luftee). In fact, we’ve never caught so many brown trout in such a short time span. We hit the water early, and overall, the fish struck the Red Squirmy Worm and shunned the pink one. They also smacked terrestrials, especially beetles, ants and hoppers.

One of the Luftee’s hidden gems is Kephart Prong, a tributary where water temps remained in the low-60s. The bows and browns couldn’t stop kissing our sexy dry-dropper—a Red Wulff dry fly with an Olive Midge (#20) underneath. But we owe some of our good fortune to Horace Kephart, the stream’s namesake and an early advocate for the park. Unfortunately, Mr. Kephart died before his dream of a national park came to fruition.

This summer weekend should be just right for fishing. Peak daytime temperatures are expected in the low- to mid-80s, but start early while the water’s cool. Also, water levels have seen a slight drop, so walk softly and wear neutral colors.

Have wonderful weekends!

With last week’s heavy rains behind us, the Little Tennessee River sported its pristine shine, and an ideal water level had us drifting along at 700 cubic feet per second (cfs). After one angler got some hearty strikes on their fly rod—using poppers, no less—we switched to spinning gear and fished for smallmouth bass. Wasn’t long before we landed ten of those beauties. A tan Rapala with a blue back proved irresistible. Yellow and green poppers were hot items, too.

This weekend, temperatures will hit the nineties with little chance of rain. If you plan to fish for trout, you’d better start early, and you might try Straight Fork, Deep Creek or Cherokee’s Oconaluftee River (The Luftee) in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP). Bring along your Yellow Sallies, Purple Hazes, Stimulators, and Royal Wulffs. Terrestrials—especially ants, beetles and crickets—would be worth a try as well.

If you’re not an early riser, a float trip for smallmouth bass would be your best bet for good fishing. Despite the afternoon heat, we had wild success on the Little Tennessee. You might try that, too.

Best of luck and stay hydrated!

Fishing in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP) has been on fire this week with bows and browns hitting our funky dry-dropper rig—a Purple Haze dry fly with a Pink Squirmy Worm underneath. The frenzied excitement of non-stop action left one angler addle-brained and blowing kisses at the sky!

This weekend, start your wading no later than 7:00 a.m. because the water will heat up earlier than normal, and the trout will be stressed by lunchtime. Be sure to bring along your Yellow/Golden Stoneflies and terrestrials, too.

At the moment, the Little Tennessee River’s water is up, but super muddy due to the intensity of recent rainstorms; however, by the weekend, the river should be clear enough to float for smallmouth bass. Poppers across the spectrum—yellow, orange, neon, and black—would interest these fish.

By the way, we now offer float trips on the Little Tennessee River. Although this option isn’t currently listed on our website, you can book a float trip and tell us you want to cruise the Little Tennessee.

Have great weekends!