For unrivaled outdoor adventures, there’s no place like the Great Smoky Mountains! This week, trout swarmed the Tuckasegee River (the Tuck) for eggs and Girdle Bugs, in addition to expressing a keen interest in olive Woolly Buggers when we fished them like streamers. At the Dillsboro headwaters, brooks and rainbows kept us busy as we drifted a lethargic 250 cubic feet per second (cfs), but downstream at Bryson City, a more favorable flow brought us into the company of 30 fish, all rainbows.
While roaming National Forest Service game lands, Thunder, our canine comrade, treed 22 squirrels, though nearly half of these stealthy beasts stayed hidden, leaving us with 14 for the day. Later in the week, we returned to a forest of brilliant afternoon sunlight and striking autumn colors, accompanied by a husky racoon snoozing in a tree. This evocative scene inspired Thunder to lead us on an eight-mile trek that left precious little time to enjoy our surroundings. That day, our buddy treed 14 squirrels and although several of these creatures remained invisible in the foliage, we bagged 7 of them. Finally, enough squirrel meat for gumbo!
This weekend, we’re expecting rain on Friday with possible showers on Saturday which could bring the water up and affect its clarity. If you decide to fish, keep an eye on water levels and stick to egg patterns.
Have wonderful weekends!