Great Smoky Mountains Fishing Report July 25, 2019

Posted on July 26, 2019 by eshuler
Great Smoky Mountains Fishing Report, Smoky Mountain Brown Trout, Fly Fishing the Smokies, Bryson City Fly Shop,

Smoky Mountain Fishing Report

The Great Smoky Mountains are fishing exceptional this week. Heavy rains early in the week swelled streams and muddied the water on Tuesday. Water levels have dropped fast as expected, and streams are looking good once again. The great thing about the mountains are they drain water rapidly. So when you get a heavy rain event, it’s typically only a day or so before things return to fishable levels.

Weather forecast for the remainder of the week looks good. Clear and sunny for the most part with scattered showers possible on Sunday. Don’t let the chance of rain keep you indoors, pack your rain jackets and be ready to adapt to quickly changing conditions. When rain swollen streams start to fall, fish the banks and pockets where many fish will take safe haven. The biggest predator Brown trout in the Smokies will seek these places out to ambush smaller prey. Rain also cools things off a bit and cools water temps which really brings on the bite!

Yellow Sallies continue to be the hot ticket fly for nearly all streams inside the park. These are some of my favorite hatches of the year as they provide consistent action for several months. The dries are easy to spot even for the most untrained eyes underneath the darkest overhangs.

We’re starting to see more and more hoppers along streams Abrams Creek in Cades Cove, Little River along the roadsides, and the Oconaluftee river in Cherokee. Its a common misconception about fishing with hoppers in the Smokies. Most anglers are under the impression that these large flies are mostly reserved for the Rocky Mountain west, however they have their place in the Smokies too. Keep a few handy in your fly boxes as you’ll need them here too.

Hot Flies

Yellow Stimulator #10-16, Conner’s Yellow Palmer #12-16, Royal Wulff #12-16, Tennessee Wulff #12-16, Adams Parachute #12-18, Female Adams #12-18, Adams Variant #12-16, Thunderhead #12-18, Secret Weapon #12-16, Green Drakes #8-10, Daves Hopper in Olive and Yellow #8-14, Little Yellow Sallies #14-16, Light Hendrickson #12-16, Dark Hendrickson #12-16, Sulpher dries #12-14, March Browns #10-14, Tan Elk Hair Caddis #12-16, Olive Elk Hair Caddis #12-16, Cinnamon Elk Hair Caddis in #12-16, Blue Winged Olives in #18-22, Golden Stonefly nymphs #8-12, Brown Stonefly nymphs #6-10, Yellow Sallie nymphs #12-16, Pheasant Tail Nymphs #12-18, Hares Ear nymphs #12-16, Rainbow Warriors in #14-20, Caddis Pupae #14-18, and cream midges in #22-26, Black Midges #22-26. For Streamer patterns, black and olive Woolly Buggers in sizes #6-8, Brown and Olive Sculpin in #6-8, white, black, and olive Zonkers #6-10, Game Changers in #4-8, yellow Zoo Cougars #4-8, and yellow Kiwi Muddlers #6-10.

Bryson City Fly Shop

We just recieved a new shipment of the wildly popular Moonshine Rods in the Bryson City shop. These rods are beautifully appointed and offer one of the best deals in the industry. The all come with an extra tip and a hard shell carrying case along with a lifetime warranty and the best customer service in the business! You just cant beat the deal on these rods. Of course the biggest question is how do they fish? The answer is easy, they fish amazingly well. I personally am in love with the fiberglass Revival series rods. Its no secret I’m a huge Brook trout junkie and love fishing dry flies on tiny streams in the Smokies. In most cases I seek out creeks that run through laurel hells and tight places where most folks wouldn’t fish. These rods are quickly becoming some of my favorites!

Hope you have a wonderful remainder of the week and a get a chance to wet a line

We’ll see you on the water!

Eugene

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Great Smoky Mountains Fishing Report July 5, 2019

Posted on July 5, 2019 by eshuler
Great SMoky Mountains Fishing Report July 2nd 2019, Fly Fishing the Smokies, Fly Fishing, Smoky Mountain Fly Fishing, Bryson City Fly Fishing

Smoky Mountains Trout

The Great Smoky Mountains region is fishing fantastic. Cooler overall temperatures for June have kept river and creek conditions optimal for great dry fly fishing inside the park. Pop up storms in the back country go a long way in keeping the stream levels in check also cooling the water temps.

This week Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge are crazy with people here in the mountains for the 4th of July celebrations. Bryson City is also packed with people. Last night the Americas Got Talent semi finalist Mountain Faith, played a concert in front of our fly shop in Bryson City. Such an awesome expereince to watch these incredibly talented muscians from our region perform to thousands of people right on door step. The fly shop was a buzz with people all day long often times with a line coming in and out of the door, and our staff worked overtime to keep up with it all. As much work as the 4th is, we cant wait to do it all over again next year!

With all the people in the region, you can still find solitude on streams that require a little more effort getting into. Most people don’t venture more than 100 yards from their cars, even less get more than a mile from parking areas. If you’re willing to walk 45 minutes or so you can get to some of the best fishing in the Smokies. Some of our current favorites are the Little River above Elkmont hiking well above Husky Branch or into Goshen Prong. Hiking well up. Stream in the Tremont area will provide some fantastic fishing too. One of the more Of course the North Shore streams of Fontana on Hazel Creek and Forney Creek. You can hike back up Deep Creek past the Bumgarner Bend and get into less pressured water easily too.

Hot Flies

Yellow Stimulator #10-16, Conner’s Yellow Palmer #12-16, Royal Wulff #12-16, Tennessee Wulff #12-16, Adams Parachute #12-18, Female Adams #12-18, Adams Variant #12-16, Thunderhead #12-18, Secret Weapon #12-16, Green Drakes #8-10, Mahogany Duns in #12-14, Little Yellow Sallies #14-16, Light Hendrickson #12-16, Dark Hendrickson #12-16, Sulpher dries #12-14, March Browns #10-14, Tan Elk Hair Caddis #12-16, Olive Elk Hair Caddis #12-16, Cinnamon Elk Hair Caddis in #12-16, Blue Winged Olives in #18-22, Golden Stonefly nymphs #8-12, Brown Stonefly nymphs #6-10, Yellow Sallie nymphs #12-16, Pheasant Tail Nymphs #12-18, Hares Ear nymphs #12-16, egg patterns in #10-12, Rainbow Warriors in #14-20, Caddis Pupae #14-18, and cream midges in #22-26, Black Midges #22-26. For Streamer patterns, black and olive Woolly Buggers in sizes #6-8, Brown and Olive Sculpin in #6-8, white, black, and olive Zonkers #6-10, Game Changers in #4-8, yellow Zoo Cougars #4-8, and yellow Kiwi Muddlers #6-10.

Best Bass flies this week;

Chart/white, tan/white, red/white and olive/white Clouser Minnows, #6-8, olive Sculpins #4-8, black, olive, and white Woolly Buggers #4-8, Crayfish in orange and olive #4-8, Fire tiger Puglisi baitfish #4-6, Game Changers #2-8, Deer Hair poppers in Cart, black, blue, white, pink and purple #4-12, Deceivers in #6-8, Moto minnow #4-8, Slumpbusters #4-8, Hellgramites #4-10, Golden Stoneflies #6-10, Damselfly nymphs in #8-10, foam Dragonflies in blue, olive and brown, #6-10, Mudich Minnows #4-10, Home Invaders in tan, olive, yellow, white, and natural #4-8, Kiwi Muddlers in white, yellow, tan, and black #4-10, yellow, tan, and black #4-10

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Summer Fly Fishing in the Smoky Mountains

Posted on July 4, 2019 by eshuler

Summer Fly Fishing the Smoky Mountains, Fly Fishing the Smokies, Best Trout Fishing Guides in Smoky Mountains

Summer Fly Fishing the Smoky Mountains

Summer Fly Fishing in the Smoky Mountains is incredible! If you haven’t been out yet, grab a rod and hit some of the fantastic rivers and lakes in the region. This Summer’s Fly Fishing Report gives you an idea of what to expect, and what to use straight from the guides.

The top destination this month has to be the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The park streams are fishing at their peak for the year. Trout everywhere are taking dry flies all day long, which in our opinion, is the most fun you can have with a fly rod! The most beautiful streams and trout that we have to offer are in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Here we catch Rainbow, Brown, and Brook trout. Catching a Grand Slam of all three species in a single Full Day Trip is very possible!

Two locations to serve you best! Gatlinburg TN, and Bryson City NC

Rates starting at $75.00 per person!

For Reservations call (828)-488-7665 or book securely from our website!

 Be sure to check out our Summer Specials!Book Online, Fly Fishing the Smokies, Best Trout Fishing Fly Fishing Guides in Smoky Mountains Gatlinburg Pigeon Forge Severville

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Summer Trout Fishing in the Smokies

The Trophy Trout section of the Raven Fork in Cherokee is another hot destination this Summer. Recently restocked, this section is fishing well. Big fish are working in the early morning and late evening in the current seams and tail-outs. There’s nothing like watching a trophy sized trout take a well placed dry fly off the surface. This area is best in summer for experienced fly fishers as subtle takes and dead drifts are paramount.

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Float Trips

The Tuckasegee River is still producing some good trout fishing early morning until noon then again in the evenings when the bite really turns back on! We are catching quality Rainbow and Brown trout, some getting in the 20 inch club! Overcast cooler days or rainy days have been best for trout! For river Smallmouth fishing look no further than the Tuckasegee and Little Tennessee Rivers. Both are producing some great action for Smallies. The top water bite is on mid-day from noon until dark. Take advantage of our afternoon start time on the Float Trip Special at 3:00pm for some great action! For morning and evening, use sub surface lures and flies. Pearl white Flukes and spinner baits, along with a multitude of streamer flies will get you into some good Smallmouth.

Fontana Lake, June Fly Fishing, Fly Fishing the Smokies, Bryson City,

Fontana Lake

Fontana Lake is fishing good for Smallmouth and Largemouth Bass. Look for rocky shoreline and mud lines coming from wind lines off of banks and points. Crank baits, Buzz baits, Spinner baits and flukes are working really well. River mouths and coves are still the hottest spots to catch some big Largemouth. Nantahala and the Little Tennessee River mouths are hot areas right now to catch some bruisers.

Best flies this week

Yellow Stimulator #10-16, Conner’s Yellow Palmer #12-16, Royal Wulff #12-16, Tennessee Wulff #12-16, Adams Parachute #12-18, Female Adams #12-18, Adams Variant #12-16, Thunderhead #12-18, Secret Weapon #12-16, Green Drakes #8-10, Mahogany Duns in #12-14, Little Yellow Sallies #14-16, Light Hendrickson #12-16, Dark Hendrickson #12-16, Sulpher dries #12-14, March Browns #10-14, Tan Elk Hair Caddis #12-16, Olive Elk Hair Caddis #12-16, Cinnamon Elk Hair Caddis in #12-16, Blue Winged Olives in #18-22, Golden Stonefly nymphs #8-12, Brown Stonefly nymphs #6-10, Yellow Sallie nymphs #12-16, Pheasant Tail Nymphs #12-18, Hares Ear nymphs #12-16, egg patterns in #10-12, Rainbow Warriors in #14-20, Caddis Pupae #14-18, and cream midges in #22-26, Black Midges #22-26. For Streamer patterns, black and olive Woolly Buggers in sizes #6-8, Brown and Olive Sculpin in #6-8, white, black, and olive Zonkers #6-10, Game Changers in #4-8, yellow Zoo Cougars #4-8, and yellow Kiwi Muddlers #6-10.

Best Bass flies this week;

Chart/white, tan/white, red/white and olive/white Clouser Minnows, #6-8, olive Sculpins #4-8, black, olive, and white Woolly Buggers #4-8, Crayfish in orange and olive #4-8, Fire tiger Puglisi baitfish #4-6, Game Changers #2-8, Deer Hair poppers in Cart, black, blue, white, pink and purple #4-12, Deceivers in #6-8, Moto minnow #4-8, Slumpbusters #4-8, Hellgramites #4-10, Golden Stoneflies #6-10, Damselfly nymphs in #8-10, foam Dragonflies in blue, olive and brown, #6-10, Mudich Minnows #4-10, Home Invaders in tan, olive, yellow, white, and natural #4-8, Kiwi Muddlers in white, yellow, tan, and black #4-10, yellow, tan, and black #4-10

Two locations to serve you best! Gatlinburg TN, and Bryson City NC

Rates starting at $75.00 per person!

For Reservations call (828)-488-7665 or book securely from our website!

 Be sure to check out our Summer Specials!Book Online, Fly Fishing the Smokies, Best Trout Fishing Fly Fishing Guides in Smoky Mountains Gatlinburg Pigeon Forge Severville

Summer Fly Fishing the Smoky Mountains
Categories: Fly Fishing Gatlinburg, Fly Fishing Guides Gatlinburg TN, Fly Fishing Guides in Bryson City, Fly Fishing Guides in Cashiers NC, Fly Fishing Guides in Cherokee NC, Fly Fishing Guides in Cherokee North Carolina, Fly Fishing Guides in Franklin NC, Fly Fishing Guides in Highlands NC, Fly Fishing Guides in Pigeon Forge TN, Fly Fishing Guides in the Smoky Mountains, Fly Fishing the Smokies, Gatlingburg TN Fly Fishing Guides, Great Smoky Mountains Fly Fishing Guides, Guided Fly Fishing in Gatlinburg TN, Hazel Creek Fly Fishing, Tuckasegee River Fly Fishing Report, Uncategorized, Waynesville North Carolina | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Summer Fly Fishing in the Smoky Mountains

Great Smoky Mountains Fishing Report June 1st 2019

Posted on June 1, 2019 by eshuler

Great Smoky Mountains Fishing Report June 1st, Fly Fishing Gatlinburg Pigeon Forge Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Great Smoky Mountains Fishing Report, Great Smoky Mountains Fishing Report June 1st

The fly fishing action in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is incredible right now. Trout are feeding well all day long and dry fly action is at its peak! Summer is the best time to catch aggressively feeding fish on the surface in the Smoky Mountains.

Summer Fly Fishing, Summer Fly Fishing Gatlinburg Pigeon Forge Sevierville, Smoky Mountains Fly Fishing Guides

Great Smoky Mountains Fly Fishing

There are 2910 miles of wild trout streams in the Great Smoky Mountains. With only 900 miles of trails, there is plenty of solitude and areas to explore and a catch a fish! Summer time is a favorite among our staff for the wonderful dry fly fishing opportunities that present themselves in the park. Summer is a great time to learn how to fly fish. You have active fish with a high metabolism that will feed all day long. So there is no wrong time of day to be fishing inside the park!

Fly Fishing the Smokies offers a wide variety of great fly fishing trips and lengths to choose from. We guide folks of all ages and skill levels and have ALL the gear that you need to fish with provided free of charge on your trip!!

We have offices in Gatlinburg and Bryson City to serve you best no matter where you stay in the Smoky Mountains!

For Reservations call (828)-488-7665 or Book Online

Book Online, Fly Fishing the Smokies, Best Trout Fishing Fly Fishing Guides in Smoky Mountains Gatlinburg Pigeon Forge Severville

Hazel Creek Fly fishing guided trips, hazel creek fly fishing guides, fly fishing the smokies, Hazel Creek Day Trips

Hazel Creek Day trips are super fun this season. Experience one of the most remote and wildest trout streams in the Great Smoky Mountains with Fly Fishing the Smokies guide Jay Cobb as your host. Dry fly fishing on Hazel Creek keeps getting better each day. Lots of Yellow Sallies and Light Cahills are keeping the trout very happy. Hazel Creek is also one of the top places in the Smokies to fish small hoppers and bettles on top for some explosive action. Hazel Creek is a wonderful and wild place full of history and folklore. Some of the best trout in the Smoky Mountains have been caught on Hazel Creek! Don’t miss this unique opportunity to fish the most legendary Smokies trout stream with the best guides in the Smoky Mountains!

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Great Smoky Mountains Fishing

The weather looks good this weekend and coming week. We do have a chance for thunderstorms on Sunday, however these are commonly pop ups that likely may not occur depending on which side of the Smokies you happen to be on. The weather in the Smoky Mountains is very difficult to predict and changes every few minutes. Our motto is plan for a shower, and go play!

We are seeing good hatches of Yellow Sallies, Light Cahills, and Sulphers across the park streams. Also plenty of inch worms, beetles, and Cicadas are also giving the trout something to eat as well. And of course lots of Brown Stone flies and many different species of Caddis are also present. Lots of hatches to keep the trout looking up and feeding happily all day!

Hope everyone has a great weekend and gets outside!

We’ll see you on the water!

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Great Smoky Mountains Fishing Report May 12th

Posted on May 13, 2019 by eshuler

Smoky Mountain Fishing Report

Fishing around the Great Smoky Mountains is hitting its peak! We are seeing one of the best Spring fishing seasons we have seen in years. A warm wet winter paved the way for fantastic conditions for March and April. May has been on point and we’ve seen some spectacular dry fly fishing in the park. Stream levels are running full and clear. Water temperatures are optimal and the weather has been fantastic!

Great Smoky Mountains

Heavy rain on Saturday and sporadic showers on Sunday have got the park streams running pretty full. Water levels will drop dramatically over night into the early week. Monday will be a good bet for Brown trout in the park. Big park Browns are on the prowl when water levels rise and get murky. Big predators prowl the banks in search of bait fish and smaller trout that have pushed to the calmer water along the banks. Tuesday will see park water levels back to down to normal, combine that with mid 60’s will give way to great dry fly fishing. By mid week temps will push back towards the lower 80’s and you can bet our guides will tossing the waders again in favor of some wet wading. High elevation Brookie fishing will be superb early week as water levels return quicker in high elevation streams.

Smokies Hatches

Spring hatches have been great. Yellow Sallies, Light Cahills and Green Drakes have been the main course for most trout. Tons of Caddis are also bringing lots of risers to the surface. Dont forget the power of a drowned Caddis when fishing the park. Many a fine trout have fell victim to a sunken Caddis. Brown Stones continue to be a force in the park. Big guys in sizes 4-8 have been a great choice for landing trout all day long especially on sunnny days. The Eastern Green Drakes that hatch around the Smokies are always easy to spot. These big mayflies look as if theyre big enough to fly up and order a beer at the local watering hole. Slow flying and plenty clumsy on the water’s surface make them an easy target for trout even in the fastest water.

Summer Specials

Fly Fishing the Smokies offers three different seasonal specials for guided fly fishing trips. Our Summer Specials include the 2hr Fly Fishing Fun Trip, the 5hr Summer Trout Special and our Float Trip Special. All great choices for fly fishing without breaking the bank. All Trips are privately guided and include all the gear and equipment you need!

For Reservations call us at (828)-488-7665 or Book Online

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Great Smoky Mountains Fishing Report April 26th

Posted on April 26, 2019 by eshuler

The Great Smoky Mountains region is fishing red hot this month! Streams are fishing near their peak for the Spring season right now. Temperatures have been great and the weather has been near perfect for April in the Smokies.

Tuckasegee River Fishing

The Tuckasegee River is just hitting its peak and will fish strong through the end on May for trout. April was stocked heavily with Rainbow, Browns and Brook trout. The next stocking of the Tuck in Bryson City will be May 6th, the river

will get another 13,000 trout per mile at that point. You just cant wrong out here right now. The Tuckasegee is definitely king of the southern tailwaters right now. Water levels have been perfect for floating and wading most days. Hatches have been consistent and heavy in the evenings. Right now were still seeing March Browns mid morning until mid afternoon. Caddis are all over the place and hatch all day long. Stoneflies are the best Spring hatch on the Tuck, we’re seeing brown stones, Salmonflies; yes we have Salmonflies, little Yellow Sallies just started this past week. Eastern Green Drakes are starting to show up mid mornings now and of course Blue Winged Olives are hatching on any cloudy days we have. We are catching some monster Browns on the lower stretch of the Tuck near Bryson City along with some great Rainbows. Smallmouth bass have started making their way up from Fontana Lake and were starting to catch them with regularity.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

The Smoky Mountains National Park fishing is really taking off! The Smokies are expected to hit their peak by the second week of May. Dry fly fishing has been incredible. Each day were seeing good hatches of March Browns, Dark Hendricksons, Blue Winged Olives and tons of Caddis. The past couple weeks we have started seeing some Yellow Sallies starting to make their appearance and a few Green Drakes hatching around mid morning and hatching up to dark. Fish are coming up to dries from early morning until dark. Smokies favorites such as the Oconaluftee and Deep Creek are fishing great on the North Carolina side of the park. Tennessee favorites include the Little River, Abrams Creek and West Prong which are all fishing well too.

Fontana Lake

Fontana Lake is fishing incredible right now. Smallmouth, Largemouth and Spots are all starting to spawn. Water temps are in the upper 50’s on Fontana right now. Walleye are really moving up into the headwaters of the Tuck and Little Tennessee rivers. White Bass are also in the river mouths and providing some killer top water action.

The weather for this weekend looks great. Scattered rain on Friday with highs in the mid 60’s. Saturday is going to perfect, sunny and 75. Sunday is low chance of scattered light rain possible with temps in the upper 70’s.

Hope you all have a great weekend.

We’ll see you on the water!


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Great Smoky Mountains Fishing Report March 27th

Posted on March 27, 2019 by eshuler
Great Smoky Mountains Fishing Report, Fly FIshing the Smokies, Bryson City Fly Shop,

Smoky Mountain Fly Fishing

The Fly Fishing around the Great Smoky Mountains region is hot right now. This has been some of the best Spring time fly fishing we have had in recent years. We can attribute this to plenty of rainfall and an above average warm winter. Fact is, the trout are looking up and the dry fly action is really taking off! If you have been on the fence about fly fishing in the Smoky mountains, nows the time to give it a try.

Today its sunny and the highs will be in the upper 60’s across most of the Smokies. The rest of the week looks fantastic with highs reaching the low 70’s by the weekend! Definitely some outdoor activity kind of weather.

Hatches have been plentiful and heavy at times in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. We’re seeing tons of Quill Gordons, BWO’s, March Browns, Dark Hendricksons, Blue Duns, Caddis, and tons of Brown Stoneflies. The trout are looking up and some excellent dry fly fishing can be had consistently each afternoon on most every stream in the park. Most streams have not been crowded at all of course. The Smokies have over 2910 miles of streams an only 900 miles of trails, so solitude can be easily found.

Tuckasegee River Fly Fishing

The Tuckasegee River near Bryson City continues to be king of the hill. Hatches have been incredible with many days Blue the Winged Olives are so thick you can se hundreds of trout taking them off the surface. Streamer action has been solid with many it Brown trout being caught and released each day falling to slow worked articulated Dolly Llamas and Home Invaders . Of course dead drifting nymphs and wetflies through likely runs are producing the best results and the most fish. Water flows have gradually cam down each day on the Tuck. Generation schedules still show 24hr generations on both the east and west forks for the next three days. Wading can be done with care as to where you wade and how deep you go. Just use your head and best judgement. Float Trips have been fantastic, flows are perfect for drifting the boats. Our guests have been putting some absolute slabs in the net and catching some big numbers too.

Currently we are offering two different Spring Break Specials. One is a 5hr Wade Trip and the other is a 5hr Float Trip. Both trips include all the gear and flies you need, we also take care of lunch and drinks! Pretty much the best deal in fly fishing in the Smoky Mountains right now.

The Tuckasegee River will be stocked again in Bryson City on April 3rd. As several of you know this will be the absolute best time to fish the Tuckasegee. The Spring hatches along the Tuck will hit their peak and the river conditions and air temps are superb. This is the best time of year to fish the Tuckasegee either by wading of by float trips. Be sure to book your trips early because we will fill up completely.

Be sure to stop by our Bryson City Fly Shop when you’re in the neighborhood and say hello. We have a fully stocked fly shop with everything you need for a great day of fly fishing around the Smoky Mountains region. We are the only locally owned fly shop in the region and offer local tied flies and carry the traditional Smokies patterns. We have a great selection of gear from R.L. Winston, MoonShine Rods, Redington, Ross, Chota, Simms, Rio, Firehole, Brodin, Dr Slick and many more. Our staff knows the Smoky Mountains and the fisheries surrounding the park like the back of their hands.

Have a great week and we’ll see you on the water!

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Goodbye 2018

Posted on January 1, 2019 by eshuler

Smoky Mountain Memories

As the sun sets on another year in the Great Smoky Mountains we reflect back on many days spent streamside with friends new and old. Its hard not to get misty eyed nostalgic especially sitting here with bluegrass softly playing in the background and the distant sound of the train whistle from old #1702 blowing at the depot. 2018 was a fantastic year for us at Fly Fishing the Smokies. We saw many new smiling faces on the stream and taught more people to fly fish this year than ever other before.

Fly Fishing the Smokies, Brook Haven Private Water,

2018 brought many new offerings for our guests with the addition of our private water at Brook Haven; a beautiful 1.25 mile stretch of trout filled creek which culminates with spectacular private waterfalls. Its an amazing and exclusive place. Truly the private water experience you deserve. We added a new river to offer float trips for trout, and added a Smokies Backpacking Trip to the list. We also opened a new Fly Shop in downtown Bryson City filled with everything you need for a day on the water in the Great Smoky Mountains and surrounding region.

2108 Fly Fishing Outfitter of the Year, 2018 Fly Fishing Guide of the YEar, 2018 Best of the Blue Ridge Fly Fishing Outfitter and Guides, Best Fly Fishing Guides and Outfitter Great Smoky Mountains Gatlinburg Pigeon Forge Bryson City Cherokee North Carolina Tennessee,

This past year we won 2018 Fly Fishing Outfitter of the Year and 2018 Fly Fishing Guide of the Year by Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine. We are incredibly happy with this recognition and still cant thank each of you enough who took time out of your day and voted for us! We also recieved another Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence award for 2018.

Reel Bragging Rights,

This past year we filmed with the incredible crew at Wild Outdoor Media for a brand new show on the Sportsman Channel named Reel Bragging Rights. Our good buddy Jim Root travels the globe following his passion in search of incredible fishing. Jim is a professional bass angler and loves to fish. His new show with producer Stephen Neslage airs this January on the Sportsman Channel! We can hardly wait to see all the adventures.

Great Smoky Mountains Fishing Report, Fly Fishing Guides Gatlinburg Pigeon Forge Sevierville, Fly Fishing Bryson City,

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park saw the wettest year on record with 2018. It seemed to rain nearly everyday somewhere in the region, maybe not everyday, but it sure felt that way looking back. Rain is a good thing for mountain trout. Full flowing creeks and rivers with copious amounts of cold water made for some superb fishing!

We have many new and exciting things to come for 2019! We’re not tipping our hand too much, but you can expect to see some new trips and locations added this year. Who knows maybe even a new fly shop too!

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Our hope is God continues to bless all of you in 2019. Many doors were opened this year for us and there is no way it could have happened without the good Lord above. We’re are excited to see what the future holds and hope you all have a Happy New Year!

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Great Smoky Mountains Fishing Report December 7th

Posted on December 7, 2018 by eshuler

Great Smoky Mountains Fishing Report

No doubt most of you have heard a huge winter blast is on its way to the Smoky Mountains. For several days the meteorologists have frantically changed forecasts and snowfall predictions to the point its hard to believe any of it. One thing is for certain we’re getting snow, and plenty of it!

Fly Fishing in Snow

Fly Fishing in the Snow around the Smoky Mountains is about the most peaceful activity that you can do. There’s just something about the cleansing white of winter that refreshes your soul and calms the spirit. More often than not you will have the streams and rivers all to yourself and the fishing is actually quite good. Fish are active even when it snows. We typically see some great dry fly fishing while snow is falling. Ive often entertained several notions as to why this is, but to save myself from embarrassment, I shall keep those notions inside my head. Lord knows most of what I think comes straight out of my mouth, good or bad! Lol! Fact remains however when its snowing throw a dry fly or two. Griffith Gnats, and black parachutes work excellent.

Great Smoky Mountains

The Park Service will close the road between Gatlinburg and Cherokee tonight at 10:00pm in precaution of the impending forecast. Although I’m not happy about that especially when there isn’t any sign of snow yet, I do understand that safety comes first. There are areas where you can get to and fish when the roads are all closed up. It just requires a little walking and planning ahead.

NC Smokies

On the NC side of the park near Cherokee you can get inside the park as far as Smokemont Campground. That leaves you with plenty of water to fish that has roadside access along the Oconaluftee river. You also have Bradley Fork which is a very fun place to fly fish with miles of water and some great hiking too. You also have Straight Fork where the gate is closed this time of year, but offers some excellent fishing if you’re willing to walk a bit. Deep Creek near Bryson City is excellent and offers easier access with unmatched scenery in the snow. A short hike will have you into some great fishing and cool waterfalls with miles upon miles of water to fish. The farther you hike the less people you will see. Indian Creek is also accessed from Deep Creek and offers good fishing although not much casting room. Twenty Mile is often forgotten in most circles but offers some good access, and great fishing when park roads are closed. Id venture to bet that you wont see another soul down there either. Of course if you have a boat, Hazel Creek is awesome when it snows! You wont see other people and the fishing is pretty solid. When its snowing will be about the only time you will ever have Hazel Creek all to yourself.

TN Smokies

The Tennessee side of the Smokies are a little trickier to get around in when roads are closed. Typically the gate at Sugarlands Visitor Center will be first place to close. This leaves you with some options however. You have the Sugarland Valley Trail that parallels the West Prong of the Little Pigeon for several miles. This lower stretch fishes excellent in the winter months and offers some great solitude with plenty of eager Rainbows to catch. If you’re lucky the road from Sugarlands to Townsend will be open and you can hit the Little River. I personally love to fish the lower end of the Little River in winter. The lure of big wild Browns keeps me awake at night. These almost mythical creatures are tough to stalk and catch, but with some snow falling it puts them off guard just enough to make a mistake! The gate at Greenbrier is usually the last place to close. Even if it does, you can walk up the road and get to plenty of great fishing where you probably have the river to yourself. For those willing to drive a bit you can get into Big Creek fairly easy. Big Creek is sort of remote and off the beaten path for the masses. Big Creek doesn’t see much in the way of fishing pressure and access is pretty good when parks roads close. You certainly wont be close to cell signal in case something happens so fish with a friend and be careful.

No matter what this weekends forecast ends up being, and what actually happens. Until I see Jim Cantore on my doorstep, I’m not going to worry about it. I think I’ll go fishing!

 

See you on the water

T.E Shuler

 

 

 

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Great Smoky Mountains Fishing Report December 2nd

Posted on December 2, 2018 by eshuler

Great Smoky Mountains Fishing Report

The old timers have always said when it thunders in the winter its always followed by snow. While most of my life, Ive always seen this to be true. However after last nights episode of thunder and lightning, we are left with an incredibly beautiful day that feels more summer like than December 2nd. I sit here writing this report on the steps of my log cabin in the Smokies with a pair of shorts and a tee shirt on. Its 70 degrees here today. We’ll certainly pay for the nice stretch of weather today as the week progresses. Temps are forecasted to plummet again this week with snow by weekend.

Rainy Days

Several days of steady and hard rain have left most of the Smokies streams running high. The National Park received high winds and heavy rain last night, closing the roadways due to downed tress across the roads. We have had a wet year with plenty of rainfall which is a good thing considering the alternative. However once the ground here soaks in as much water as possible there’s no where for it to go but out of here. The soaked ground also makes it easy for trees to uproot in high winds as was the situation inside the park last night. The road has opened back up noon and things are going to be drying out over the next several days. High water only lasts temporarily here in the Smokies as stream levels receded quick, usually in less than a day in the high elevations and couple days in the lower elevation streams.

Winter is awesome fishing

November was incredible for fishing and December is expected to be even better! Cooler weather has really put the big trout into a feeding frenzy. This will undoubtedly continue as December and January unfold. The absolute best time of year to fish for big trout has always been from November through February. Large Brown trout begin showing up, almost as if they appear from nowhere. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park and area tailwaters all come alive as the biggest trout of the year start feeding heavily.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

The streams inside the Smokies will fish decent through in the winter in the lower elevations. Places such as the Little River and the Oconaluftee River will be good choices for some cold weather action. Lower reaches of Greenbrier and Deep Creek will also be good bets. Winter Stoneflies will be th best hatches to target along with black Caddis. Fish slow and work your water methodical for the best results.

Gatlinburg Trout Fishing

During the Winter months Gatlinburg offers some good trout fishing on their winter catch and release section. This extends from the park entrance to well below town towards Pigeon Forge. The Tennessee DNR stocks the river heavily with good size trout, some of which will get upwards of 20 inches!

Tuckasegee River

The Tuckasegee River currently has 39,000 trout per mile in the Bryson City stretches. Thats a lot of trout! Big brown trout are moving up from Fontana Lake, and were seeing large fish pushing the upper 20 inch mark. The hatches have been very good on the lower Tuck. Blue Winged Olives, Black Caddis, Midges, and Winter Stoneflies are making up most of what we are seeing. Dry fly action has been great and pretty consistent each day. BWO’s are coming off around mid morning and continue steadily until dark. Lots of rising brown trout are keeping our anglers happy. Streamers have been producing some fine trout too. Working small streamers slowly on sink tip lines are getting great results.

Cherokee Trophy Section

The Cherokee Trophy Section on the Oconaluftee and Raven Fork is fishing well. Big fish are all over the place and the bite has been solid. Good hatches of winter Stoneflies each day are keeping trout interested and activity feeding. Black Caddis have been sporadic but have produced good results and Midges are always a good bet in Cherokee especially in the colder months. The elk are really in full swing of things and are out on the water with us most days. There’s nothing more cool than to be fly fishing and have the elk crossing th stream below you. Its an amazing sight in an already beautiful area to fly fish.

The forecast this week has us getting colder as the week wears on. Snow is forecasted this weekend! We absolutely love to fly fish in the snow. Its an incredibly peaceful experience that really puts your senses on overload. Fish bite well in the snow, and the dusting of snow just adds to the beauty.

 

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