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