Smallmouth Bass Fly Fishing action is just starting to rev up in North Carolina streams in the mountains. Rivers such as the Tuckasegee and Little Tennessee are home to some great action in Western North Carolina.
Fly Fishing the Smokies is offering a Float Trip Special which is a 3/4 day Float Trip for two people for only $225 per boat. That includes, guide, equipment, flies and lunch!
For reservations call (828)-488-7665 or Book Online
North Carolina Fly Fishing for Smallmouth Bass
Fly Fishing the Smokies is proud to call North Carolina home. With thousands of miles of clean cold water in all directions there is no shortage of great places to fish. We offer both Wade Trips and Drift Boat Fly Fishing or Spin Fishing for Smallmouth Bass and Trout throughout the Western North Carolina mountains. Let our professional local guides show their favorite rivers and their favorite fishing holes as you cast flies and lures to hungry Smallmouth Bass and trout!
For reservations call (828)-488-7665 or book Online
Each week we will be posting a Hazel Creek Fly Fishing Report so that you can follow along as we lead adventures to the Smokies most storied stream. Fly Fishing on Hazel Creek in the Great Smoky Mountains is really heating up! In the past several weeks we have logged many days in the back of beyond while pursuing wild Rainbows and Browns on Hazel Creek. Warm weather and perfect water tempratures are turning the fishing on big time. The Smoky Mountains are starting to green up nicely and everything on Hazel Creek is coming to life.
Fly Fishing Hazel Creek in April
In April fly fishing really starts taking off on Hazel Creek. Tempratures in the back country start warming nicely and the mountains start greening up. Trout become increasingly active and feed aggressively from around the middle of the month and continue all summer long lasting well into the fall. This is the reason why our Hazel Creek Fly Fishing Trips start from mid April and run through mid October. We want you to experience the best fishing possible on Hazel Creek! Currently we’re seeing good hatches which are bringing the trout up top to feed. Dry fly action can be epic on Hazel Creek if you hit it just right! The Light Cahill and Yellow Sallies are our favorite hatches on Hazel Creek and its just starting to happen now!
Hazel Creek North Carolina
Just the visceral experience of Hazel Creek NC alone is worth the trip. Starting with the beautiful Fontana Lake and the North Shore of the Great Smoky Mountains. You’ll be treated to some of the most beautiful scenery staring up at the High Rocks and Shuckstack as you cross the lake. Often we see Bear and Deer swimming across the Hazel Creek Chanel in the mornings. Once you arrive at Hazel Creek where time has stood still, you immerse yourself in a land where life ran a different pace. The first signs of life are right in front of you if you know where to look. You’re guide will point them out as you pass by giving you a run down of some of the local history in the area. If you sit and ponder along the creek banks, as I often do, you can almost hear the lonesome train whistles ringing down from the mountains bringing logs into town where saw mills ran and children played. It’s a land that time has forgotten.
Fly Fishing the Smokies professional guide Jay Cobb will be your host on the Hazel Creek Fly Fishing Trips. Jay is a professionally trained guide from Colorado and Alabama respectively. Jay graduated with a Culinary arts degree, was a lodge chef and guide at the biggest ranches in Wyoming.
Book your next trip to Hazel Creek with Fly Fishing the Smokies!
The Great Smoky Mountains are starting to really heat up in terms of fly fishing action! This time of year things across the region really come alive. Spring rains and overall warming trends have the mountains starting to green up and the fishing turns incredible this time of year!
Tuckasegee River Fly Fishing
The hottest fly fishing destination right now in the south is the Tuckasegee River! Fishing here is outstanding with over 29,000 trout per mile this month, its hard to beat! Home to Rainbow, Brown, and Brook trout with fish averaging 14-20 inches you will certainly be impressed. We regularly catch fish in excess of the mid 20-inch range too! The Tuckasegee is a wide western sized tailwater that is perfectly suited for both Wade Trips and Float Trips. Open room to cast and plenty of big river features make this a great place to catch some trout, or learn to fly fish! Hatches are great this month with tons of different Caddis species and Quill Gordon’s coming off the water all day long. We’re seeing some March Browns ( yes, they hatch in April instead of March like their namesake), Hendrickson, Blue Quill, Blue Winged Olives and tons of Stoneflies. There is more biomass in the Tuckasegee River than any other river in the state of North Carolina.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Great Smoky Mountains Fishing Report April 11th. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is starting to fish very well. We’re still just a couple weeks away from what we consider the peak for fly fishing inside the park. When April arrives the action inside the park really starts to turn on quickly for catching beautiful wild trout! This month so far we’re seeing good hatches and great water levels all across the park streams. We’ve recieved plenty of rain making the streams run full. Its been almost a year now since the park streams have looked this good! The trout here are very active this week with the almost summer likes air temperatures putting them into feeding frenzy mode. The Smokies offer the prettiest streams and prettiest trout that we guide for. Don’t let the smaller size fool you, these jewels of the Smokies will test every ounce of skill you have. They’re also great for first time fly fishers too as they are opportunistic feeders and will smash most flies you put in front of them. The Tennessee Smoky Mountains near both Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge are really starting to turn on. The lower elevation sections are fishing best right now. The North Carolina side of the Smokies are starting to fish good on low eleveation streams such as Deep Creek and the Oconaluftee River.
Hazel Creek Fly Fishing Trips
Hazel Creek fly fishing action is hot, and will continue to get even better as this month progresses. Long considered the wildest and best trout stream in the Smoky Mountains, Hazel Creek is that magical place you don’t want to miss. Hazel Creek can now be experienced as a guided day trip with Fly Fishing the Smokies. Instead of a multi day camping trip, why not enjoy Hazel Creek as a Day Trip! Fly Fishing this watershed is an experience like no other. There’s not a river inside the national park with more history and mystique. Hazel Creek is easily one of the most beautiful places in the country! Don’t miss out on fishing the best the Smoky Mountains have to offer.
March Madness Fishing Report for the Smoky Mountain region. Fly Fishing action around the Smoky Mountains region is very strong this month. March Madness applies to not only basketball but fishing too! Despite a mid month cold snap that brought chilling tempratures and snow to the mountains, the fishing is excellent. We are starting to see temps warm back to normal and next week’s forecast looks to be great. March is always going to be a strong in terms of good catch rates and fish feeding activity. Each year the action is incredible on the Tuckasegee River and Cherokee Trophy Section in March!
Tuckasegee River Fly Fishing
The Tuckasegee River is the hottest fly fishing destination in the south right now. With upwards of 24,000 trout per mile you will be hard pressed to find something that fishes better this time of year! This week the big Brown trout have been on the prowl. Our guests have landed several nice river monsters this week. We’ve also put a good many large Rainbow trout in the net too. This time of year the Rainbows are spawning so the water is full of eggs. Big trout love to eat eggs because of the fat and protein content they contain. We’re also seeing lots of Caddis, Quill Gordon’s, Hendricksons, and Stoneflies hatching too.
Tuckasegee River Float Trips
The Tuckasegee River Float Trips have been hot! We are casting to literally thousands of trout from the drift boats and rafts. We cover lots more distance and water when fish form the boats. Fish simply cannot hide from our perfectly setup boats that are designed to fish rivers like the Tuckasegee. We can get into water that is too deep for people wading to reach. Fishing from the boats also keeps you dry and comfortable especially on chilly days. We are offering a Spring Float Trip Special that is $225 per boat. We supply a professional guide, all gear and flies plus lunch and drinks! Its a great deal and perfect way to catch trout either fly fishing or with light tackle.
Cherokee Trophy Section
The Cherokee Trophy Section has been fishing outstanding this week! Great hatches of Little Black Winter Stone flies, Caddis, Quill Gordon’s and Blue Winged olives have kept the fish feeding heavily. This week we have seen some good dry fly action which is always epic. When was the past time you caught a big fish on a dry fly? The Trophy Section in Cherokee is a great place to wade with good access and beautiful scenery. We’re still seeing the Elk wandering around the river which is a nice treat to see while fly fishing!
Hazel Creek Day Trips
Fly Fishing the Smokies’ Hazel Creek Day Trips are boooking up fast! Starting April 15th thru October 15th, we are offering day trips to the wildest trout stream in the Smoky Mountains. Hazel Creek has long been a bucket list destination for anglers across the nation. No other Smoky Mountain trout stream is more rich in history or has better wild trout fishing than Hazel Creek. Experience Hazel Creek and the best the Smoky Mountains have to offer.
The fishing so far around the Smoky Mountains region has been great. Trout are very active on the larger low elevation rivers. The Tuckasegee River and the Oconaluftee River are both in top form. Anglers are catching some impressive late season Brown trout and some absolute tank Rainbow trout. Hatches have been very good with consistent action all day long. Late afternoon float trips on the Tuckasegee River have seen great action and solid fish caught.
Seems March always has the most dramatic weather changes of any month in the Smoky Mountains. Take last week for example, 76 degrees in Bryson City one day, two days later it snowed. What the… ? We missed an entire winter this year pretty much with record highs and barely any snow. Now it seems the cold weather has moved back in for the week. Not to fear, trout are cold water species and like cooler temperatures. In fact some of the biggest fish our guests have caught have been on the coldest days.
Tuckasegee River Fly Fishing
This week’s best trout fishing is on the Tuckasegee River. Big Brown Trout have been increasingly active, with our cleints catching several absolute brut fish on both Wade Trips and Float Trips. Getting your flies deep and fishing slower sections of water been very productive for these river monster Browns. The Tuckasegee River has seen great hatches of Stoneflies, Caddis, Quill Gordon’s and Blue Winged Olives. This may sound like jargon to some, but to those who fly fish frequently that is music to your ears!
Cherokee Trophy Waters
The Raven Fork and Oconaluftee River on the Cherokee Trophy Section has been fishing very good this past month. We’re getting into some fat and healthy Rainbow trout. These hard fighting river monsters will give you everything you can stand in terms of fight and selectivity. If you are looking to catch possibly the fish of a lifetime on a fly rod, this is your place! We are seeing good hatches of Stoneflies, Caddis, and Midges. Takes have been subtle and the fights epic!
Join the guides at Fly Fishing the Smokies as we venture to Hazel Creek in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, September 22nd- 25th for our Hazel Creek Camping Trip to arguably the most storied, and remote streams in all the Smoky Mountains!
Hazel Creek is THE bucket-list destination for fly fishing in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park! Enjoy incredible fly fishing for wild Rainbow, Brown, and Brook Trout during the best time of the year to fish the Smokies. Once home to one of the largest mining and logging communities in the Smoky Mountains, Hazel Creek is steeped in history that shaped these mountains and their people. Legendary guides and sportsman haunted these waters and woods years ago, legends like Granville Calhoun, Horace Kephart, and Quill Rose.
Along with great fly fishing and beautiful scenery, Hazel Creek also boasts many remnants and ruins of a bygone era from logging and mining companies to old homesteads and cabins. You can see the old Ritter Logging Company and Lumber Mill site, Calhoun House, Hall Cabin, Adams-Westfeldt Mine Site, Proctor Cemetery, and Bone Valley Cemetery.
Hazel Creek Camping Trips
Take a trip back in time and get away from the modern life. You owe it yourself to get out and explore, and enjoy one of the greatest fly fishing destinations in the East!
We’re taking care of everything from the tents, chairs, entertainment (tall tales and BS!), covered sitting area, and great food. So leave your cares and troubles behind, grab your sleeping bag, some clothes, we’ll take care of the rest, and join us for a grand ol’ time to one of the Smoky Mountain’s best trout streams.
The meals are fantastic. Our guides know how to cook back in the mountains, and will feed you some of the good down home country cooking that we grew up with. A big country breakfast every morning with sausage, eggs, bacon, drop biscuits, fried potatoes and even pancakes. We’ll make up sack lunches after breakfast and head to the water for the day’s fishing. Dinner, or ”supper” as us country boys call it, is always amazing. Our dinner menu includes item’s such as fresh pan fried trout, marinated pork chops, grilled chicken breasts, grilled vegetables, potatoes, Shuler’s famous pinto beans, corn bread, and cobblers. We come to fly fish, but being out in the mountains is about more than just fishing, it’s about enjoying the outdoors, and eating some good food too!
We’re offering two different options, the full package includes guided fly fishing on Friday and Saturday, or you can choose to fish unguided and still enjoy everything we have to offer.
$850 per person with a guide
$500 per person without a guide
Guided package price based on 2 anglers per guide. Fishing license and gratuities are not included
Call us today to book your Hazel Creek Camping Trip. (828)-488-7665 or email guides@flyfishingthesmokies.net We’ll be happy to get your trip booked and answer any questions you may have.
Fly Fishing the Smokies is fully insured, licensed, and operates under a special Commercial Use Authorization from the National Park Service.
The Spring Break Special is a 3/4 Day Wade Trip on some of the best Fly Fishing the Smoky Mountains have to offer! You get a private guided fly fishing trip with all the gear and equipment provided and a streamside lunch and drinks. All you need is yourself and of course a fishing license. Spring Break is a great time to be Fly Fishing in the Smoky Mountains near Gatlinburg Tennessee, and Bryson City North Carolina. Both of these award winning mountain towns are loaded with great Trout Fishing!
Rates starting at $112.50 per person!
For reservations Call us at (828)-488-7665 or Book Online!
Spring Break Fly Fishing
Our Spring Break Special is a 3/4 Day Wade Trip that puts you chasing Trout in your choice of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tuckasegee River, and Cherokee Trophy Trout Section during the best action of the year! The cold clean rivers around the Smoky Mountains are loaded with trout all year long. Spring is the perfect time to catch the most trout!
No previous fly fishing experience necessary! We teach you how to Fly Fish!
What’s included?
We supply a patient, professional fly fishing guide, all the gear you need including, waders, wading boots, fly rods, fly reels, leaders, flies, and tippet. Our guides provide a nice stream-side lunch consisting of deli sandwiches, chips, and drinks. Fly Fishing the Smokies offers Catch and Release, and Catch and Keep Trout fishing trips. You bring a fishing license, we provide the fun and entertainment!
Great Smoky Mountains Fishing Report February 27th
What a month this has been! The fly fishing action around the Smoky Mountains have been incredible. It’s honestly been the best fishing we’ve ever seen in February. It was also the warmest February in recent memory which undoubtly was a major factor in activity. We saw lots of nice sized fish put in the net and some true river monsters caught too!
Cherokee Trophy Section
The action is strong on the Cherokee Trophy Section. The Raven Fork has consistently put up some big fish this month. Many days we have seen great hatches of Caddis and Blue Winged Olives that have brought fish to the surface and taking dry flies. It’s hard to put into words the feeling of watching a 20+ inch Rainbow trout smash a dry fly…in February! Of course we have caught them on subsurface patterns and chunking big streamers too! Fly Fishing in Cherokee has been the clear winner this month.
Tuckasegee River Fly Fishing
The Tuckasegee River has been fishing very strong too. We’ve seen some incredible hatches all month long. Literally swarms of Caddis and Midge hatches have kept the fish very active. Often times hatches have been so thick of midges in the afternoon that it looks like fog hanging over the river. Caddis hatches have been so thick it looks like thousands of them on the water. Of course the fish have been boiling the water feeding on them too! This month we started our afternoon Float Trips which have been very fun. The last two hours before sunset action really turns on. It’s arguably the best fishing of the day! Check it out on our website; Float Trip Special 1:30pm start time. We’re finishing up around 6:30-7:00pm.
The weather forecast this week has scattered thunderstorms on Tuesday and Wednesday. We’ll gladly take the rain, we are still considered to be in a drought. Mid week into the weekend looks nice. Sunshine and low 60’s. Can’t beat that!
Great Smoky Mountains Fishing Report February 20th
Fishing in the Smoky Mountain region has been fantastic this month. Unusually warm and often record breaking highs have kept the region feeling more like mid April. February is typically the coldest most bitter month of the year in the Smokies. However that’s not the case in 2017, as extended forecasts models show we will be finishing up the month with nary a snow in sight!
The fishing action has been nothing short of the best we have ever seen for February. Dry fly action has reached legendary status and no doubt one we will be talking about for years to come. We’ve had more days of incredible dry fly action than any we recall. Certainly the warm weather has been the biggest factor in this phenomenon. Many days on the Tuckasegee River and Raven Fork have we seen blankets of Caddis and Blue Winged Olives hatching for hours.
Cherokee Fly Fishing
The fly fishing action has been very hot in Cherokee this month. Warmer air tempratures have meant active trout. Monster trout are the norm on the Cherokee Trophy waters and our guides have put clients on some of the biggest trout of their lives this month. Pretty scenery, big trout and even a few Elk roaming the river banks make this destination hard to pass up!
Tuckasegee River
The Tuckasegee River currently has 17,000 trout per mile. That number will start exploding as the state resumes Spring stocking efforts on March 3rd this year. We should see trout count per mile totals hitting around 24,000 in the next few weeks. Action here has been ridiculous most days! Rainbow, Brown, and Brook trout are taking flies aggressively all day with periods of increased activity on the sunny days. Heavy Caddis and Blue Winged Olive hatches have kept fish very active. Most days we are seeing good hatches mid morning that have us throwing dry flies to rising trout! February has never been a dry fly kind of month until this year! We’ll gladly take it.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is fishing good for February. Warm air tempratures have kept the fish active inside the park on the lower elevation streams. It’s still chilly at night in the high elevation streams, however we have managed a few nice Brook trout when up high. The fishing here has been decent enough that guiding inside the park has been possible
Reservations are filling up quickly as March approaches. Booking well in advance is highly recommended to get peak days. Far and above the best fly fishing action possible will be the Tuckasegee River. With as many trout per mile as this river has, you don’t want to miss it!
Hope y’all have a great week and we’ll see you on the water!
Great Smoky Mountains Fishing Report February 20th
Someday when I’m too old to fish by myself anymore, I want to sit on the porch and reflect on memories of family. Certainly many of my thoughts are going to involve being on the water with my two children who share my love of fly fishing. Through the years I’ve watched as these two have delevoped into their own little personalities, both similar but very different all the same. No matter which direction their lives and activities take them, one thing brings them together every time, and that is fishing.
Often enough our adventures lead us to some great destinations or catching a moment that I just want to freeze in time. These are special times that we share as a family and once in a while we share with all of you. Many of you have watched my children grow but may have never realized who the kids in the pictures were. Brittany and Seth are now 15 and 12. Both love school, sports, picking on each other and for now hanging out with dad and mom. Although with the teenage years upon us, I’m sure the latter will change. My hope is when the dust settles they still come back to fly fishing with ol’ dad.
A few years back I stepped away from a great career and traded my suits and ties for waders and boots. My decision to make such a drastic move was based solely on two things; one was my trust in God, the other was my love of family. I worked nights, weekends, and holidays and never saw my family other than in pictures or when they were asleep. When it finally hit me, I had missed lots of time, fun times that can never be gotten back. In the grand scheme of things it wasn’t worth it. I felt it wasn’t fair that I missed the only childhood they would ever have. These days I don’t miss much
I suppose what I’m rambling on about is this; Take every opportunity you have to spend time with your family and especially your children. In this digital age of video games and cell phones there are far too many distractions that keep us apart. Fly Fishing and family time go hand in hand. Spending time outdoors whether it be fishing or whatever, will be time well spent. One day you may go from taking your kids fishing, to them taking you!
