Winter Fly Fishing Smoky Mountains

Posted on December 21, 2024 by eshuler
Winter Fly Fishing Trips Gatlinburg Pigeon Forge Sevierville Bryson City Cherokee

 Winter Fly Fishing

Winter Fly Fishing in the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee can be fantastic for big trout! Big Fish love Cold Weather! That’s a fact, and we have the pictures to prove it. The Smoky Mountains region have year around trout fishing, however in the Winter is when we see the biggest fish caught by our guests!

Call or Text (828)-421-6378 or Book Online!

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Be sure to check out our Winter Trophy Trout Special

  • Bryson City Fly Shop, Fly Fishing the Smokies, Fly Fishing Guides Smoky Mountains, Smoky Mountain Brown Trout, Tuckasegee River Fishing Guides

Fly Fishing North Carolina in the Winter

The NC side of the Smoky Mountains has miles of perfect trout filled water. Starting with the Tuckasegee River, which has two distinctive sections of state managed Delayed Harvest areas. These stretches of water are loaded to the max with Brook, Brown, and Rainbow Trout. Catching Grand Slam of all three species is a big possibility! The Tuckasegee River is a wide sprawling Rocky mountain sized tailwater river making trout fishing very near perfect here. During the winter months you can expect between 17,000-18,000 trout per mile. We offer both Wade Trips and Float Trips on this amazing river. The Tuckasegee River is by far the best winter fishery in the South! We have fully stocked Fly Shop located on the banks of the Tuckasegee River in Bryson City!

Trophy Rainbow Trout, Raven Fork Cherokee, Winter Fly Fishing,

Winter Fly Fishing in Cherokee

The hottest destination for big Trout in the Smoky Mountains region is the Raven Fork! Cherokee is home to some awesome fly fishing opportunities, and this time of year we see incredible action. Fishing the Raven Fork is a unique experience offering world class angling for trophy trout while enjoying great stream access and wading in one of the most beautiful settings in the Smoky Mountains. If all of this isn’t enough to convince you, then imagine standing in the river making the perfect cast and having an audience of Elk watch as you fish! It doesn’t get much better than this!

Tennessee Fly Fishing in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge

In Tennessee, the Town of Gatlinburg has special Delayed Harvest Regulations until April 1st. What this means for the visiting angler is the water loaded with Trout, most averaging 20 inches in length! This section is Catch and Release ONLY and you have to use artificial lures or flies with a single hook. So in short terms, this place is perfect for fly fishing. While most fishing is done in the midst of the shops and attractions in town, the scenery isn’t bad Gatlinburg is a beautiful place. Plus you’re never too far from a cup of Hot Chocolate. Fly Fishing Gatlinburg in the winter is a great place for those wanting to learn to Fly Fish, it offers easy access to the river, good wading, and plenty of big trout. What more could you want!?

Great Smoky Mountains Fishing Report, Fly Fishing the Smokies

Winter Fly Fishing the Smoky Mountains

Fly Fishing the Great Smoky Mountains National Park during the winter can be an amazing experience. You will find solitude and spectacular scenery and beautiful wild trout. The streams in the Smokies are home to all wild Brook Trout, Brown Trout, and Rainbow Trout. The fishing here can be equally as good as other streams, especially during periods of warmer temperatures.

Fly Fishing the Smokies, Fly Fishing guides in Gatlinburg

Fly Fishing the Smokies provides all necessary gear for fly fishing during the winter months. We supply Waders, Wading Boots, Fly Rods, Reel, leaders, tippet, and all flies at no additional charge. All you need to do is bundle up and let us take care of the rest!

So get yourself outside this winter and do the unexpected, come Fly Fishing with the guides at Fly Fishing the Smokies and beat the Winter Time blues.

To book your next trip with Fly Fishing the Smokies, call or text us at (828)-421-6378 

See you on the water!

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November Fly Fishing Report, Great Smoky Mountains

Posted on November 23, 2024 by eshuler
Fly Fishing the Smokies, November Fly Fishing Report Great Smoky Mountains, Gatlinburg Fly Fishing Guides, Bryson City Fly Fishing Guides

November is one our favorite times to fly fish in the Smoky Mountains region. Big fish start making their appearances in many of the larger creeks and rivers in the mountains. Late Fall and Winter has long been known as being the best time to catch a big Brown trout.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

The fishing inside the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is doing well. Morning subsurface action gives way to some dry fly action in the afternoons. Caddis and BWO’s are mainstays for the moment as we anxiously await Little Winter Stones to start making their appearances in a few weeks. We are seeing many good sized Browns very active in the lower reaches on larger creeks. Brook trout spawning continues in the high elevations and should finish up in the next week or two. Be very aware not to walk on spawning reds. These areas resemble fresh swept gravelly places in the stream bed typically out of heavier current flows. These areas are full of eggs that can be easily crushed if stepped on. Be careful where you step and avoid these areas at all cost. What you step on today could seriously impact generations for several years to come. Also we don’t want to get into the whole ethics debate of fishing over spawning fish, but seriously don’t be a jackass and fish them. Leave em’ alone, let em’ spawn. There’s plenty of other fish that aren’t actively spawning you can cast at.

Tuckasegee River

The Tuckasegee River is absolutely on fire this time of year! The Delayed Harvest sections on the Tuck are some of the best fishing in the south from November until May. Stocked heavily with Rainbow, Brown and Brook trout this river offers incredible action and versatility. You can fish dry flies, nymphs and streamers all day long and find consistent hatches almost every day throughout the season. Our guides are putting clients on both big fish and good numbers of fish each day. Wade trips and Float Trips are both producing great results. The Tuckasegee River is a tail-water and has numerous freestone tributaries feeding its rich bio-diverse waters. Fact is the Tuck is home to more than 72 species of fish and countless species of invertebrates.

Cherokee Trophy Section

The Cherokee Trophy Section is a beautiful and unique fishery. This time of year fishing is fabulous for large trout and combined the added bonus of seeing the elk while casting a fly make Cherokee hard to pass up. The Raven Fork and Oconaluftee River are bordered on one side by the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Blue Ridge Parkway along the opposite bank. The scenery is just as good as the fishing! Our guides are putting clients on some true fish of a lifetime. Large Rainbows and Browns that will take your reel into the backing and leave you speechless is the order of the day. These big fish will test you every step of the way and provide a challenge for even the most skilled.

Hatches and Flies

Consistent hatches of Blue Winged Olives, Midges, Caddis, Sedge and Stones are still mainstays in the park and across the region. Terrestrials such as flying ants and beetles are also hot tickets. This time of year you cannot overlook the importance of egg patterns. With several species of fish spawning, an egg can be the best morsel of fat and protein a fish may see all day. Streamers continue to produce with great results. Game Changers are absolutely smoking it on the Tuckasegee River and Cherokee Trophy section with smaller offerings such as black woolly’s and natural Zonkers bringing the big boys to net inside the park.

Stop by our fully stocked Fly Shop in Bryson City for a great fly selection and accurate up to the minute stream beta on every stream in the region. We have several quality product lines of gear with the latest offerings from R.L Winston, Moonshine Rods, Ross Reels, Redington, Rio, Renzetti, and many other.

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Smoky Mountain Fishing Report 6/11/24

Posted on June 11, 2024 by eshuler
Smoky Mountains National Park, Brown Trout, Fly Fishing the Smokies, Smoky Mountain Fishing Report

The trout fishing is at peak in the Great Smoky Mountains! All the park streams are fishing at their best and water levels are looking great. Most creeks are running full to medium full. Hatches of Yellow Sallies and Light Cahills are driving the trout absolutely crazy. Lots of dry fly action all day long from sun up til sun down. We are also seeing good hatches of Sulphers and Green Drakes that are bringing trout to the surface as well. Brown and Golden Stones are hatching heavy on sunny days and fish will take every opportunity to crush these mighty morsels of food. Caddis of course are hatching on all park stream no matter elevation or temperatures. Patterns in Olive, Tan, Yellow, Brown and Cream are very productive. This time of year trout in the park have an abundance of food and will grow in size as food is readily available all day and night.

Terrestrials are a large part of a trout’s diet this time of year especially inside the park. Lots of inch worms, hoopers, beetles and ants are falling into the streams or being blown into the water from the wind and rain. One of the best times to fish terrestrial patterns is immediately during and after a rain. Rig up a weighted greenie weenie under a hopper pattern and see what happens!

The forecast for this week looks very nice. Its definitely summer time in the Smoky Mountains whether or not the calendar says so. Temps in Gatlinburg are pleasant for the next few days with highs in the mid 70’s, and the weekend will be upper 80’s. The same holds true for Bryson City and Cherokee. However the backcountry in the Smoky Mountains will be roughly 10-12 degrees cooler thankfully!

Fly Fishing the Smokies, Smoky Mountain Fly Fishing, Brook Trout, Southern Appalachian Brook Trout, Brookiie,

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 offer guided trips in Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, Cherokee and Bryson City. No matter where you stay in the Smoky Mountains we have guided trips close to you!

For Reservations call (828)-421-6378 or Book Online

Book Online, Fly Fishing the Smokies, Best Trout Fishing Fly Fishing Guides in Smoky Mountains Gatlinburg Pigeon Forge Severville
Hazel Creek Great Smoky Mountains, Fly Fishing the Smokies, Smoky Mountain Fishing Report,

Hazel Creek Fly Fishing

Fly Fish the legendary Hazel Creek in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Fly Fishing the Smokies offers Guided Day Trips on world famous Hazel Creek fly fishing for wild trout! This is the wildest, most scenic trout stream in the Smokies. Widely considered the bucket list stream of the Smoky Mountains and easily the most historically steeped region of the park! Solitude, unrivaled beauty and wild trout sums up a day on Hazel Creek. Click the Link for more information on our Hazel Creek Day Trips

Fly Fishing Fun Trip, Gatlinburg Fly Fishing Guides,

2hr Fly Fishing Trip

Our Fly Fun Fishing Trip is the perfect opportunity to fly fish the top rivers and streams in the Great Smoky Mountains region! The Fly Fishing Fun Trip is located in Cherokee NC inside the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. At 2hrs in length, this is a fantastic trip for sampling the fly fishing around the Smoky Mountains. With prices starting at $75 per person, this is a perfect option for beginners and experts alike. Experience Fly Fishing inside the Great Smoky Mountains and not spend a fortune! We include all the gear and equipment needed at no additional charges. All trips are privately guided with just you and your family, with your own guides!

Little Tennessee River Fishing Trips, Float Trip, Smallmouth Bass fishing,

Little Tennessee River

The Little Tennessee is arguably one of the prettiest rivers in our region. Its a top notch Smallmouth Bass fishery with perfect habitat and an abundance of food for river Smallies. Currently the river is in great shape and the fishing is hot!! Flows are clear and perfect for wading or floating. We are catching them on light tackle and fly both. Tossing shallow running crankbaits and soft plastics are getting great results. If your are a streamer fly junky, this is your place! The Little T was made for fishing streamers and sink-tip lines. Smallmouth here are in abundance, most fish average from 12-18 inches. We occasionally catch some bruisers in the deep holes around mid current rocks and log jams on both fly and spin tackle. These fish will come in around 3-4 pounds. The Little T is widely known for numbers rather than trophy fish. Its the perfect place to have a ton of fun with awesome undeveloped scenery. If you have never fished for smallmouth before, its highly addictive. Pound for pound they fight harder than about anything in freshwater!

Guided Trips for Smoky Mountain Brook Trout

New for Summer of 2024, Backcountry Brook Trout guided trips in the Smoky Mountains with the guides at Fly Fishing the Smokies! We offer exclusive backcountry guided trips for the native Southern Appalachian Brook trout in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and various streams outside of the park boundary. This is a specialty Full Day Wade trip for either one or two guests per guide. Join our guides as we take you to some of our most favorite Brook trout streams. All fishing is catch and release!

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Smoky Mountain Fishing Report 6/04/24

Posted on June 5, 2024 by eshuler
Fly Fishing the Smokies, Salvelinus Fontinalis, Smoky Mountain Fishing Report

Smoky Mountain Fishing Report for June 04, 2024

This week is going to be a good one for fly fishing in the Great Smoky Mountains and surrounding towns of Gatlinburg and Bryson City. Weather has been about perfect for the first week of June. Highs reaching upper 70’s in the valleys, and low 70’s in the back country with slight chances of showers in the late afternoon through Thursday. This weekend looks spectacular! Overnight, low 60’s will keep stream temps cool and in great shape for the trout. Reports from our guides have all said park streams are fishing in peak form. Stream levels are perfect for this time of year. All creeks inside the park are running full which is a good sign in case of late summer droughts. We are seeing good hatches all day long of yellow sallies, sulphers, light cahills, brown stones, and various species of caddis have kept the dry fly action strong. The terrestrial game has been strong too. We’re starting to see loads of green inch worms falling from the trees and of course small hoppers in tan and olive along the banks. Black ants and beetles are a good option for times between hatches of aquatic insects.

Fly Fishing the Smokies, Gatlinburg Fly Fishing guides, Bryson City Fly Fishing guides, Smoky Mountain Fly Fishing

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 offer guided trips in Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, Cherokee and Bryson City. No matter where you stay in the Smoky Mountains we have guided trips close to you!

Call or Text (828)-421-6378

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

Fly Fish the legendary Hazel Creek in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Fly Fishing the Smokies offers Guided Day Trips on world famous Hazel Creek fly fishing for wild trout! This is the wildest, most scenic trout stream in the Smokies. Widely considered the bucket list stream of the Smoky Mountains and easily the most historically steeped region of the park! Solitude, unrivaled beauty and wild trout sums up a day on Hazel Creek. Click the Link for more information on our Hazel Creek Day Trips

Fly Fishing Fun Trip, Gatlinburg Fly Fishing Guides,

2hr Fly Fishing Trip

Our Fly Fun Fishing Trip is the perfect opportunity to fly fish the top rivers and streams in the Great Smoky Mountains region! The Fly Fishing Fun Trip is located in Cherokee NC inside the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. At 2hrs in length, this is a fantastic trip for sampling the fly fishing around the Smoky Mountains. With prices starting at $75 per person, this is a perfect option for beginners and experts alike. Experience Fly Fishing inside the Great Smoky Mountains and not spend a fortune! We include all the gear and equipment needed at no additional charges. All trips are privately guided with just you and your family, with your own guides!

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Smoky Mountain Fishing Report

Posted on April 7, 2024 by eshuler

A little cold weather blast to region the last couple days remind us that winter still gets the last word around the Appalachians.

Old timers here in the Smokies will tell you that we have 5 “Little Winters” And before you roll your eyes, let me tell you they are spot on correct too. This most recent blast is called Redbud Winter and is the first of the 5. Redbud Winter typically hits late March to early April and always catches you off guard because it typically follows on the heels of an almost Summer like warm spell. We typically get some snow with this one in the high elevations and winds that will cut you in half. We saw just exactly that this past week. Easter Sunday was one of the most beautiful days we have had in a really long time. Early week was also simply spectacular. But, by mid week, Redbud Winter blew through here with a vengeance, bringing with it heavy isolated rains, high winds followed by snow and down right cold temps. Thankfully we are going to warm up quickly and temps are expected to be back into the low 70’s by Sunday!

The second, more commonly talked about, “Dogwood Winter” happens in late April around the time the Dogwood trees bloom. With this one we can still get some snow in the high elevations and definitely some heavy frosts in the valley floors that will zap the blooms off trees and flowers alike. Locust Winter is early May, while Blackberry Winter is mid May around Mothers Day with Whippoorwill Winter coming in late May. Time will only tell if we have all five this year, but typically we do!

Fly Fishing the Smokies, Tuckasegee River Float Trips

The fishing this week has been pretty solid. All week long, even despite the cold snap, we saw good hatches of Quill Gordons, Blue Quills, Stoneflies and Blue Winged Olives. Early week several of the streams in the Smoky Mountains National Park were actually fishing really good. Lower elevation creeks such as Deep Creek, Little River, Oconaluftee River and Cataloochee Creek all got the thumbs up. Of course once Redbud Winter hit, the Smokies streams shut down pretty quick leaving us with the Tuckasegee River which is not inside the park.

The Tuckasegee River continues to be the very best fishing we have time of year. The Dillsboro stretch of the Tuckasegee got stocked on the 1st and 3rd. The Bryson City section will get stocked on Monday the 8th. Literally thousands of trout per mile were added into the catch and release sections of the Tuckasegee River. Fish range from 12 to 25 inches, with some exceeding the 25 mark. These waters are controlled by hydroelectric dams upstream which provide consistent water temperatures and a variety of rich aquatic insect life. It is in these waters that we see the best insect hatches in the area.

Cherokee tribal waters are now fully open and fishing good as usual. Opening weekend was very busy and has seen a lot of pressure from the catch and keep anglers. The Fly Fishing Only Trophy section has fished pretty good this past week despite the mid week cold snap. Consistent hatches of Blue Quills have kept them looking up in the mid afternoons.

This weeks forecast looks pretty solid. Temps are getting back to normal and we do have a good chance of rain by mid week. We’re not expected to see heavy rainfall totals thankfully. Morning temps are expected to be in the low 50’s with highs reaching into the low 70’s. Chance of rain on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday combined with warm temps have us all thinking about big brown trout and streamer fishing. Overcast and rainy days always see the big Browns coming out in force to feed. Stripping some meat along the edges with that are adjacent to deep water always yield some nice sized fish.

Overall it looks to be a good week here in the mountains. We aren’t expecting to be as busy with tourist and spring breakers as the last several weeks. If you’ve been holding off on coming to the mountains, this will be a good time

We’ll see you on the water

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March Fishing Report

Posted on March 29, 2024 by eshuler

The fishing in March has been insane! The Tuckasegee river is our favorite this month, head and shoulders above all others. We’ve had largely great weather with above average temperatures making for some fantastic days on the water!

Water levels on the Tuckasegee river have been very good. Most days the river has been running with flows ranging from 1300cfs to 2200cfs in Bryson City. Flows in the Dillsboro section of the Tuckasegee River Delayed Harvest have ranged from 120cfs when the water is off, to 850cfs when both the East and West Forks have been generating. Duke Energy has done a good job with release schedules and we have had zero issues with unsuspected releases. Wading conditions have been very good for early Spring!

We are offering some great Spring Specials on our guided trips, both wade trips and float trips. Check em out! https://flyfishingthesmokies.net/specials/

Currently we are seeing great hatches of Blue Quills, Quill Gordons, Black Cadddis, Brown Stoneflies, Blue Winged Olives and Olive Caddis on any given day on the Tuckasegee river and many surrounding area streams. The hatches in the Bryson City section have been nothing short of epic for many days. The afternoon has been best for fishing and getting on a good dry fly bite!

Easter weekend forecast is looking absolutely beautiful and we are not expecting to see any crowds on the river.

We do have a few spots left for guided trips this coming week. So those of you who have been holding off on booking watching the weather, we’ve got you covered! Just give us a call at our Fly Shop in downtown Bryson City and our staff can get you booked! 828-488-7665

This week we received several big shipments of new gear from our friends at Fishpond. We have the latest offerings in packs, nets and fly boxes! A few new sizes in Nomad nets we are super excited about! Finally Fishpond has released a new net that we feel like is the perfect net for fishing the Great Smoky Mountains National Park! Also a new smaller size lumbar pack that our guides have fell in love with! We also got a big shipment of new flies from RIO. Some super cool patterns that are already proven to be absolute killers out there! Slid on over to our fly shop in Bryson City and check them out!

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Hazel Creek Fly Fishing

Posted on June 15, 2023 by eshuler

Hazel Creek Fly Fishing Great Smoky Mountains

No other stream in the history of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is more treasured or storied than the famous Hazel Creek. Loved by many, and desired by all who have ever cast a fly, these fabled waters are the hallmark of everything fly fishing. Hazel Creek is located in one of the most remote sections of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Hidden away from the modern world is this special place preserved in time. Wild rainbow, brown and brook trout are plentiful, some reaching epic proportions by park standards. Hazel Creek is the bucket list stream for fly fishing the Smokies. We are fortunate to call this region home.

Hazel Creek, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Hazel Creek Fly Fishing Guides, Fly Fishing the Smokies

Hazel Creek Fly Fishing Trips

Fly Fishing the Smokies offers guided fly fishing trips for the experienced angler to Hazel Creek. Day trips that include a shuttle across Fontana Lake, experienced guide, all gear and flies plus streamside lunch. Trips do require copious amounts of walking, mainly on old gravel road beds from decades ago. During the hottest days of summer, we may hike up the road a good piece, (3 miles) or so to suitable cold water where the trout have seen less people and more eager to bite. Terrain is fairly flat with a mild incline on the lower sections. Hazel Creek is wide with a more open canopy offering plenty of room for casting by Smoky Mountain standards. The creek bed is one that is very rocky with sizable plunges and holes which certainly contain some large brown trout. It is not until we pass Bone Valley and up towards the famous Hall Cabin that we find the trail gaining much noticeable elevation gains. Once above the old Hall cabin we start catching the famous Hazel Creek brook trout!

Capt Ryan Laws, Fly Fishing the Smokies, Smoky Mountain Fly Fishing,

One of our guides, Capt. Ryan Laws, is a son of Hazel Creek. He comes from a long line of Smoky Mountain sportsman. His papaw is none other than Jack Laws ” The Old Bear Hunter” founding member of the Inspirations Gospel Quartet. Stories and legends of Jack’s exploits are known world wide. Ryan’s Great Grandfather was Cornelius Laws, a famous guide and bear hunter from long ago, who plied the mountains and waters of Hazel Creek. Known for his exploits in the world of Smokies bear hunting with other famous luminaries of the time, Mark Cathey, Sam Honeycutt and author Horace Kephart, Cornelius and his bear dogs of Hazel Creek were a legend. Capt. Ryan knows Hazel Creek well, and spends most of his days along the north shores of Lake Fontana.

Seth Shuler, Fly Fishing the Smokies, Smoky Mountain Fly Fishing, Hazel Creek Guide

Seth Shuler is a 4th generation fly fishing guide and son of none other than Fly Fishing the Smokies owner, Eugene Shuler. Seth has spent his entire life working in the family business as a shop employee and the last several years as a guide. At 16yrs old, he was the youngest licensed fly fishing guide ever in the state of North Carolina. Seth was the runner-up in the Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine Guide of the Year selections. Seth splits his time guiding on Hazel Creek and Forney Creek, both superb north shore Smoky Mountain Mountain trout streams. When not on a trout stream, Seth attends the University of Pikeville (Upike) in Kentucky where he plays college football and is an elite level punter. He has a cannon for a leg and can pin a receiver anywhere on the field he wants. His undergrad studies are in Healthcare Management and plans to attend medical school at Upike. His energetic spirit and witty sense of humor shine through as a guide. He is passionate about fly fishing and loves to teach.

MJ Lee, Fly Fishing the Smokies, Smoky Mountain Fly Fishing,

MJ Lee is a high octane full of adventure kind of guide. He hails from Arizona and has spent his life chasing fish all across the globe! MJ has been guiding for Fly Fishing the Smokies the past couple of years and spends his time chasing wild fish inside the national park. He loves to fish the north shore streams of the Smokies that are only accessed by boat or super lengthy hikes. His incredible personality combined with his ability to think outside the box along with his sense of adventure separate MJ from most guides you have ever fished with. Rumor has it, you may see him on some upcoming shows of Homesteaders on your TV!

Hazel Creek Fly Fishing Guides, Fly Fishing the Smokies, Smoky Mountain Fly Fishing

Those looking to fish Hazel Creek with our guides should be in good physical condition and able to hike several miles. We recommend anglers to have at least fly fished previously before attempting this trip. The fish here are wild and spooky making them a challenge. This is not a trip we would recommend for first timers to fly fishing or for kids under 16yrs old. This trip is based out of our Bryson City location only. Participants for this excursion will meet at our Fly Shop in downtown Bryson City at 157 Everett Street. You will then follow your guide in your own vehicle to the boat ramps.

Call or Text (828)-421-6378

or book online!

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Spring Fly Fishing is near

Posted on February 15, 2023 by eshuler
Spring Fly Fishing, Hazel Creek Fly Fishing Guides, Fly Fishing the Smokies, Bryson City Fly Shop, Bryson City Fly Fishing Guides, Smoky Mountain Fly Fishing Guides, Gatinburg Fly Fishing Guides, Pigeon Forge Fly Fishing guides, Cherokee Fly Fishing Guides, Cherokee Fly Shop,

Spring Fly Fishing

Spring fly fishing will be here before you know it! Unofficially Spring starts here in the Great Smoky Mountains around March 1st. With the coming of Spring brings some amazing opportunities for fly fishing not only the Smoky Mountains, but across the East Tennessee and Western North Carolina region.

Cherokee Fly Fishing, Bryson City Fly Fishing,Fly Fishing Guides Great Smoky Mountains Gatlinburg Pigeon Forge Cherokee Bryson City Trout Fishing Guides

Tuckasegee River

Hands down the best Spring time fishing in the region. The Tuckasegee River holds the most trout per mile of any stream in the US. Stocked heavily from October through May, this fantastic river offers both new comers and the experienced fisherman plenty of excitement. Wide open room for fly casting and literally thousands of trout waiting to eat your flies. 2023 Spring stocking dates are March 6rd, April 10th, and May 2nd. Plan your trips accordingly, this is the equivalent of Disney World of fly fishing! Trout here range from 12- 25 inches. The Tuckasegee River also has a good population of Smallmouth Bass and a Spring run of Walleye. We offer both Wade Trips and Float Trips on the Tuckasegee River. Be sure to check our our Seasonal Specials for some great deals on guided trips!

Fly Fishing Guides the Great Smoky Mountains National Park Gatlingburg Bryson City Cherokee Pigeon Forge.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Fly Fishing action inside the Great Smoky Mountains really heats up fast in the Spring. Trout start becoming active inside the park starting in March and activity increases rapidly each month into the summer. By late April to early May the Smokies trout feed heavily and dry fly fishing becomes the best choice! Streams such as the famed Hazel Creek and Forney Creek in North Carolina are long time favorites of experienced wild trout anglers. Deep Creek and the Oconaluftee River near Bryson City and Cherokee are some of the hottest choices for NC. In Tennessee near Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge our favorites include the Little River, Middle Prong and West Prong. The most beautiful wild trout in the country live inside the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. With over half a million acres and 2910 miles of water inside the park, there is no shortage of spectacular Streams to catch wild trout. Spring dates fill up quickly so booking early is recommended especially if you are planning on fishing around Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge.

Cherokee Fly Fishing, Bryson City Fly Fishing,Fly Fishing Guides Great Smoky Mountains Gatlinburg Pigeon Forge Cherokee Bryson City Trout Fishing Guides

Spring Break Special

The Spring Break Special is a 5hr 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!

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Smoky Mountain Fly Fishing Report

Posted on April 15, 2022 by eshuler
Fly Fishing the Smokies, Tuckasegee River, Gatlinburg trout fishing, Bryson City trout fishing,

The big news in fly fishing is the Tuckasegee River. This fantastic tailwater located on the North Carolina side of the Smokies is fishing incredible. April’s stocking of trout has put this already amazing river over the top! Our guided trips are seeing tons of fish put in the nets and anglers getting shots at hundreds of fish. Average size of trout on the Tuckasegee is 14-18 inches with numerous fish exceeding 20 inches and beyond. We are seeing great hatches of Stoneflies, Quill Gordons, and March Browns. On cloudy days heavy hatches of Blue Winged Olives have trout looking upend feeding heavy. Streamers are pulling in big aggressive fish especially when fished slow and deep. Nymph fishing is of course the best bet for both numbers and size.

  • Smoky Mountains Fly Fishing Report, Fly Fishing the Smokies

Fly Fishing the Smokies

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park streams are shaping up nicely. As temperatures across the region warm up so does the trout fishing inside the park. Spring hatches of Quill Gordons and March Browns have trout hitting dry flies mid morning into early afternoon. Water flows have been very good and streams are running full and clear. Brown trout have been a favorite target early spring for out guides. Larger park browns have been hungry and feeding the best in lower elevation streams. Slow stripping dark streamers off the banks tend to draw the most strikes. Rainbows have been the staple of park fishing this spring and the most fish accounted for on dry flies. Brookies are starting to become more active as the higher elevation streams warm. Still not really falling for dries, running a small flashy nymph seems to do the trick on Brook trout.

The weekend forecast looks to be a wet one. A high chance of rain for Saturday will have us keeping our eyes on stream levels. Clarity probably won’t be much of an issue as this time of year streams don’t tend to get as dirty as summer rains do. Honestly a murky stream or river will yield bigger fish than clear water and blue skies. Just fish closer to banks and midstream obstacles as fish tend to bunch up out the heavier currents.

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Smoky Mountain Fly Fishing Report

Posted on January 26, 2022 by eshuler
Fly Fishing the Smokies, Float Trips, Tuckasegee River

Fly Fishing Report January 26, 2022

This week a nice warming trend sweeps across the Smoky Mountain region through Thursday. Highs each day creep into the low 50’s with the sun shinning through. We expect stream temps to warm slightly creating a flurry of trout feeding activity. Don’t be surprised to see afternoon hatches of winter black stones and blue winged olives bringing trout to the surface. Makes sure to bring a handful of dry flies to the river!

Tuckasegee River Fishing Report

The Tuckasegee River continues to impress this week. Our clients are sticking some very nice trout. Float Trips are the way to go in the cooler months for comfort and staying dry, and great way to cover more water. Currently we are catching some giants by stripping streamers tight to the banks in slacker water. Big browns and Bows are crusing these areas in search of easy meals. Dont strip too fast, as a slower moving bait fish pattern will get you plenty of attention from a predator. Hatches of Blue Wings and winter black stones are bringing trout to the surface mid day. On warmer sunny days expect to have some solid dry fly action. Nymphing heavy always picks up fish on the Tuck, getting flies down to the bottom really makes a difference.

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