Fishing this past week in the Smoky Mountain region has been surprisingly really good. Unseasonably warm temperatures last week and into this week brought out tons of black Caddis and Little Winter Stoneflies which kept the trout happy and feeding up top. Lots of fish looking up and fishing some dry flies during Winter was a special treat for us!
Tuckasegee River
The Tuckasegee River continues to be the top of the heap this month of all the water we guide on. River levels have been in great shape with wadeable flows all month long. Fishing has been really good since we warmed up from the bone chilling temps we had early in the month. Double nymph rigs fished deep under indicators have produced the best. Euro-nymphing has also been very productive. The streamer bite this past week was good especially on the warmest days. The big trout were happy to chase prey down from their deep water Winter haunts. Dry flies were the big talk this past week as we saw tons of black caddis popping off in clouds at times. Little black Winter Stoneflies were also hatching in big numbers. We did spot a few Blue Winged Olives as well.
Cherokee Fly Fishing
The Cherokee Trophy Section which comprises of the Raven Fork and Oconaluftee River has been fishing good this past week. Warmer weather melted away the ice from the sides of the banks and turned the fish on big time! Mid day hatches of black caddis and little Winter stoneflies had the fish popping the top after some dry flies. Of course the biggest producer was drifting small dark nymphs deep along the bottom of the big pools and slower moving water. Lots of good Rainbows and a few Browns found themselves in the bottom of a net. Euro-nymphing produced some good fish too, mainly fishing small jigged streamers along the bottom in the some quicker moving water. Streamer fishing has worked decently well too. Not as productive of course, but how cool is it to watch a big trout come from the deep and smash a giant piece of steak! One of the coolest things to me personally about fishing the Trophy Section is getting to watch the Elk as you fly fish. I’m forever looking the banks and underbrush for them. They tend to graze the fields morning and evening which makes them easy to spot. However mid day they are all in the underbrush along the banks of the river. Just be mindful when moving form place to place along the Trophy Section as you don’t want to accidentally walk up on one or make them feel crowded.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is best fished at lower elevations this time of year. Temperatures at higher elevations are still cold especially at night. You can still have a good productive day by fishing the larger creeks such as Deep Creek, Little River and the Oconaluftee from mid morning until mid afternoon. You may see some some sporadic hatches of little Winter stoneflies and Black Caddis coming off. Occasionally on the over cast days you will find a few BWO’s about as well. Fishing dry flies probably hasn’t been very productive, however dead drifting small dark nymphs deep in the slower runs and pools will produce a few fish.
The weather forecast this week calls for tons of rain. We are expected to get 5 inches plus in the Smokies. Temps are going to cool off and by the end of the week with morning lows are anticipated to be in the 20’s on Friday. Definitely not for the faint of heart, but that’s just Winter here in the Smoky Mountains for you. Dress appropriately in layers and let someone know where you plan to fish before you go! Taking chances is never a good idea, and only magnifies during Winter.