Tellico River Fishing Report

    The Tellico River remains a top fishery throughout the Delayed Harvest season. The water is gin clear, and at last check was running at 41 degrees in the DH section. The trout continue to take common nymph patterns that are dredged deep through obvious runs. We also caught several stripping size 6 olive buggers through deeper channels.

    On our guided trip earlier this month we got to spend some time on the North River as well. We were looking for some post-spawn brown trout, which sadly eluded us on this trip, but we did catch several wild rainbow trout in a short period of time. We were fishing in the lower stretches and were pleased to see such good populations of fish that far down the river. North River continues to improve as a wild trout fishery each year. This time of year provides virtual solitude on that river, and the fishing is as good as it gets on any wild stream in this state. That combination is hard to find anywhere else, especially in the Smokies. Look for North River to become a destination fishery in the future. I know it already is for several that are in the know, but I think it will continue to gain in popularity.

    Speaking of wild streams in Tennessee, many people simply don't realize how good North and Bald Rivers can be almost any time of year. With several miles of good trout water available you can easily fish some sections the entire day without encountering another fisherman. That simply can't be said for the Smokies, which at times feels like a circus environment due to the shear volume of traffic that you have to deal with throughout the day. The solitude alone makes our streams worth the trip. Come check them out for yourself. You'll be glad you did!