Tellico River Report

As many of you are aware, judging by the phone calls, the Tellico River was in flood stage last week due to receiving 8 inches of rain over a 3 day period. I'm happy to report that all is well now and the fishing is back on track.
The delayed harvest section continues to fish well. Water temps have been in the low to mid 40's throughout the day and the fish are back on the feed. I would suggest going in the early afternoon after the sun has had a chance to warm things up. You may even get in some dry fly activity as the baetis and small winter stones have been a favorite food recently. Nothing like rising fish in December!
If you do go, remember to wade carefully and bring some extra clothes just in case. Be careful and enjoy!

Christmas Special

Christmas Special! Take $50 off any gift card for full or half day guided fly fishing trips. Take $25 off any gift card for our beginner Fly Fishing 101 classes. Offer ends Dec. 20, 2015.

Fly Fishing 101 Class Full

Our class we have scheduled for January 9th filled up yesterday. We will announce other classes here when we get them scheduled.

Brook Trout in the News

Here are a couple of articles about our only native trout species and some of the hardships they endure. This should drive home the importance of ethical catch and release practices among all fishermen.

Article #1

Article #2

Fly Fishing 101 Class

We will be kicking off the New Year with a beginner fly fishing class on January 9th. The class will be held at a cabin on the Hiwassee River and is limited to 8 students. I have several requests for these classes throughout the year, so I think the class will fill quickly. If interested, email or call for more info and to reserve your spot.

Nantahala DH

I got a chance to fish the Delayed Harvest section of the Nantahala River in North Carolina yesterday. I've always enjoyed fishing that river, especially that section of it. I couldn't believe how crowded it was, but it still fished extremely well.
I got there early, so I began the day fishing a double nymph rig. I caught several brookies on it with one rainbow thrown into the mix. After lunch the fish moved up in the water column to feed and the nymph bite got much slower. That was fine with me, as I was now able to switch over to a streamer. That's when it got crazy good!
I tied on a simple cone head olive bugger in size 6 and began working the long, slower moving stretches of slightly deeper water. The brook trout went crazy for that streamer and it was the last fly change needed for the day. It also brought in the biggest fish of the day, a nice 16 inch brown trout that swirled up from out of nowhere and crushed it.
After the brown trout was safely released, I moved upstream to the next likely run. I scrambled my way down the bank and found a nice rock to stand on with a clear area to the rear for my back cast. Using a simple jerk strip retrieve of the bugger I pulled a dozen or so brook trout out of this section with relative ease. I hoped to find another good brown trout in there, but no luck. I decided to call it a day with about 20 fish brought to hand.
All in all it was a perfect day to fish the Nantahala DH section. The weather was perfect and the fish were hungry. If you've ever wanted to fish this stream but just never got around to it, now's the time!

Dirty Water Fly Fishing

Bald River Falls Under Flash Flood 

One of the biggest myths in fly fishing is that trout don't feed well in high, dirty water. Nothing could be further from the truth. The trout actually gorge themselves quite often during high, dirty water conditions. The fact that you aren't catching them doesn't mean that they aren't feeding. The tactics do change a little however, especially from the way most people believe that they need to present their flies during the dirty water times. Here's a few tips that may help you out:

Lose the Flash
Most people tend to think that they need to throw big, bright, flashy flies when fishing in dirty water so the fish can see their offering. This may be one of the biggest myths out there. The trout sees very well in dirty water...very well. Just because you can't see the fly doesn't mean that they can't. In fact, flashy flies will often turn them away. Think about it like this...nothing in nature produces flash without sunlight reflecting on it. In dirty water there would not be enough light penetration for anything to produce flash, so it is not a natural occurrence and the fish know that something is up. Go to a dark, or at least a darker fly, and see if that produces some better results for you.

Tellico River Fishing Report

We have gotten some much needed rain over the last couple weeks and the river is in perfect shape right now. Water temps remain in the high 40's to low 50's depending on your location and the fish are certainly hungry, especially in the Delayed Harvest section.

Nymphing remains the most productive technique. The 2 fly drop shot method has worked the best for me. The best combination has been a large, black stonefly as my point fly and a size 16 hares ear as my dropper fly. Adjust the amount of split shot as needed to get your flies down. The water has been crystal clear, so stealth has also been very important.

I've caught a couple of the larger brood fish that they stocked, but most have been in the 12-14 inch range. The best fish caught so far has been a 3 inch wild rainbow trout. I say the best fish yet because it certainly proves that we have good reproduction of wild fish continuing in the river. That is always a good thing to see.

Classes

We are in the process of planning some educational fly fishing classes for the upcoming winter months. Classes will consist of power point lectures, equipment reviews, casting and time on the water putting it all together. Topics will include:

Fly Fishing 101
Advanced Nymph Fishing
Advanced Streamer Fishing

If interested in taking any of the classes let us know. We're still putting things together and will post dates, pricing and locations soon. Each class will require a minimum of 8 students enrolled in order to proceed.

Gift Certificates

It's that time of year again. You know, that time of year when you can't think of what to get Dad for Christmas. May we suggest a gift certificate for a full or half day guided fishing trip? These have been a huge success over the years and we've never heard anyone complain about receiving a fishing trip as a gift. Have you? Give us a call today!

Foam is Home

Many anglers have heard this saying over the years, but few seem to know the true meaning of "Foam is Home" and why we love to fish the foam lines. If you have ever been guided by me, I know for certain that you have heard my thoughts on the subject. The foam lines are one of my favorite areas to fish for feeding trout. Here are a couple of reasons why:

1) The presence of the foam line means that is where the majority of the current is flowing. When fly fishing you have to realize that trout see current flow as a buffet table. That is where their food comes from as the current is what washes the food downstream to the waiting fish. This is where the spent insects are concentrated and free flowing, so why not lay your offering out into the foam as well? It works after all, at least in my experience.

Videos

We are in the process of putting together some ideas for a series of instructional type videos. If any of our readers have ideas on some things they would like to see please comment here or drop us an email. Your input will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Swinging the Soft Hackle

The soft hackle fly is probably one of the least used flies in most fly boxes. Just like other wet flies, it has fallen out of favor over the years. This has always been a mystery to me because I find it to be a very productive fly when swung through proper current on most of the rivers that I guide on, especially the big tailwaters like the Hiwassee.
The soft hackle fly effectively imitates emerging insects and even drowned naturals. I find the most effective presentation to be a down and across current cast, kept on a tight line and swung through the "foam line" that is present in most dominant currents on large tailwaters. I like to swing it through and let it rest at the end with a slow, painfully slow, retrieval for maybe 5 strips. This imitates an emerging insect trying to break through the surface film in order to hatch.
If presented correctly this can and will produce strikes throughout the day in almost any conditions. The hardest part for most of my clients is to get a good hookset once they do get a strike. Since the fly is on a tight line, they actually get to feel the strike. This is a new concept for most of them and they can't believe how quickly the trout actually strikes. You have to be on your game when they hit or you will miss way more fish than you can catch throughout the day. This is the only true downside to the technique, but most don't seem to mind because they enjoy the action, so to speak. They agree that it beats having to just sit and watch an indicator float down the river all day. It's certainly hard to argue with that point.
The next time you're out, especially on a big tailwater where you have ample room to get a good swing, dust off that wet fly box and try a soft hackle fly. It will keep you and your senses sharp as it will definitely produce some vicious takes. Just be ready to set the hook and keep a tight grip on that fly rod!

In the News

Big win for the people of Utah! Click here to read all about this important ruling on stream access.

Tellico River Fishing Report

We've had some much needed rain over the last few days and the water levels are perfect for fishing. Water temps are in the 50's and the newly stocked delayed harvest fish are happy and feeding well throughout the entire day. Nymphs have been the standard fare, but we have had great success throwing size 6 olive buggers as well. I would say that the hares ear nymph has been the top producer for me over the last couple weeks. The size 16 has been the best performer, but the soft hackle version in a size 18 runs a close second. It all depends on the type of water fished as to what I will have tied on from time to time.
The new Delayed Harvest section is now from the mouth of North River to the state line. This is predominantly small stream type fishing with several plunge pools and short runs. It varies a little until you get above Green Cove, but once you get that far up it is a small stream fisherman's paradise. The fish are your typical high mountain variety, as this area has lots of natural reproduction as well. When the DH fish are thrown into the mix you get a little better average size per catch, but the techniques still require stealth and a good presentation in tight quarters.
We prefer using a drop shot technique while nymphing, but if not familiar with this other nymphing styles will also work fine. The key is to try and minimize the use of a strike indicator if possible. If new to nymphing it will take some practice, but the smaller streams require a more subtle approach, especially for the native trout. Even if you don't catch a lot of fish, it will prove to be good practice.

Temperature Triggers

I came across this photo of an article that I saved years ago. Thought it may be of interest to others as I found it to be a good read. Puts a little different spin on things. Enjoy!

To Bead or Not to Bead

There is little doubt that the bead head nymph is a staple in everyone's fly box. And for good reason. As we all know, it is extremely important to get the nymph down to the bottom of the stream quickly in order to achieve as realistic a presentation as possible. But....have you ever really thought about what this may look like to a trout laying in 7 feet of water?

Indicator or Suspender?

Some of my favorites for suspending flies

Strike indicators have gotten a bad rap over the years, but you have to admit they are definitely effective for detecting strikes while nymphing your favorite streams. Even a purist can't deny that it makes sense to use them. I know there are lots of other ways to detect strikes, but none that are as easy to implement or teach, especially to new fly anglers. But what about some other ways to use them that may have everyone singing their praises, even the most traditional folks?

F3T

Below is a post that I copied with the details about the upcoming Fly Fishing Film Tour in Chattanooga. We'll have a presence at the event and look forward to seeing everyone come out and support the great charities that will benefit from it. We plan on having a table set up doing some fly tying and talking fishing with the attendees. Hope to see you there.

****This event is now ALL AGES********

The Fly Fishing Film Tour is brought to Chattanooga, TN by the Trout Unlimited Appalachian Chapter . All proceeds from this event will benefitTrout Unlimited and its native Brook Trout restoration efforts in Tennessee, as well as Project Healing Waters.

General Admission Tickets ($15) will be available online through the F3T website and locally at Trekka Outfitters, Sportsman's Warehouse, and The Camp House. A limited number of VIP tickets will be available locally for $45, these tickets include 1 free beer, 10 raffle tickets (priced at $2), a Trout Unlimited hat, and priority upfront seating.

This event will be held at the The Camp House in Chattanooga on November 5th, 2015. Doors will open at 6:45pm for VIP seating, and 7:00pm for General Admission. The film Back to Brooks, a local film will begin at 7:30pm, and the F3T film will begin at 8:00pm.

Fishing Streamers

I decided to write this article about how to fish streamers because it seems like 70% of the time when we tell people that they are hitting woolly buggers, they say that they have no idea how to fish a streamer. We certainly don't mind explaining how to fish them, but I thought I would post it here for the benefit of our readers and followers. So, here it goes:

Winter Fishing Tips

Winter fishing can be some of the most productive fishing that you will do all year. It can be challenging though due to the low, clear water conditions that usually prevail during that time of year. The delayed harvest waters have really gotten more anglers interested in fishing during the colder months and we are often asked about the different tactics that we use while fishing in these often challenging conditions. Below are some tips that may help you become a better cold weather fly fisherman.

New Addition

Jeffery Sharpe is the newest addition to the Tellico Angler Guide Staff. Jeff grew up in Chattanooga spending most of his free time on the Hiwassee and Tellico Rivers. In 2005 Jeff moved to Knoxville and that is now where he calls home. Jeff is a gifted fly tyer and spends most of his time on the Holston and Clinch Rivers chasing Rainbows and Smallmouth Bass. 

Jeff is our Holston and Clinch River expert. He is also a commercial fly tyer and enjoys introducing his clients to his personal patterns that have been proven to produce on his favorite waters. You will enjoy your time on the water with Jeff and his laid back style of guiding.

Just Added: Holston and Clinch Rivers

We are pleased to add the Holston and Clinch Rivers to our list of offerings. Here is a brief history of these Knoxville area tailwaters:

Holston River

The Holston River is one of the larger watersheds in the Southeast. The section we focus on is below Cherokee Dam. Completed in 1941, this impoundment creates Cherokee Lake and the tailwater below the dam known as the Holston River. In the mid 1990's, TWRA began managing the upper nineteen mile stretch of this river as a "Put and Take" trout fishery. With TVA stepping in and adding ventilated turbines and a direct oxygen injection system to help improve dissolved oxygen levels in the water below the dam, this fishery has improved on a yearly basis and will hopefully only continue to provide us with healthier and larger fish. 

Clinch River

The construction of Norris Dam was completed in 1933. Three years later, TWRA began stocking the Clinch with trout. The Clinch is the oldest stocked tailwater in the state and boasts good numbers of rainbow and brown trout. This river is well known for its spring sulphur hatches and late fall brown trout spawns. TWRA manages the upper twelve miles of this river and annually stocks over 100,000 fingerlings. The Clinch is also home to the current state record brown weighing in at a respectable 28 lbs. and 12 ounces.