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Smokies Fishing Report 5/9/21

Location

Smoky Mountains

Water Levels

Little River: 287cfs / 2.26 feet
Pigeon: 499cfs / 2.12 feet
Oconaluftee: 538cfs / 1.91 feet
Cataloochee: 75.591.3cfs / 2.57

Water Temperatures (approximate)

Low elevations: 54 – 58 degrees
Mid elevations: 52 – 56 degrees
High elevations: 50 – 54 degrees

Current Conditions

It continues to be a really strange spring. It seems that just as fishing really starts to turn on, we get another major rain system or cold front to set things back. And when I say “set things back,” fishing is still decent, it just hasn’t quite gotten to consistently great yet.

Speaking of rain systems, it’s coming down pretty good as I write this and is supposed to rain into Monday morning. Different models are showing different things, but looks like we may see about an inch and a half of rain tonight, which will likely blow out these mountain streams that are still full from last week’s big rain. You better check the latest gauge readings if you’re heading out in the next couple of days because the ones above will probably look way different in the morning. Reading Stream Gauges.

Projected Conditions

As mentioned above, it’s been a weird spring. Here it is nearly the middle of May and we’re not supposed to get out of the 60’s for highs this week. Overnight lows are staying in the 40’s. And it looks like a decent chance of rain most every day until next weekend.

Tips

If the rain doesn’t screw up the streams, fishing should be okay this week. With these cooler overnights, expect better fishing in the afternoons. Topwater activity has been very good recently. For me, it’s been on tan caddis and Thunderheads, but I’d say any common attractor should do well. If water comes up this week, plan on doing more nymphing. In addition to what’s mentioned below, rubber-legged stonefly nymphs, Wooly Buggers and San Juan Worms are always good in higher water.

Hatches/Fly Suggestions

We’re starting to transition to “yellow season,” meaning much of what you’ll see hatching will be yellow. Blue Quills (#18) and Light Hendricksons (#14) will likely still be seen here and there. You’ll probably see a fair number of Red Quills (#14-12) and March Browns (#14-10) as well.

But look for bigger numbers of sulphurs (#16), Light Cahills (#14-12) and Yellow Sallies (#16) over the next 4 or 5 weeks. Caddis are also abundant this time of year depending where you are. A tan body in a #14 will do the trick.

As always, a good selection of attractors will get you through most situations. Parachute Adams, Parachute Hares Ears, Thunderheads, Adams Wulffs and Royal Wulffs always do pretty well. But as mentioned above, you’ll want to be sure to have some dry flies in yellow. A Neversink in #16 – 14 is a staple for me. So is a Yellow Stimulator. I’d also have a selection of Parachute Sulphurs and Cahills.

For nymphs, try Hares Ears, Pheasant Tails, Copper Johns and Tellico Nymphs. And with so much stuff hatching, now is a pretty good time to start experimenting with soft hackles. Check out my Hatch Guide for complete hatch information.

The featured fly this month is a Sulphur Comparadun. Sulphurs are one of the more reliable hatches in the Smokies. They’ve already started and should be around until at least the end of May. Most any sulphur pattern will fit the bill but if you run across any stubborn, slow water trout, the Sulphur Comparadun is an excellent choice!

Featured Fly

The Smoky Mountain Candy is a fly pattern originated by my good friend, Walter Babb. It is essentially a Thunderhead with a yellow body. Yellow is a great color this time of year. This fly floats well, is easy to see and catches fish… what more could you ask for?!? Order some from Little River Outfitters.

Smoky Mountain Candy
Smoky Mountain Candy
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Smokies Fishing Report 5/2/21

Fly FIshing a Smoky Mountain Trout Stream

Location

Smoky Mountains

Water Levels

Little River: 173cfs / 1.92 feet
Pigeon: 337cfs / 1.86 feet
Oconaluftee: 430cfs / 1.73 feet
Cataloochee: 75.5cfs / 2.49

Water Temperatures (approximate)

Low elevations: 54 – 58 degrees
Mid elevations: 52 – 56 degrees
High elevations: 50 – 54 degrees

Current Conditions

Fishing has been pretty good of late. It’s that weird time of year when days are getting warm but trees haven’t filled in all the way yet. A lot of direct sunlight is on the water in the afternoon making for spooky fish. That will change in a week or two.

Water is actually running slightly below normal for this time of year, especially on the North Carolina side of the park. Water temperatures are approaching perfect.

Projected Conditions

The week ahead is, shall we say, unsettled. We’ll have some thunderstorms moving through and estimated rain totals change every time I look. More than likely we’ll see around 1 1/2″ of rain over the course of three days. The bulk of it will be on Monday and Tuesday with lighter rain likely on Wednesday. A moderate cold front will follow.

I’m expecting water to come up a bit. How much is hard to say but I don’t think it will be a total blowout. Folks planning to fish on Tuesday or Wednesday should have the biggest concern for high water. Folks fishing Monday and Tuesday should plan on some wind and keep an eye out for thunderstorms. In any case, I’d keep an eye on the stream gauges this week. Reading Stream Gauges.

Tips

Fishing should remain good this week. Topwater activity has been very good recently. For me, it’s been on tan caddis and Thunderheads, but I’d say any common attractor should do well. If water comes up this week, plan on doing more nymphing. In addition to what’s mentioned below, rubber-legged stonefly nymphs, Wooly Buggers and San Juan Worms are always good in higher water.

Hatches/Fly Suggestions

We’re starting to transition to “yellow season,” meaning much of what you’ll see hatching will be yellow. Blue Quills (#18) and Light Hendricksons (#14) will likely still be seen here and there. You’ll probably see a fair number of Red Quills (#14-12) and March Browns (#14-10) as well.

But look for bigger numbers of sulphurs (#16), Light Cahills (#14-12) and Yellow Sallies (#16) over the next 4 or 5 weeks. Caddis are also abundant this time of year depending where you are. A tan body in a #14 will do the trick.

As always, a good selection of attractors will get you through most situations. Parachute Adams, Parachute Hares Ears, Thunderheads, Adams Wulffs and Royal Wulffs always do pretty well. But as mentioned above, you’ll want to be sure to have some dry flies in yellow. A Neversink in #16 – 14 is a staple for me. So is a Yellow Stimulator. I’d also have a selection of Parachute Sulphurs and Cahills.

For nymphs, try Hares Ears, Pheasant Tails, Copper Johns and Tellico Nymphs. And with so much stuff hatching, now is a pretty good time to start experimenting with soft hackles. Check out my Hatch Guide for complete hatch information.

The featured fly this month is a Sulphur Comparadun. Sulphurs are one of the more reliable hatches in the Smokies. They’ve already started and should be around until at least the end of May. Most any sulphur pattern will fit the bill but if you run across any stubborn, slow water trout, the Sulphur Comparadun is an excellent choice!

Featured Fly

Sulphur Comparadun
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Smokies Fishing Report

Location

Smoky Mountains

Water Levels

Little River: 275cfs / 2.23 feet
Pigeon: 701cfs / 2.43 feet
Oconaluftee: 579cfs / 1.97 feet
Cataloochee: 93.4cfs / 2.58

Water Temperatures (approximate)

Low elevations: 52 – 56 degrees
Mid elevations: 50 – 54 degrees
High elevations: 48 – 52 degrees

Current Conditions

As predicted in the last report, we hit a little bump in the road last week. A significant cold front hit on Wednesday and dropped water temperatures in a big way. We are gradually recovering from that and things improved a lot this weekend. Rain on Saturday helped. Not only did it warm water temps a little, streams were starting to get a little low for this time of year.

Projected Conditions

We’re going to make a hard rebound this week with temperatures reaching the 80’s mid week. It’s hard to believe that the projected high for this Wednesday is about 40-degrees warmer than last Wednesday! These poor trout don’t know if they’re coming or going. Otherwise, mostly a dry week with better chances for rain late week. It’s going to be hard for me to not wet wade Wednesday and Thursday but I’m going to give it another week or two.

Tips

I’m expecting fish to really turn on this week and stay a little more consistent. As it warms up, fishing should be pretty good at all elevations. If you’re heading to the high country I’d focus more on the afternoon. Trees are beginning to fill in which will help, too. Some of those warm days two weeks ago were tough with all of that sun hitting the water.

Hatches/Fly Suggestions

Dry fly fishing should really start getting more consistent this week. We’re starting to transition to “yellow season,” meaning much of what you’ll see hatching will be yellow. Blue Quills (#18) and Light Hendricksons (#14) will likely still be seen here and there. You’ll probably see a fair number of Red Quills (#14-12) and March Browns (#14-10) as well.

But look for bigger numbers of sulphurs (#16), Light Cahills (#14-12) and Yellow Sallies (#16) over the next 4 or 5 weeks. Caddis are also abundant this time of year depending where you are. A tan body in a #14 will do the trick.

As always, a good selection of attractors will get you through most situations. Parachute Adams, Parachute Hares Ears, Thunderheads, Adams Wulffs and Royal Wulffs always do pretty well. But as mentioned above, you’ll want to be sure to have some dry flies in yellow. A Neversink in #16 – 14 is a staple for me. So is a Yellow Stimulator. I’d also have a selection of Parachute Sulphurs and Cahills.

For nymphs, try Hares Ears, Pheasant Tails, Copper Johns and Tellico Nymphs. And with so much stuff hatching, now is a pretty good time to start experimenting with soft hackles. Check out my Hatch Guide for complete hatch information.

For the featured fly, I’m keeping the same fly as last week because it should be even better this week! Neversink Caddis. The yellow body version, which is great, is pictured but I’d play with other colors, too. The tan body has been working great lately. It fished well by itself but is also a nice, buoyant fly to support a dropper nymph. Two Fly Rigs.

Featured Fly

Neversink Caddis
Neversink Caddis
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Smokies Fishing Report

Smoky Mountain Brook Trout

Location

Smoky Mountains

Water Levels

Little River: 170cfs / 1.91 feet
Pigeon: 451cfs / 2.05 feet
Oconaluftee: 538cfs / 1.91 feet
Cataloochee: 109cfs / 2.65

Water Temperatures (approximate)

Low elevations: 55 – 59 degrees
Mid elevations: 52 – 56 degrees
High elevations: 50 – 53 degrees

Current Conditions

Fishing is good in the Smokies right now. Water temps are sitting pretty and so are levels. And most important, at least for my sanity, is the crowds have dropped to “reasonable” levels. We’re in a very mild weather pattern and it looks like it may stay this way for a little while. Overnights and mornings are cool with nice warm-ups in the afternoon. Expect your better fishing to be from late morning to late afternoon.

Projected Conditions

Though overall we’re in good shape, it looks like we’ll see a minor setback this week. Rain is expected Wednesday and with it is a pretty significant cold front. Highs on Wednesday aren’t expected to get out of the 40’s and Wednesday and Thursday night lows will hit near freezing. While I don’t think this will have long term effects on fishing, I’d expect pretty slow activity on Thursday and Friday.

Tips

Fish are beginning to spread in the stream more and activity is picking up in riffles and pockets. However, without full tree bloom, fish may be spooky in the bright sunlight. Seek out locations near shade lines. Fishing is starting to get productive even in the mornings in the lower elevations. For mid and high elevation streams, I’d try to focus on the afternoon.

Hatches/Fly Suggestions

Fish are really beginning to look up now and most fish on my trips this past week were taking dry flies. Hatches are fairly diverse right now with very few heavy hatches of one insect coming off. Blue Quills (#18) and Light Hendricksons (#14) are accounting for most of the mayfly activity. Red Quills (#14-12) should begin showing up in better numbers and you may even see a few March Browns (#14-10) showing up early to the party.

There are a lot of small dark stoneflies but the adults don’t spend much time in front of the trout. A #18 Pheasant Tail is a respectable imitation for the nymph. A lot of #16 dun caddis are out and about and starting to see some larger tan caddis in a #14. And I’m seeing a few Yellow Sally Stoneflies. Expect more of them toward the end of the month.

You can certainly carry exact imitations of any of the flies mentioned above. But with so many different bugs and no large numbers of any, keeping your fly pattern fairly generic is not a bad idea. A Parachute Adams and Parachute Hares Ear are really good all-purpose spring dry flies. Thunderheads, Adams Wulffs and Royal Wulffs also do pretty well. On many of the backcountry streams, caddis have been the ticket. An Elk Wing or Neversink in #16 – 14.

For nymphs, try Hares Ears, Pheasant Tails, Copper Johns and Tellico Nymphs. My most consistent producer has been a creation of my own that I call an Early Spring Nymph. I’ll include the pattern in my next newsletter. Until then, an olive Hares Ear is pretty similar. Check out my Hatch Guide for complete hatch information.

For the featured fly, I have the Neversink Caddis. The yellow body version, which is great, is pictured but I’d play with other colors, too. The tan body has been working great lately. It fished well by itself but is also a nice, buoyant fly to support a dropper nymph. Two Fly Rigs.

Featured Fly

Neversink Caddis
Neversink Caddis
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Smokies Fishing Report

Early Spring Fishing in the Smoky Mountains

Location

Smoky Mountains

Water Levels

Little River: 579cfs / 2.77 feet
Pigeon: 1160cfs / 2.97 feet
Oconaluftee: 1130cfs / 2.67 feet
Cataloochee: 273cfs / 3.16

Water Temperatures (approximate)

Low elevations: 48 – 52 degrees
Mid elevations: 46 – 50 degrees
High elevations: 42 – 47 degrees

Current Conditions

We are currently in what I would call a recovery stage. It may not be great but it’s definitely heading in the right direction. Water levels have been slowly dropping from last week’s big rains but streams are still a little on the high side. Water temperatures took a big dive too from a significant cold front, but they are slowly climbing back into the 50’s.

Projected Conditions

The week ahead is looking really good. By mid week, temperatures and levels should be pretty close to normal for this time of year. More rain is in the forecast near the weekend but right now, it doesn’t look like the significant systems we’ve seen in the last couple of weeks. Hopefully it won’t play too much havoc on water levels. As always, keep an eye on those stream gauges – reading stream gauges.

Tips

We’re easing back into “typical” early spring conditions. You want to seek out slower water and you want to fish the warmest water possible right now. Try to concentrate your efforts on the middle of the day, stick to the lower elevations and look for areas that get a little more sunlight. Finding Feeding Trout in Early Spring.

Hatches/Fly Suggestions

I had to cancel most trips last week due to high water so I haven’t really had a chance to see if we have any new hatches starting up. I’ll learn a lot more in the coming days. For that reason, I’m keeping the hatch info below the same as last week. However, based on experience and pure speculation, we’re getting to the time when Quill Gordons may be winding down and you may see more Blue Quills and Light Hendricksons. Carry Parachute Adams in sizes 18-14 and you should be in pretty good shape.

Quill Gordons are still popping off here and there. Again, it just depends where you are. I’ve been on pools where I only see two or three, and two pools up they’re coming off everywhere you look. They could show up at any time but mostly, we’re seeing the better hatches mid to late afternoon.

Standard Quill Gordon patterns should work well for topwater, so will a Parachute Adams – sizes #14 – #12. Everyone seems to have their favorite Quill Gordon nymph imitation. Mine is an olive Hares Ear. When the hatch is coming off pretty good, I always do best with an emerger, and my favorite is a Mr. Rapidan Emerger.

Blue Quills are coming off in better numbers in sizes #18 – #16. You’ll probably still run into some Blue Wing Olives, and there is always an assortment of dark caddis and stoneflies this time of year. A size #16 grey Elk Caddis will do the job for most of them. Otherwise, a lot of your favorite attractors should do fine. For early spring, I always like flies with peacock herl, Zug Bugs and Prince Nymphs in particular.

For the featured fly, I’m going to suggest the Red Fox Squirrel nymph for no other reason than it always seems to be a good early spring pattern for me. Clicking the link will give you a lot more info on this fly.

Featured Fly

Red Fox Squirrel Nymph
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Brood X Cicada

The last time it happened, George W. Bush was not far into his second term and LeBron James was nearing the end of his rookie season. Netflix wasn’t streaming, Twitter and Instagram didn’t exist and Facebook was only available on the campus of Harvard University. The first iPhone was still three years away and I was still five months away from meeting the woman I would eventually marry.

Brood X cicadas have missed a lot in the 17 years they’ve been underground, but this is the year they come to the surface to see what’s been going on. And there will be a lot of them coming. Tens of billions of Brood X cicadas are expected to emerge across 18 states, including Tennessee. But we see cicadas every year. What’s so special about these?

There are, in fact, 13-year cicadas and even annual cicadas that can emerge in pretty significant numbers. But the 17-year cicadas emerge in mind boggling swarms, and the Brood X is supposed to be one of the biggest yet.

They typically begin to emerge when the ground temperature reaches 64-degrees. In Tennessee, that’s expected to be around Mother’s Day. Once they begin emerging, expect them to hang around for about 4-6 weeks. While they’re here, in addition to catching up on all of the latest tech and social trends, they will damage a few young trees and plants, make a hell of a lot of noise and end up in the bellies of a lot of fish!

Unfortunately, we don’t typically see many of them in the mountains… but I’m hopeful. And there doesn’t tend to be a lot of them near tailwaters. Where they are going to be of most significance to fly fishers is on warmwater lakes and rivers. I hope to get out at least a few times on the mud flats to cast to rising carp!

I spent part of the winter tying a bunch of these in preparation. I tied most of them on bass hooks but tied several trout versions, too… just in case…

Get ready. The cicadas are coming!

Brood X Cicada Fly Pattern

Rob’s Cicada (Trout Version)

  • Hook: TMC 5212 #10
  • Thread: Black 6/0
  • Eyes: Red glass beads burnt onto 15lb. red Amnesia
  • Underbody: Golden brown Ice Dub
  • Body 1: 2mm black foam, folded over to layer Body 2
  • Body 2: 2mm orange foam
  • Underwing: Pearl yellow Krystal Flash
  • Wing: Mix of orange and white antron yarn
  • Legs: Orange and black Sili Legs
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Smokies Fishing Report

Location

Smoky Mountains

Smokies Stream Conditions

Water Levels

Little River: 1630cfs / 4.14 feet
Pigeon: 4130cfs / 5.14 feet
Oconaluftee: 2080cfs / 3.58 feet
Cataloochee: 552cfs / 3.82

Water Temperatures (approximate)

Low elevations: 48 – 52 degrees
Mid elevations: 46 – 50 degrees
High elevations: 42 – 47 degrees

Current Conditions

Well, we appear to be in a pattern… and not a very good one I’m afraid. As predicted in last week’s report, just as everything was getting back to normal, we got whopped by a major rain event on Thursday. That was followed by a cold front and another two day bout with heavy rain and storms over the weekend. The result is falling water temperatures and blown out streams.

Actual rainfall totals vary around the region. Middle Tennessee received approximately 7″ in a couple of days. Most of the areas around the mountains received 3-5″. Most streams came up 3-4′ and are still flowing 2-4′ above normal but falling. Not only are these conditions not very productive for most folks, they are just not safe.

In the summertime, water like this usually drops back down to normal in just a couple of days. But in the spring, when we usually get a lot more frequent, sustained rainfall, banks are already heavily saturated and there’s just nowhere for the water to go. So, stream levels tend to drop at a much slower rate. In short, I’d try to find something else to do for at least the next few days.

Projected Conditions

If we didn’t get any more rain, it would likely take about 4 or 5 days for streams to get back down to a “fishable” level – probably a full week to get down to normal. That puts us on track to see reasonable water by Thursday or Friday this week. The problem is we are expecting another 1 1/2″ of rain from late Tuesday night through Wednesday evening, which would easily spike those already high water levels back up 1 or 2′.

To add salt to the wound, Wednesday’s rain will be followed by a significant cold front. Thursday’s high temperature is only going to be in the 40’s. No matter how you slice it, the week ahead doesn’t look too promising. If you’re planning a trip, definitely keep an eye on those stream gauges – reading stream gauges.

Tips

In general, you want to seek out slower water and you want to fish the warmest water possible right now. Try to concentrate your efforts on the middle of the day, stick to the lower elevations and look for areas that get a little more sunlight. Finding Feeding Trout in Early Spring.

Hatches/Fly Suggestions

Quill Gordons are still popping off here and there. Again, it just depends where you are. I’ve been on pools where I only see two or three, and two pools up they’re coming off everywhere you look. They could show up at any time but mostly, we’re seeing the better hatches mid to late afternoon.

Standard Quill Gordon patterns should work well for topwater, so will a Parachute Adams – sizes #14 – #12. Everyone seems to have their favorite Quill Gordon nymph imitation. Mine is an olive Hares Ear. When the hatch is coming off pretty good, I always do best with an emerger, and my favorite is a Mr. Rapidan Emerger.

Blue Quills are coming off in better numbers in sizes #18 – #16. You’ll probably still run into some Blue Wing Olives, and there is always an assortment of dark caddis and stoneflies this time of year. A size #16 grey Elk Caddis will do the job for most of them. Otherwise, a lot of your favorite attractors should do fine. For early spring, I always like flies with peacock herl, Zug Bugs and Prince Nymphs in particular.

This week’s featured fly reflects the water conditions more than it does the seasonal hatches. If you can get on the water at all, it will be high and you’re going to want to fish larger, heavier flies that can get down quickly. Here are a few tips for fishing high water.

Featured Fly

Pats Rubber Legs
Pat’s Rubber Legs
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Smokies Fishing Report

Location

Smoky Mountains

Water Levels

Little River: 531cfs / 2.69 feet
Pigeon: 979cfs / 2.78 feet
Oconaluftee: 819cfs / 2.30 feet
Cataloochee: 178cfs / 2.86

Water Temperatures (approximate)

Low elevations: 49 – 53 degrees
Mid elevations: 46 – 51 degrees
High elevations: 42 – 47 degrees

Current Conditions

Last week turned out to be great until Thursday, which is exactly what we expected. Heavy rain hit Wednesday night and Thursday and brought stream levels up substantially. Additionally we had some cooler overnights over the weekend and water temperatures took a little dip.

We are just now beginning to rebound from those two events. Water levels are still a little high but manageable, especially on smaller streams. And water didn’t come up as much on the North Carolina side, so they are running only slightly above normal.

The best fishing is on lower elevation streams right now. Fish will be most active in the afternoon when it’s a little warmer. Many anglers are talking about catching a lot of very small rainbows. This is pretty common for right now as the larger rainbows are spawning. We’ll hopefully see them get a little more active in the coming weeks.

Projected Conditions

This is looking like a potential replay of last week. Just as things are bouncing back to normal, we have what may be a big rainmaker system moving through on Thursday. Projections are for more than an inch of rain, which would most certainly blow streams out. And you guessed it, that’s followed by a cold front this weekend. Keep an eye on those stream gauges if you go – reading stream gauges.

Tips

In general, you want to seek out slower water and you want to fish the warmest water possible right now. Try to concentrate your efforts on the middle of the day, stick to the lower elevations and look for areas that get a little more sunlight. Finding Feeding Trout in Early Spring.

Hatches/Fly Suggestions

Quill Gordons are still popping off here and there. Again, it just depends where you are. I’ve been on pools where I only see two or three, and two pools up they’re coming off everywhere you look. They could show up at any time but mostly, we’re seeing the better hatches mid to late afternoon.

Standard Quill Gordon patterns should work well for topwater, so will a Parachute Adams – sizes #14 – #12. Everyone seems to have their favorite Quill Gordon nymph imitation. Mine is an olive Hares Ear. When the hatch is coming off pretty good, I always do best with an emerger, and my favorite is a Mr. Rapidan Emerger.

Blue Quills are coming off in better numbers in sizes #18 – #16. You’ll probably still run into some Blue Wing Olives, and there is always an assortment of dark caddis and stoneflies this time of year. A size #16 grey Elk Caddis will do the job for most of them. Otherwise, a lot of your favorite attractors should do fine. For early spring, I always like flies with peacock herl, Zug Bugs and Prince Nymphs in particular.

Featured Fly

Parachute Adams
Parachute Adams
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Smokies Fishing Report

Quill Gordon

Location

Smoky Mountains

Water Levels

Little River: 249cfs / 2.09 feet
Pigeon: 542cfs / 2.19 feet
Oconaluftee: 1090cfs / 2.64 feet
Cataloochee: 218cfs / 2.99

Water Temperatures (approximate)

Low elevations: 49 – 54 degrees
Mid elevations: 46 – 52 degrees
High elevations: 42 – 48 degrees

Current Conditions

Things are starting to get pretty good around here. Water temperatures are remaining in the low 50’s in the lower elevations. We’re beginning to see more consistent feeding activity and hatches are picking up, too. In general, water levels and temperatures are a little better on the Tennessee side of the park right now.

The best fishing is on lower elevation streams right now. Fish will be most active in the afternoon when it’s a little warmer. Many anglers are talking about catching a lot of very small rainbows. This is pretty common for right now as the larger rainbows are spawning. We’ll hopefully see them get a little more active in the coming weeks.

Projected Conditions

It looks like temperatures should remain mild for the most part in the coming week. We’re expecting some colder overnights this weekend which will drop out water temperature a little. My biggest concern is the rain expected for tomorrow into Thursday. Streams are pretty full now and the ground is still very saturated. It won’t take much to spike those water levels. Projected rainfall is an inch or more in some areas. Keep an eye on the gauges – reading stream gauges.

Tips

In general, you want to seek out slower water and you want to fish the warmest water possible right now. Try to concentrate your efforts on the middle of the day, stick to the lower elevations and look for areas that get a little more sunlight. Finding Feeding Trout in Early Spring.

Hatches/Fly Suggestions

Quill Gordons are beginning to show up in pretty good numbers… some places. This is kind of luck of the draw. I’ve been on pools where I only see two or three, and two pools up they’re coming off everywhere you look. They could show up at any time but mostly, we’re seeing the better hatches mid to late afternoon.

Standard Quill Gordon patterns should work well for topwater, so will a Parachute Adams – sizes #14 – #12. Everyone seems to have their favorite Quill Gordon nymph imitation. Mine is an olive Hares Ear. When the hatch is coming off pretty good, I always do best with an emerger, and my favorite is a Mr. Rapidan Emerger.

Blue Quills are also starting to show up in sizes #18 – #16. You’ll probably still run into some Blue Wing Olives, and there is always an assortment of dark caddis and stoneflies this time of year. A size #16 grey Elk Caddis will do the job for most of them. Otherwise, a lot of your favorite attractors should do fine. For early spring, I always like flies with peacock herl, Zug Bugs and Prince Nymphs in particular.

Featured Fly
Mr. Rapidan Emerger
Posted on

Smokies Fishing Report

Location

Smoky Mountains

Water Levels

Little River: 336cfs / 2.31 feet
Pigeon: 687cfs / 2.41 feet
Oconaluftee: 750cfs / 2.23 feet
Cataloochee: 190cfs / 2.90

Water Temperatures (approximate)

Low elevations: 44 – 47 degrees
Mid elevations: 41 – 44 degrees
High elevations: 38 – 41 degrees

Current Conditions

This can be one of the most maddening scenarios when you’re just so ready to fish! We’ve had some beautiful, dry weather the last several days with fairly mild temperatures. It just looks like the fishing would be great! The problem is that our overnight lows are still near freezing so water temperatures are still well below optimum feeding conditions. This doesn’t mean you can’t catch fish but you’re going to have to work at it. Strikes will likely not come frequently and will be subtle. Water levels are slightly above average but very fishable.

Projected Conditions

Here’s the good news. Looking at the forecast, those overnight lows are getting warmer every day. By Wednesday and Thursday they will be in the 50’s. THAT is when your water temperature will start warming up! I think fishing should start getting pretty good on Thursday and hopefully continue for at least a few days.

Rain moves in on Friday but should only cool down a bit. As long as we don’t get huge amounts, we should be in pretty good shape on through the weekend. Just remember, streams are pretty full now and the ground is still very saturated. It won’t take much to spike those water levels. Keep an eye on the gauges – reading stream gauges.

Tips

In general, you want to seek out slower water and you want to fish the warmest water possible right now. Try to concentrate your efforts on the middle of the day, stick to the lower elevations and look for areas that get a little more sunlight. Fishing high water can be tough and it can be dangerous. Keep an eye on those water levels. It’s not an exact science but typically, I consider around 2.5′ on the gauge to be the high side of good. Ideally, you want it more around 2′. Between 2.5′ and 3′ might give you a little bit of manageable water in very select locations, but you better know what you’re doing. Above 3′ will leave you very little fishable water and is really just unsafe.

Hatches/Fly Suggestions

We are still early in the year and most of what you’ll see hatching is dark and small. You may run into the occasional Blue Wing Olive. Small dark stoneflies and caddis may also make an appearance. I would primarily fish dark colored nymphs deep and slow. A black or olive Zebra Midge would be a good bet. I do well with “peacock flies” in the #14 – 16 range this time of year, like Zug Bugs, Prince Nymphs, etc. In the right water, a larger stonefly nymph may entice a nice brown trout.

We’re getting closer and closer to Quill Gordon time. I’ve seen a couple here and there already. As soon as the water temperature gets in the 50’s for the better of the day, for a few days in a row, we should begin seeing bigger numbers. Quill Gordon nymphs should be pretty active in preparation for emergence. A #12 olive Hares Ear does a pretty good job imitating them.

Featured Fly
Olive Hares Ear