Fishing in the Smokies

Last Friday I made a day trip up to the Smokies for a couple of reasons. The first was to look into a summer job in Townsend. The other was obviously to fish. Things are looking great for the summer and I should be headed over to Townsend in a couple of weeks. More on that development once the details are finished, but let's just say I'm excited for the opportunity...



As far as the fishing, things were a little slow for me. I was definitely not on top of my game on Friday but I did manage a few fish. The nicest fish came to hand on a hard-bodied black ant pattern. Strangely, my troubles with losing flies continued, and its always when I snag my nymph rig on the bottom of a spot too deep to wade. My thoughts turn more and more towards the purist side of the sport on days like Friday. Perhaps I'll use dry flies more this summer. They are definitely more fun, but I'm always mildly annoyed trying to keep them floating after a few fish.



Since I'll be heading east soon, I'm hoping to get in a few more trips on the Caney. I'd planned to head down today but Mother's Day turned out to be an all-day thing which was just fine. Tomorrow I'm headed to Nashville for a few days and will check on the river for an hour or two on the way by. The next week I'm even thinking about camping for a couple of nights to really experience all the river has to offer, assuming I don't start work for a few more days that is. I really want to catch some of the monsters I've seen on the river in the last few months. Should be fun on tiny flies and light tippet...