February through early May is my favorite time to fish the Hiwassee. The sweet spot though is late March into early April when the Hendricksons and Blue-Olives are hatching as well as various caddis and stoneflies. The last time I hit it right was back during my college days. In other words, it has been a few years too long. That is mostly my fault though and one I full intended to rectify this past Sunday.
Easter turned out a little different than originally planned and with my schedule suddenly open, I decided to take advantage of the free time. By the middle of the day I was headed southeast. The hope of mayflies and rising trout had me excited like a kid on Christmas morning.
My original plan involved hiking in somewhere in the Big Bend area but when I got to the river, the crowds were more than manageable so I just fished close to the car. The bugs were there and the fish were seemingly starving. I'll spare all of the details and try to resist bragging but will say this: the fishing was phenomenal and I probably caught more fish in those five or six hours than I've ever caught on the Hiwassee, and I've had some great days. Here are a few sights and trout from my day.
David
ReplyDeleteColorful trout, how far is the Hiwassee from your home? Never fish it, is it similar to the Elk? Thanks for sharing
Bill, it is about 1.5-2 hours depending on how fast I am driving. It is more like a very large mountain stream. By large, I mean it is one of Tennessee's largest trout tailwaters, but by mountain stream I mean it is very rocky with lots of bedrock ledges. This creates lots of little pools and runs plus some very large pools so it fishes a lot like a mountain stream on low water.
DeleteLove that set of transition photos.
ReplyDeleteThanks! This is a great time of year that produces a lot of those moments to enjoy.
DeleteAll those trout...think my fire alarm just went off!
ReplyDeleteThis is, in my opinion, the best time of year to wade fish the Hiwassee. If you ever get a chance to fish it then you'll see what I mean. Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteDavid were the Hendrickson hatching consistently yet? I'm going this weekend and wondering if I need to tie up some extras?
DeleteThey were coming off pretty good and should be even better now. The dogwoods are in bloom so it is time...
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