Spikes like that are not what any of us want to see, but I'm sure it is probably better to be getting all this cold water now. The fish will appreciate it by late summer and so will the fishermen. Great Falls lake is showing forecast releases somewhere north of 10,000 cfs. I'm sure we can all guess what that will do to Center Hill dam and the Caney Fork tailwater. It looks like two generators around the clock for a while again.
On a more positive note, the rain has cleared out the Smokies streams of ice. The ice buildup should be a thing of the past unless we get some more extremely cold weather. Now it is time to start thinking about the spring hatches. Head over to the fishing report on my new guide site to see a fly I like tying for the Quill Gordon hatches. For the Blue Quills and Quill Gordons, it is also hard to beat an appropriately sized Parachute Adams. I've had fish doing backflips (literal ones mind you) to eat that fly all day. For a really picky fish, I'm a big fan of Comparaduns and Sparkle Duns. Whatever pattern you decide to tie, just make sure you have plenty. When the fishing is really on, you can never have too many flies.
