Right now I'm feeling thankful for several guided trips that are keeping me busy as well as more trips coming in. If you are hoping to get out on the water with me in the next month, book as soon as possible to make sure you get the date you are looking for. To book a guided trip, please visit the Trout Zone Anglers contact page or email me at TroutZoneAnglers@gmail.com.
Fishing in the Smokies has been good but not great. Fish are steadily eating the usual summertime favorites including terrestrials, Yellow Sallies, Golden Stones, and Isonychias. If you are fishing terrestrials, don't overlook ants, beetles, and inchworms as good options. Hoppers are rarely important in the Smokies as very few end up in the streams.
The tailwaters are fishing well. We are booking float trips on the Caney Fork for July now and expect good conditions for float trips with a nice mix of low and higher water. This allows for anglers to throw nymphs and dry/droppers part of the day with hoppers, deep nymph rigs, and streamers becoming more important the other times. The variety is nice and will keep anglers on their toes. Crowds are out in force so plan to book your trip for a weekday as we are avoiding the river on weekends if at all possible.
Featured Photo: Autumn Glow
Tuesday, June 24, 2014
Friday, June 20, 2014
Tracks
Checking tracks is nearly automatic for me at this point. No matter where I am, tracks are at minimum an interesting curiosity. On some days, the ability to "read sign" can make the difference between catching a few fish and catching a bunch.
Yesterday, my friend Nathan and I were on a popular stream but far enough from the trailhead that we thought it was at least possible we were on fresh water. The few small rainbows that did eat our flies had has questioning that premise. A few indistinct tracks had us both questioning openly whether that section had been fished. When I found some water drops drying on top of a rock where none could naturally have splashed, I knew someone else had waded through in the last few hours. Right where the tracks ended, I caught a nice fish.
Further up the stream, before we hit the spot where we would jump out and start our hike back, I found some more tracks. Fresh ones. Big ones. Tracks that had me glancing all around and even up in the trees. After all, we were no more than a half mile from the scene of my tent fiasco from a few years ago.
Thankfully it wasn't as spooky as finding a half eaten elk carcass in a remote Arizona canyon years ago. Hiking cross country in lion country will keep a person on their toes. Last night, we never did run across the bear. The best excitement (other than catching fish of course) was when we jumped a small group of hogs in the waning light on the hike out. A couple of them were big, real big. They also wanted nothing to do with us. That was just fine by me...
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
Hungry Brown!!!
I've seen some interesting things that trout have spit out before. Half digested shad during the shad kill on the Caney? Yep. A mouthful of earthworms after a heavy rain? Check. However, I had never caught a fish with another fish sticking out of its throat, until yesterday that is. I've heard plenty of stories, just never seen it for myself.
After finishing up another half day guide trip, I headed up to fish in the afternoon. Not too long after starting, I hooked a feisty brown that was somewhere between 10-12 inches, and after getting it in the net I noticed that its mouth didn't look right. A quick glance showed a tail protruding out of its throat that was nearly as large as its own tail! Even more amazing is that this fish swirled once on my nymph and then ate on the 2nd drift. Talk about a hungry brown!!! Even with a mouth full of sculpin it still wanted a #10 nymph for dessert.
After finishing up another half day guide trip, I headed up to fish in the afternoon. Not too long after starting, I hooked a feisty brown that was somewhere between 10-12 inches, and after getting it in the net I noticed that its mouth didn't look right. A quick glance showed a tail protruding out of its throat that was nearly as large as its own tail! Even more amazing is that this fish swirled once on my nymph and then ate on the 2nd drift. Talk about a hungry brown!!! Even with a mouth full of sculpin it still wanted a #10 nymph for dessert.
Sunday, June 15, 2014
Chasing Smallmouth
As the Plateau streams drop and clear, the smallmouth action is heating up with the weather. Low clear water means spooky fish but if you are willing to throw topwater bugs (who am I kidding, who wouldn't want to throw topwater bugs) then you can get onto some nice fish. Recently I made it back out to one of my favorite new streams that I've started to explore.
If you are interested in a guided wade trip in some of the rugged Plateau creeks, please contact me at TroutZoneAnglers@gmail.com or check out my good site, www.troutzoneanglers.com.
The bass were eating well once we tied on the topwater stuff.
The overall size was pretty decent on top as well although I saw a few monsters that spooked well before I ever got a cast on them. Those are the fish that keep me coming back though. The stream was beautiful and at a good level for throwing the topwater bugs.
I'll be heading back soon to sample some more of the bronze fish...
If you are interested in a guided wade trip in some of the rugged Plateau creeks, please contact me at TroutZoneAnglers@gmail.com or check out my good site, www.troutzoneanglers.com.
Happy Father's Day
Friday, June 13, 2014
One More Drift
Fishing is as much optimism as anything else, but of course there is a healthy mix of knowledge involved in catching a few trout. Sometimes, there's even a little voice inside your head that convinces you to stick with it. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not but when I'm catching nice fish who's to argue?
Yesterday I had a 1/2 day guide trip in the Park. The morning was spent on a couple of different streams so my client could see a few different options when it came to Smoky Mountain trout fishing. After dropping him off and grabbing some lunch, I stopped by Little River Outfitters for a bit to say hi to Byron and Daniel and the rest of the crew. After getting an excellent first-hand report on the local smallmouth from Byron, I was almost tempted to skip heading back to the Park and chase the bass instead, but thankfully trout won out.
On the drive down Little River to town, I had mentally been talking myself into fishing several good stretches. One in particular stood out, and I decided to return there. This is a beautiful section of pocket water interspersed with some smaller pools and a couple of deep runs. For some reason this short 100 yard stretch does not get fished nearly as often as a lot of Park water but that's just fine by me. I have always done well the few times I've fished it, and more people fishing it could very well put a damper on future expeditions.
Having just eaten and glad to finally relax after working hard all morning, I took my time rigging up the usual double nymph rig. Some heavy split shot rounded things out well and assured I would be ticking the bottom. I begancasting lobbing the heavy rig into the deeper water and right away caught a little brown on the dropper. At least I knew I was on fresh water.
Working slowly upstream, I maneuvered back and forth across the stream. Catching a fish here and there, I noticed a nice deep slot against the far bank with a big rock on the stream side. Perfect home for a brown. Working carefully across the current, I was soon running my flies through the slot and alongside the rock. A small fish was quickly caught and released but that rock just looked like a spot for a nice brown. Time and again I got what appeared to be a perfect drift. Not wanting to waste time on a pointless spot, I eventually decided to move on upstream.
That's when the little voice spoke up and demanded that I cast there once more. Something subconscious maybe? I don't know, but that gentle tap as the flies drifted up under the rock yet again was definitely real. When I set the hook, I felt the hesitation and quickly came tight on a nice fish.
For its size, the fish really fought well, surging back and forth across the stream every time I tried to lift its head and slip the net under. That it was a pretty brown trout was obvious and naturally gave me extra incentive to be careful and not lose it. Of course, in a short amount of time (that naturally felt like forever) I was slipping the net under the trout. After a couple of pictures, I gently held the trout in the current until it was ready to go. All that effort to spend a minute or so with a fish probably seems ridiculous to some, but I was awfully happy at that moment.
The rest of the evening was anticlimactic. The Yellow Sally hatch never came on strong although there was some egg laying activity that brought a few fish up. I stuck with the nymphs and caught a good number of rainbows and small browns, but probably I should have just quit after the nice trout. The time on the water was relaxing though and much needed. Catching that nice fish early allowed me to really slow down and focus on the experience for the rest of the time. I even stopped and took a few stream pictures, something I often forget to do in the rush to find more fish.
Next week I'll be back at it. Maybe I'll just hit a small stream instead, or maybe I'll chase the larger browns again. Either way, I know I'll always have an enjoyable time in the Smokies!
If you are interested in a guided trip in the Smokies for wild trout, please contact me at TroutZoneAnglers@gmail.com or check out my guide site, TroutZoneAnglers.com, for more details.
Yesterday I had a 1/2 day guide trip in the Park. The morning was spent on a couple of different streams so my client could see a few different options when it came to Smoky Mountain trout fishing. After dropping him off and grabbing some lunch, I stopped by Little River Outfitters for a bit to say hi to Byron and Daniel and the rest of the crew. After getting an excellent first-hand report on the local smallmouth from Byron, I was almost tempted to skip heading back to the Park and chase the bass instead, but thankfully trout won out.
On the drive down Little River to town, I had mentally been talking myself into fishing several good stretches. One in particular stood out, and I decided to return there. This is a beautiful section of pocket water interspersed with some smaller pools and a couple of deep runs. For some reason this short 100 yard stretch does not get fished nearly as often as a lot of Park water but that's just fine by me. I have always done well the few times I've fished it, and more people fishing it could very well put a damper on future expeditions.
Having just eaten and glad to finally relax after working hard all morning, I took my time rigging up the usual double nymph rig. Some heavy split shot rounded things out well and assured I would be ticking the bottom. I began
Working slowly upstream, I maneuvered back and forth across the stream. Catching a fish here and there, I noticed a nice deep slot against the far bank with a big rock on the stream side. Perfect home for a brown. Working carefully across the current, I was soon running my flies through the slot and alongside the rock. A small fish was quickly caught and released but that rock just looked like a spot for a nice brown. Time and again I got what appeared to be a perfect drift. Not wanting to waste time on a pointless spot, I eventually decided to move on upstream.
That's when the little voice spoke up and demanded that I cast there once more. Something subconscious maybe? I don't know, but that gentle tap as the flies drifted up under the rock yet again was definitely real. When I set the hook, I felt the hesitation and quickly came tight on a nice fish.
For its size, the fish really fought well, surging back and forth across the stream every time I tried to lift its head and slip the net under. That it was a pretty brown trout was obvious and naturally gave me extra incentive to be careful and not lose it. Of course, in a short amount of time (that naturally felt like forever) I was slipping the net under the trout. After a couple of pictures, I gently held the trout in the current until it was ready to go. All that effort to spend a minute or so with a fish probably seems ridiculous to some, but I was awfully happy at that moment.
The rest of the evening was anticlimactic. The Yellow Sally hatch never came on strong although there was some egg laying activity that brought a few fish up. I stuck with the nymphs and caught a good number of rainbows and small browns, but probably I should have just quit after the nice trout. The time on the water was relaxing though and much needed. Catching that nice fish early allowed me to really slow down and focus on the experience for the rest of the time. I even stopped and took a few stream pictures, something I often forget to do in the rush to find more fish.
Next week I'll be back at it. Maybe I'll just hit a small stream instead, or maybe I'll chase the larger browns again. Either way, I know I'll always have an enjoyable time in the Smokies!
If you are interested in a guided trip in the Smokies for wild trout, please contact me at TroutZoneAnglers@gmail.com or check out my guide site, TroutZoneAnglers.com, for more details.
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
Miles From Anywhere
I got out for a few hours again today. These smallmouth are starting to get addicting. More to come later on a trip from Sunday as well as today's trip, but here is a stream shot from where I fished...
Monday, June 09, 2014
Plateau Creeks
Here on the Cumberland Plateau, we are blessed with a wide variety of fishing options, but the best are the remote smallmouth bass streams. Many of these almost remind me of fishing in the Smokies, and if it wasn't for our very different geology resulting in different rocks on the stream bottoms, you would be hard pressed to find any differences between the two. Last week, I got to thinking about a little creek that I've crossed many times on my way to smallmouth fish on a larger stream. This is one of those little streams that you often wonder about but rarely ever get around to actually fishing. So instead of continuing to wonder, I decided to do something about it.
Friday morning I ate a quick breakfast, filled a couple of water bottles, and headed out the door. Arriving at the stream and rigging up, I noticed the clouds were lowering and looking pretty solid. Sure enough, a quick downpour was soon soaking everything making me glad I had put on a rain jacket.
It didn't take long for a little fish to hit. Thinking I had found my first smallmouth, I was soon looking at a Coosa bass. Well, that makes sense. The creek I was fishing emptied into a large stream where I have caught a lot of Coosa bass over the years. What was strange was that I kept catching the Coosas and never once caught a smallmouth.
The fish were all small, reminding me even more of fishing in the Smokies on some of the brook trout streams I frequent. Catching small fish is just as much fun as catching big fish, just without the adrenaline rush you get with the larger specimens. Best of all, these fish acted like no one had ever tried to catch them before. I'm fairly confident that none of them had ever seen a fly at the very least.
Continuing downstream, I stopped periodically to take pictures of my surroundings. Every now and again I could hear a truck go by out on the nearby road but otherwise I might as well have been 50 miles in the backcountry. This was one of those pristine streams where you can fish all day and catch more fish then anyone probably has a right to expect. Continually changing in character, the creek would sing happily over the rocks one minute, going from shadows to sun and back to shadows again, only to drift lazily into long pools the next. The pools were often mysterious, stretching on for what seemed like an eternity on such a small stream and often merging with the forest so that you could never be sure where the end of the pool was and whether it flowed into the surrounding jungle or merely under the overhead canopy.
There were a few surprises like the rock bass that came out from under a rock to slam the wooly bugger. The chubs were surprisingly beautiful and impressed me with their prominent dorsal fins.
Eventually I got hungry of course, and decided to take one last picture before cutting up through the woods to find the unmaintained trail back.
While I had a lot of fun and will probably fish this stream again just because I like exploring, I'll probably put a lot more time in on some of the smallmouth streams that are known to put out some larger fish. When I want to scratch the creek itch though, I'll know where to go!
Friday morning I ate a quick breakfast, filled a couple of water bottles, and headed out the door. Arriving at the stream and rigging up, I noticed the clouds were lowering and looking pretty solid. Sure enough, a quick downpour was soon soaking everything making me glad I had put on a rain jacket.
It didn't take long for a little fish to hit. Thinking I had found my first smallmouth, I was soon looking at a Coosa bass. Well, that makes sense. The creek I was fishing emptied into a large stream where I have caught a lot of Coosa bass over the years. What was strange was that I kept catching the Coosas and never once caught a smallmouth.
The fish were all small, reminding me even more of fishing in the Smokies on some of the brook trout streams I frequent. Catching small fish is just as much fun as catching big fish, just without the adrenaline rush you get with the larger specimens. Best of all, these fish acted like no one had ever tried to catch them before. I'm fairly confident that none of them had ever seen a fly at the very least.
Continuing downstream, I stopped periodically to take pictures of my surroundings. Every now and again I could hear a truck go by out on the nearby road but otherwise I might as well have been 50 miles in the backcountry. This was one of those pristine streams where you can fish all day and catch more fish then anyone probably has a right to expect. Continually changing in character, the creek would sing happily over the rocks one minute, going from shadows to sun and back to shadows again, only to drift lazily into long pools the next. The pools were often mysterious, stretching on for what seemed like an eternity on such a small stream and often merging with the forest so that you could never be sure where the end of the pool was and whether it flowed into the surrounding jungle or merely under the overhead canopy.
There were a few surprises like the rock bass that came out from under a rock to slam the wooly bugger. The chubs were surprisingly beautiful and impressed me with their prominent dorsal fins.
Eventually I got hungry of course, and decided to take one last picture before cutting up through the woods to find the unmaintained trail back.
While I had a lot of fun and will probably fish this stream again just because I like exploring, I'll probably put a lot more time in on some of the smallmouth streams that are known to put out some larger fish. When I want to scratch the creek itch though, I'll know where to go!
Friday, June 06, 2014
Please Help!!!
If you have ever fished in Tennessee, or if you ever hope to fish in Tennessee (seriously, we have some fantastic fishing), then please keep reading. We currently are in the midst of a serious effort to fund our tailwater trout stocking program. In short, the US Fish and Wildlife Service has pulled the plug on hatchery funding for trout. I'm not sure whether this has to do with the budget cuts over the last couple of years or not, but that is not that point.
The important part is that we may lose a lot of stocked trout. That's where you come in. Please check out the document from the latest meeting first. It covers the alternative options. Please note that the USFWS has said that funding through them is not an option unless congress appropriates a LOT more funding than they currently have.
So why is all of this important? Well, we only have limited natural reproduction on most tailwaters, with the Clinch and South Holston being two of the best in terms of wild fish. Imagine if all of the other tailwaters were more or less barren and the anglers that normally fished them now crowded onto the already crowded Clinch and South Holston? Even worse, imagine if all those tailwater anglers were so frustrated by the lack of quantities of fish (even on those rivers as both have lots of supplemental stocking) on the tailwaters and started hitting the wild mountain streams a lot harder. In other words, the Smokies might become a bring your own rock sort of place. I'm not too excited about that, and I hope you're not either.
Personally, as TVA is responsible for the dams being in place that created this artificial situation where native species cannot thrive, I think TVA should foot the bill on this one, but that could definitely be debated. Ultimately it will be passed on to TVA rate payers as a rate hike. However, current calculations are indicating that a rate increase of 5-10 cents per year is all that would be required to get this thing funded. That's not bad.
In the end, the most important thing you can do to help is to contact TVA so that they know a lot of people care about our tailwaters. It won't take much of your time, just go to http://www.tva.gov/hatchery/, read the page so you understand the issue, then scroll down to the bottom where you will find a link to submit comments. Let TVA know that you care about trout in our tailwaters and that you believe the trout stocking needs to continue. The more people that submit comments the better. They have to realize how many people are utilizing our waters and they need to understand the economic impact that a cessation of funding would cause.
Thank you for taking the time to read about this issue and sending in your comments. With everyone's help, we can make a difference in maintaining the fantastic tailwater fisheries here in Tennessee!!!
Tailwater Float
On Wednesday, I loaded up the drifter and headed for a tailwater. Rod had called to book a trip for him and his brother Barry who was visiting from out of state and wanted to show him a good time. We decided on a half day float and confirmed details on where to meet. Wednesday morning arrived and right on schedule they pulled in ready to fish hard!
We headed on up the river to drop the boat in. Right as I was about to shove off from the ramp, another truck started backing down towards the water. Looking up, I laughed when I realized it was the trout truck! Good fishing for all, at least for a day or two! He waited until we had cleared the ramp so I rowed out a bit and dropped the anchor. This was a photo opportunity not to be missed.
After joking about how guilty we would feel if we pestered the freshly stocked fish, we shoved off and caught the current downstream. A couple hundred yards down the river we started working our flies and right away we got the first fish in the net! Barry was the first to strike, but that made sense because he was in the front casting brace. The usual crowd of wading anglers were working hard so we maneuvered the boat to try and stay out of their way and were soon drifting down through open water.
Not too far down the river is a hole that I like to hit. With the boat perfectly in position, I showed the guys where to drop their flies. Barry had the hot hand again and soon a larger fish was tugging on the end of his line. This fish turned out to be much nicer and in great shape. He decided that perhaps a picture was in order for such a good trout. We snapped a couple of quick shots and then I gently cradled the fish in the current until it surged off, hopefully to be seen another day. Check out the belly on this rainbow! It has been eating well for sure...
By this time Rod had started catching some fish as well. I turned to suggest another spot to Rod when I sensed that Barry had set the hook. Turning around I saw that he looked pretty serious. When he told me that the fish was ever better than the nice rainbow I got serious as well. The net came back out and before long we were celebrating a nice brown to hand with another picture! Barry said it was his largest brown ever so he was understandably happy about it.
That brown ended up being the highlight of the trip, but we would have some other memorable moments. One of the strangest things that has happened to me in a long time while rowing the river was when a large dead vulture drifted down on us while we were anchored in a good spot fishing. I'm still not sure what happened to that poor bird. Even more strange was when his friends started circling overhead as he drifted downstream. I know they eat dead stuff but eating your buddy seems just a little strange.
Another cool moment was when Rod and Barry doubled up. Barry had just hooked a nice rainbow when Rod hooked up as well as I was sliding the net under Barry's fish. I kept the net in the water and got the nice brown in it as well for a couple double shot.
Finally we saw the takeout ramp approaching. Barry wanted to strike once more and put one more nice brown in the net to round out a good day on the water.
These two brothers were great to have in the boat. They fished hard and even participated in the good natured joking around about who was catching the best fish that I started. In the end, honors for this trip went to Barry, but I'll bet that next time Rod will get a big one!
If I can help you with a guided wade or float trip, please contact me at TroutZoneAnglers@gmail.com
I'm permitted to guide in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and also do tailwater trips and Cumberland Plateau smallmouth bass trips. We're looking to add some smallmouth float trips in the future as well.
We headed on up the river to drop the boat in. Right as I was about to shove off from the ramp, another truck started backing down towards the water. Looking up, I laughed when I realized it was the trout truck! Good fishing for all, at least for a day or two! He waited until we had cleared the ramp so I rowed out a bit and dropped the anchor. This was a photo opportunity not to be missed.
After joking about how guilty we would feel if we pestered the freshly stocked fish, we shoved off and caught the current downstream. A couple hundred yards down the river we started working our flies and right away we got the first fish in the net! Barry was the first to strike, but that made sense because he was in the front casting brace. The usual crowd of wading anglers were working hard so we maneuvered the boat to try and stay out of their way and were soon drifting down through open water.
Not too far down the river is a hole that I like to hit. With the boat perfectly in position, I showed the guys where to drop their flies. Barry had the hot hand again and soon a larger fish was tugging on the end of his line. This fish turned out to be much nicer and in great shape. He decided that perhaps a picture was in order for such a good trout. We snapped a couple of quick shots and then I gently cradled the fish in the current until it surged off, hopefully to be seen another day. Check out the belly on this rainbow! It has been eating well for sure...
By this time Rod had started catching some fish as well. I turned to suggest another spot to Rod when I sensed that Barry had set the hook. Turning around I saw that he looked pretty serious. When he told me that the fish was ever better than the nice rainbow I got serious as well. The net came back out and before long we were celebrating a nice brown to hand with another picture! Barry said it was his largest brown ever so he was understandably happy about it.
That brown ended up being the highlight of the trip, but we would have some other memorable moments. One of the strangest things that has happened to me in a long time while rowing the river was when a large dead vulture drifted down on us while we were anchored in a good spot fishing. I'm still not sure what happened to that poor bird. Even more strange was when his friends started circling overhead as he drifted downstream. I know they eat dead stuff but eating your buddy seems just a little strange.
Another cool moment was when Rod and Barry doubled up. Barry had just hooked a nice rainbow when Rod hooked up as well as I was sliding the net under Barry's fish. I kept the net in the water and got the nice brown in it as well for a couple double shot.
Finally we saw the takeout ramp approaching. Barry wanted to strike once more and put one more nice brown in the net to round out a good day on the water.
These two brothers were great to have in the boat. They fished hard and even participated in the good natured joking around about who was catching the best fish that I started. In the end, honors for this trip went to Barry, but I'll bet that next time Rod will get a big one!
If I can help you with a guided wade or float trip, please contact me at TroutZoneAnglers@gmail.com
I'm permitted to guide in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and also do tailwater trips and Cumberland Plateau smallmouth bass trips. We're looking to add some smallmouth float trips in the future as well.
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