July 30th, East Tennessee and Southeast Fishing Report

This summer seems to be flying by. Fall will be here before you know as July wraps up with August on deck to finish out the season. This has been one hot summer indeed. We're pushing the 90's everyday near Knoxville and the rest of the southeast. You'd think the heat would have us down but you'd be mistaken. We've had a great summer season and the fish have been doing their part as well. Our tailwater streams are still flowing cold and are fishing very well. I'm expecting things to hold like this for the rest of the summer and into fall.

Clinch River The Clinch River remains our top pick for guided fly fishing trips near Knoxville. Although the days are hot, we're seeing a cool fog on the river for the majority of our trips. The fog provides us a breath of fresh air and makes for a nice way to beat the summer heat. The TVA is operating Norris Dam at great levels for float trips, giving us early morning low water and afternoon higher water.

We're catching a mixed bag of fish right now. Plenty of brook trout are biting during the morning and the rainbows and browns are coming on later in the day. The best and most consistent action is still on small nymphs fished with stealth. Use the smallest indicators you can and even stretch your leaders out to 13' to 14'. Don't ignore the hoppers and cicadas in the trees. They tend to work best with the water on.

Hiwassee River Our guided float trips on the Hiwassee are very dependable right now. We're not catching large fish, but we're keeping a tight line most of the day. This is the place to go if your looking for easy numbers. We've got daily water to insure your trip goes off without a hitch.

Currently, I'm still wearing isonychias out. I've been fishing a trailing nymph behind them and splitting the action. I'm pretty sure you can catch fish on just about anything you fish with.....I just prefer to work the dry flies this time of year. On a side note, I saw Tony Wilson on the water yesterday.

He was fishing with a friend and took the time to row his wooden boat over to say hi. For those that don't know Tony, he's one of the pioneering river guides of the southeast, and one of the best guides I ever had the privilege of working with. He taught me a lot and not a day goes by that I don't miss seeing him on the water. It was great seeing him out enjoying the day.

Cumberland River We're seeing great flows for guided drift boat trips on the Cumberland every day. Currently, USCOE has the water off during the early morning hours and then running a good amount more during the heat of the day. Flows are still fairly cold, measuring around 58 degrees. I'd expect USCOE to start their constant sluice in the next few weeks. This will also be a good flow.

Fishing is best in the faster water and runs. Look for fish in the riffles, and current seams along the bank. Some fish are holding in deeper pools but they seem very slow to react to flies. Best flies and techniques right now are focused on nymphs. Hopper/dropper rigs are producing a little, with an occasional big fish. The hopper fishing should get better as summer wears on, a higher flows fill in the river.