East Tennessee Guide Report

Everything changes for us tomorrow. Most of east Tennessee's kids will be starting school, and we'll be seeing less traffic on area rivers. Not that its been crowded by no means, but places like the Hiwassee are about to be a lot more peaceful. Now's the time to start planning your September and October guided float trips on one of our southern tailwaters.

Our area weather has been a little wetter than normal over the past few weeks. Pop up showers have been possible most every day. We've noticed an increase in flows at many of our trout tailwaters. The fishing has been very dependable when your floating on your target flows. We've been playing the river hop to keep us on the best fishing. Right now, we're primarily just booking the dates and deciding where to fish the night before the trip.Here's a look at my picks for the best guided float trips in east Tennessee and the southeast as we move into late summer.

Clinch River
Guided float trips on the Clinch River are still the top pick for east Tennessee. An ever changing flow schedule has kept us on our toes though. Weekend flows are still managed under the TVA Recreational Schedule. So the weekends are a sure bet. The weekday schedules are a little more sketchy and are day to day on being a go or not. Norris Lake never reached full pool this summer.

The fishing has been great. The fish have enjoyed the cooler, wet weather and the bite has shown it. Fish are not as spooky as they were a month ago, especially during the mid day hours. Our sulfurs are all but gone. I still see a stray now and then, but those are being left for the swallows. Nymph fishing under a light indicator is the bet bet for staying hooked up. Terrestrials are providing for some exciting strikes so don't be afraid of using a hopper pattern as your indicator. We're seeing our best quality fish on our guided Clinch trips.

Hiwassee River
The Hiwassee tailwater is our most dependable float trip right now. High water is great for our drift boat trips, and the trout. If we can keep seeing some rain in the watershed, we should have water well into the fall.

The fishing on the Hiwassee for trout has been pretty solid. We're not seeing many fish over 13" inches but we're catching plenty of fish. The fishing here isn't as technical as the Clinch so the trips are well suited for any skill level and anyone seeking a bent fly rod. The trout are eating dries well, including Isonychias #12, Blue Winged Olives #18 - #22 and #16 Ginger Caddis. Their also eating a variety of wet flies and nymphs with reckless abandon.

Cumberland River
The Cumberland watershed ha taken on a good dose of rain over recent weeks. Flows are much more angler friendly in the early morning hours and further downstream. The COE is releasing a large amount of water mid morning and it's best to be downstream of it to extend your fishing window.

The good news is that the fish are eating really well when the water is low. Tungsten beaded flies between #14 - #18 are working best right now. Best patterns seem to be darker nymphs with less flash and more buggy. We're still rising some trout on hoppers but the best terrestrial bite is later in the day than we've been able to fish due to the higher flows. The fish quality has been great....all fish are hard fighting and look good.

Other Rivers.
We're starting to see more opportunities to fish other local rivers now that we're doing a bit of river hopping. Two of the notable rivers are the Caney Fork River near Cookeville TN and the South Holston River near Bristol. Both Rivers should make for a great destination over the next few months. They will be a favorite choice of many of my long time clients who are looking to see some different waters. Both offer shots at trophy trout and both are fun places to toss flies.

Dodging storms on the Cumberland.

I spent Saturday on the Cumberland with some old friends. The fishing was fantastic when we were fishing. The bite was hot with us working small nymphs under light indicators. It was shaping up to be a banner day.

Unfortunately, we spent 45 minutes hunkered down on the bank, letting a close by thunderstorm pass. High water caught up with us a few hours after the storms and that was the end of our fishing. We rose a few more fish but the bite had obviously changed.

Always nice to spend the day on the Cumby.

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.

Beating the heat on the Clinch River

What do you do when the mercury reads 96? You load up and visit the Clinch River. I've spent the last few days with Roy and Tim from Fayetteville TN, and the fishing was great. We enjoyed isonychias and hopper fishing on the Hiwassee River yesterday, then flip flopped to the Clinch to take advantage of cooler conditions. Our move paid off as we were cool and comfortable for the better part of our trip. The fishing wasn' bad either.

Roy with an 18" Clinch River Rainbow.

Mid day float on the Hiwassee

Fished a mid day half day on the Hiwassee today. I saw more guide boats on the river today than anytime in the past five years. Several were floating in giant rafts. We don't see these guys out there very often and they usually provide some interesting viewing as they bounce through the stair steps. Unfortunately, we were on a half day trip so my clients could join a wedding party around 5. Maybe we'll get to see them next time they visit.

Anyway the fishing was just like we expected. We fished isonychia dries most of the day, and the action was great. We also caught a few fish on terrestrials and my new fly anglers loved that. It's always fun watching those fish swim up from the bottom to gently sip a size 10 hopper.

July 17th, Southeastern Tailwaters Report

Our heatwave has passed and we're now seeing more normal summer time weather patterns. Morning lows around 65 and afternoon highs in the upper 80's. We've been getting some beneficial rains in the southeast. Usually spotty afternoon showers but we saw some area wide soakings last week. This should be our pattern for the next few weeks, but then again....I'm just a fishing guide.

The fishing has been great. Several of our favorite locations are giving prime conditions for guided fly fishing everyday. With prime flows comes hungry fish. Here's what's happening and where.

Clinch River The Clinch is flowing at a great level for float trips. Not too much water and not too little. As always, the Clinch River is the coldest tailwater around. Water temps seem to range between 48 degrees and 56 degrees, depending on where the pulses of water are on the river.

The bug action hasn't changed much since my last report. Still seeing the small black caddis. Fish are still taking the emergers better than dries. Good old indicator fishing with a variety of nymphs is working well. Best results are on #18 - #22 patterns. #20 Pheasant tails have been pretty hot. We've also had some luck hopper fishing during higher flows. Good fish will sometimes take advantage of a big offering.

Hiwassee River The Hiwassee is still seeing our normal minimum flows as per the TVA Recreational Releases. I personally wouldn't mind seeing a little more rain in this watershed. The releases were seeing are still cold and the fish seem to be active and healthy.

The fishing action on the Wass' is perfect for anyone looking to get a bent rod. The fish are actively eating dry flies, wet flies, and nymphs. They are also very forgiving to a drag presentation. I'm fishing isonychia dries almost exclusively. Lot's of small browns in the upper river. Plenty of better fish throughout. Great pick right now for easy action.

Cumberland River We're seeing great flows for guided drift boat trips on the Cumberland every day. Currently, USCOE is generating a little in the early morning hours, then a little more in the late afternoon. Falling water is fishing best. 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 fishing 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.

Several great days in KY

We managed to dodge storms and rains for a few days. Then it caught us yesterday. It didn't matter either way. The fishing was great. We found a few fish on hoppers, but most were eating beads. Great times.

Dennis L. With a plump 19.25" Cumby Brown.