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Fishing Reports for The Smoky Mountains |
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Reports 1-12 have been deleted due to limited website disc space |
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THURSDAY, MARCH 29,2006 |
MIKE MASTERS ON LITTLE RIVER AND ABRAMS CREEK |
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Mike Masters and I have been trying to arrange a day that we could work
on his nymphing skills and today was a super day to be on the stream.
We first began by checking his casting and mending skills at Metcalf
Bottoms, and then proceeded on up the stream with Mike working some fast
water and a few runs that were deeper. We saw pretty quickly that the
fish were feeding slow and deep on nymphs. During the first half of the
day, we did not see any flies hatching off. We finally set Mike's rod up
with a tandem selection of Biot Bodied Cahill nymphs. I n just a few
minutes, he had a nice brown on that appeared to be at least 13 inches
or more. We fished a little longer in this spot and decided to move to
Abrams Creek.
We arrived on Abrams and started with two different setups just in case they wanted an emerger. It was the same on this creek. They were only interested in nymphs fished deep and slow. We caught a few and as it got on into the afternoon, we hooked a very nice rainbow that was as big as the brown that Mike had taken on Little River. This fish really put up a great fight and made three beautiful jumps. We saw lots of different flies hatching off and I'm sure that this will just get better. We continued working on proper skills and managed a few more smaller fish . It was just a beautiful day to be outside and I really enjoyed getting to fish with Mike. I wish him the best on the stream this Summer. If Carolyn or I can help
with a guided trip or flies, just contact us at: |
| MONDAY, MARCH 20,2006 |
STEVE WRIGHT IN TIERRA DEL FUEGO |
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I received these pictures from Steve Wright today and I couldn't wait
to get them on the website. Steve is my neighbor here in Hamblen County
and he has just returned from a fantastic fishing trip to the " Land of
Fire". This is about as rough as it gets and about as far from home as
you could imagine being. It is located right on the southern tip of
South America and it about as uninhabitable as anyone could imagine.
Many years ago brown trout were stocked in these waters and apparently
because the rivers were so infertile, the fish migrated to the sea and
eventually became a yearly run to spawn and then back to the sea to get
the food needed in this cold harsh climate.
As you can see in the pictures that Steve sent to me, the fish reach an enormous size and it must take some pretty heavy tackle to handle these mighty fish. Steve related to me that they did most of their fishing with Spey Rods and it helped with casting into a strong wind. Most of us can only dream of a trip of this magnitude, but Steve has actually experienced it. A big hand to him for his ability to catch these monsters. I do want to thank him for sharing his trip with us and I look forward to possibly doing something of this nature myself, since I am now fully retired and able to fish at anytime. STEVE JUST SENT ME A PICTURE OF SOME OF THE FLIES THAT CAUGHT FISH. THE FLY ON THE BOTTOM RIGHT IS A FLY THAT I HAD TIED FOR HIM TO USE ON AN ALASKA TRIP ABOUT 5 YEARS AGO.
If I can be of assistance to you, please let me know: flyfisherman1@charter.net |
| SUNDAY, March 12,2006 | TRIP TO THE CUMBERLAND RIVER |
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My friend , Bill Hall, and I, have been trying to get together for a
Cumberland River float trip for at least two years. We finally managed
to make things come together this past Sunday. Bill has just purchased a
new jet boat package that he got to try out for the first time, when we
did this float, yesterday. It was an awesome Jon boat and
jet motor package. You would just about have to say that it is perfectly
designed for this type of river. We drove thru country to get there,
that I had never been to before. I will have to say, it is pretty
isolated in this area. After launching the boat, we motored 16 miles
upriver, before we started fishing. The river is big and it has been
sluicing water from the dam continually. This caused the water to be a
little high and we had trouble finding fish that were feeding, for most
of the day. We started off using large nymphs or nymphs with scuds as
droppers. This didn't work so we went to several other things. Nothing
seemed to attract any attention until Bill pulled out a #14 Olive
Pheasant Tail Nymph. It was getting on into the evening and we had just
about given up hope, when Bill hooked a nice fish. Pretty soon, he was
into a real nice one and while he was fighting the fish, a couple of
game wardens pulled along side wanting to see licenses. The fish that he
was playing got off, but while we were talking to them, he hooked
another fish before he could get his line reeled in. It was a very nice
one and he could not handle it while attending to being checked by the
officers. Bill handed the rod to me and while I was battling it, the
fish made 5 beautiful jumps. The officers pulled away and Bill finally
landed the largest fish of the day. It looked to be a little better than
20 inches. At this point, I had not caught a fish and he handed me an
Olive Pheasant tail nymph to try out . Sure enough, in just a few
minutes, I was into another nice rainbow. We continued to catch a number
of nice fish in the same area and every one of them were in the 20 in.
or better category. It turned out to be a memorable day, with some
beautiful fish. I also got some pictures of a place called "Rockhouse",
which is a very large natural bridge. It was great to fish new water and
I want to thank Bill for inviting me to join him for this special day.
This river ranks right up there with the best tailwaters of East Tn.
If Carolyn or I can help with a trip or with flies, please contact us at: |
| SATURDAY, MARCH 05,2006 | SEAN PETERSON AND HUGH ON THE HOLSTON RIVER |
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It has been a year or more since I've had the opportunity to fish with
Petey, (Sean Peterson) and I was really looking forward to it. We both
wanted to see how things were looking on the last 5-6 miles of the
Holston River. At about lunch time we met at Indian Cave and pushed off
for a day on the river. We immediately caught one or two fish close to
the launch ramp and we both wondered if the fish had spread out up
and down the river. We moved to the first shoals and saw a few
feeding but they were spooky and we did not connect with them. We only
had to move into the first shoals and Petey was into a fish and then
another. He pumped the stomach of the first fish and we were amazed to
see all the food that the fish were taking. You can enlarge the picture
and see a variety of nymphs that the fish were just gorged with. Well,
it was evident that there were fish within the first 1/4 mile of the
launch site, would there be more as we went down river? The farther down
the river we went , the more fish that we ran into. Pretty soon , it
turned into a feeding frenzy and we were catching fish on almost every
cast. It just looked like the fish had spread out nicely all up and down
the river. We moved farther and farther on down stream and there were as
many fish in one place as there were in another. That was what we were
wanting to see. Finally after a full afternoon of excellent fishing, we
came in site of Nances Ferry. This was the end of our trip and it was a
great one. I sure enjoyed spending the afternoon with Petey on the river
and I hope to get to do it again soon. He is a great flyfisherman and a
super nice person. He has a knowledge of the rivers that just enhances
his abilities when he takes the long rod into hand. He's quite a
pleasure to watch. If you may have been wondering how the Holston is
fishing, this should answer your questions. If Carolyn or I can help
with a guided trip, please contact us at: These were the hot flies
today.
flyfisherman1@charter.net beeboflyfishingguide@hotmail.com
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| SATURDAY FEBRUARY 25,2006 | THE END OF WINTER ON THE SOUTH HOLSTON RIVER |
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FEBRUARY 21, 2006 |
ADVANCED NYMPH FISHING CLASS WITH MIKE REEVES |
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Mike Reeves and I have been talking for several days about doing an Advanced Nymphing Class but we just were having a hard time trying to find some decent weather. It looked like today would be a short break in the foul weather that we've been having, so we decided to give it a try on Paradise Creek. The temperature was around freezing when we started but the water temp was about 43 degrees. The fish were feeding but they were small. Mike worked very hard on all the skills that go with proper nymphing techniques. He was a fast learner with lots of past experience. By early afternoon, he was fishing on his own very nicely. He just kept on catching gobs of small, but feisty rainbows. We just could not get the large fish to move. We took a lunch break and came back to fish another section of the creek. The small boys were still feeding like crazy. By late afternoon , Mike had all of his casting and mending skills down pat and we moved to another section. It was getting late into the afternoon but the fish were becoming more and more aggressive. In the last hour of fishing, I believe that Mike caught at least 20- 30 fish. It turned out to be a nice afternoon and the fish seemed to enjoy it too. I got a chance to try a new Nymphing flyline By Royal Wulff, as well as a new fly called the Ammonite Nymph. Both worked very well. It was great to be out on the stream with Mike and he mastered the Nymphing Skills real fast. I wish him well on his next trip to the mountains.
The flies that worked for us today were
the Biot Bodied Cahill and the Ammonite Nymph. The new Ammonite If Carolyn or I can help with a guide class or any of the flies that were used, feel free to contact us at:
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| FEBRUARY 16, 2006 | BEAUTIFUL AFTERNOON ON A LOCAL TAILWATER! |
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Today is Thursday, the 16th of February, and it has been a really nice
one. I finished work about the middle of the day and ran to a local
tailwater hotspot to see how the trout were doing on such a fine
afternoon. It was a picture perfect start and there was no one else on the stream. I tied on a Sulfur Compara Dun and a Blackfly larva for the dropper. It was just a minute or two and I was into a fish, then another one and again, another one. This was too easy! They were eating the Blackfly Larva up! You just don't have many days like this on the river. There were fish feeding everywhere and I was getting a strike almost every other cast. The fish averaged a little on the small side-from 8-12inches. They were tough little critters and I was having myself a time. This all began by looking at what was coming down the river and it seemed to be all Blackflies for about two hours. This fly is a very important staple during the cooler months for tailwater trout. The Cranefly began to hatch after I had been there for awhile and the fish seemed to want to take the Sulfur Compara Dun more readily when it showed up. It was a fantastic day in a place that would be excellent for a beginning fly fisher or for a woman. The wading is very easy and the fish were as agreeable as you might ask for. This is also a good place to learn some points about entomology. Here are the flies that were productive today. If Carolyn or I can help with a guided trip or with the flies that you need, please contact us at: flyfisherman1@charter.net beeboflyfishingguide@hotmail.com
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| FEBRUARY 14, 2006 | FINALLY, A BREAK IN THE WEATHER! |
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I was beginning to think that we were not going to ever catch a
break in the weather, but we finally got a beauty today. Carolyn and I
ran up to the South Holston and arrived just a few minutes after the
generation had ended. By the time we made it downstream to get into the
water it was at a very good level and the BWOs were hatching off. I tied
on a Griffiths Gnat and a Blackfly Larva and I was into fish real
fast. They were mostly small browns to begin with but there were lots of
them. It was such a beautiful day on the river and we just admired all
the beauty around us. It wasn't long before the hatch changed and lots
of Creme Midges starting showing up. I switched over to a Creme Midge
dropper first, and starting catching a little larger fish right away. In
a few minutes we changed Carolyn's fly's over to the same thing. Within
the first or second cast, she had a fish on, and then another , and
another. As it got on into the evening, she hooked a beauty of a fish.
This one took several minutes to land and I got some nice pictures of
the fight. It turned out to be a chunky 15 inch rainbow. One fellow watched from the bank and just swore that it was a brown because of the way that it fought. It was one of the fattest rainbows that I've seen in the South Holston. It was great to finally get a day on the water, even with snow on the ground. Here are some of the flies that took fish today. The Creme Midge was especially effective. If Carolyn or I can help with a guided trip or the flies that we mentioned, please contact us at: flyfisherman1@charter.net beeboflyfishingguide@hotmail.com
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| JANUARY 08,06 | RON AND QUINTON LADD ON ABRAMS CREEK |
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I met today with Ronn Ladd and his son Quinton from the Tri Cities area,
and we fished Abrams Creek. I knew that it would be a difficult day
because of water temperatures and it was just that. There was snow all
over the mountains and this causes the water temperatures to drop down
to critical levels. The fish become lethargic and just will not eat much
at all. I had thought that Abrams Creek might be a few degrees warmer,
but it only produced a few strikes. We caught a couple of fish but we
had to work hard for them. Ronn and Quinton were a great Father and Son team and I really enjoyed being on the water with them. They also showed me a new pair of Orvis Waders that I liked real well. We talked about the water conditions and made plans to try to get together in the early summer again. Be watching for some pretty days to come along and get in touch with Carolyn or me for a guided day on the water. |
| DECEMBER 17, 2005 | WHAT A WAY TO END THE 2005 SEASON! |
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It has been a long beautiful year of fishing for some of the most
beautiful things that God has created. We have now come down to the end
of the 2005 fishing year. I wanted to try to make one more trip to the
South Holston River because the fishing has just remained good from the
time that the Sulfurs started hatching until now. I arrived on the river
this morning at about 9:30AM. It was very cold and the fish started off
real slow. I only caught small fish up until noon and then I moved to a
different part of the river. When I arrived in the Bend section of the
river there was a nice BWO hatch coming off. I thought that a Parachute
BWO would be the fly to use but I had no takes. After trying a couple of
other flies with no results, I switched back to a Sulfur Compara Dun and
a Blackbird Deerhair Emerger on 7x tippet. The Blackbird was the fly
that they were looking for. I caught a few 13-14 inch fish and moved on
up to the next hole. Lots of fish were feeding here and I cast to one up
above me. The fly came right across where the fish was rising and moved
right on down and past me. It was only about 20 ft. away and I saw a
huge fish coming up with it's mouth open. There was a swirl and the fish
turned. I set the hook and the fish did a partial jump. I could see the
bright colors of a nice rainbow, but I couldn't tell just how large it
was. The fish went down to the bottom and did some bulldogging like a
big brown. Eventually it came back up and I saw that I had on a real
trophy. The battle kept on going for about 1/2 hour. Headshaking,
twisting, rolling over and over, short hot runs, upstream, downstream,
but I stayed right with the fish. Ten minutes, fifteen minutes, twenty
minutes. Was the fish going to ever give up? After about 1/2 hour of
tuff bulldogging, I finally lead the fish to the bank. I took pictures
all along to capture the battle, but I was by myself today and I had no
net. I finally got the worn-out fish to the calm water and measured it.
It was 24inches long and then I photographed it, before releasing it. It
was my biggest rainbow and what a way to end the 2005 year!
The Blackbird Deerhair Emerger is making a name for itself on the tailwaters that is just as impressive as it's cousin, the Smoky Mountain Blackbird Softhackle. You may want to try some of these flies if you are going to be fishing East Tennessee Tailwater rivers. Hugh
If Carolyn or I can help
with a guided trip to a tailwater, please contact us at: |
| DECEMBER 6, 2005 | WINTERTIME REPORT FROM THE SOUTH HOLSTON RIVER |
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It had been several days since I had fished the South Holston River and we
have had some really chilly temperatures during that time. I
really wanted to find out if the cold weather would completely
shut down the feeding of the fish. With temperatures well below
freezing during the early morning and lots of snow on the mountains, I
was about to find out. I arrived at about 11:30 and I had to drive
up the river for several miles to find the water receding from the last
generation. I finally found a spot where the water had receded enough to
get started and as soon as I got on the water, I could see fish feeding
everywhere. BWOs were hatching and the fish were really turned on to
them. I began with a Parachute BWO and a Blackbird Deerhair Emerger. The
fish found this combination very attractive and things really got off to
a good start. It looked like it was going to be a great day, even
though it was cold and blustery. The sun came out in about 2 hours and
the Sulfurs began to hatch immediately. I changed over to a Sulfur
Compara Dun and a Beadhead Hares Ear Emerger and right away the fish
just jumped all over these flies. Almost all of the fish were rainbows
except for two browns. They looked healthy and they jumped just
like they have been all Fall. It turned out to be a banner day and I was
really pleased with the results of wintertime fishing on the South
Holston. IF CAROLYN OR I CAN BE OF HELP WITH SOME GREAT WINTERTIME FISHING, PLEASE CONTACT US AT: flyfisherman1@charter.net beeboflyfishingguide@hotmail.com
Phone Number: 423-586-6198 or Emails: All Content is Copyright © of Hugh and Carolyn Hartsell |
