Yesterday I picked up Barry Greene at Elkmont Campground for a day of fishing in the Smokies. Barry has fished a number of times in the park with mixed success. Recent rains have brought the water level up a little. Still not perfect, but anything is better than what we’ve had.

Somewhere between Huskey Branch Falls and Fish Camp Prong if you’re keeping track

Barry told me that he put a premium on solitude and was willing to hike some distance. We hike further than necessary to be alone, but we were making such good time and covering the water quick enough that we ended up nearly 4 miles from the trailhead by the end of the day. In fact, the last hour of the day we spent fishing upstream of the confluence with Fish Camp Prong, water that rarely sees any fishermen.

The fish were pretty happy and Barry did well. I had him fish Parachute Adams and ant patterns most of the day. All of the fish brought to hand were between 6-8″ and rainbows, but there were several nicer fish hooked that managed to come off after a short run. We lost count of the number of fish caught and I feel confident Barry had at least twice as many strikes as hook ups, so it was a good day.