Hang in there! Spring is coming soon!

It’s still winter but many of us are already planning our fishing in the months ahead. We get numerous emails and phone calls over the winter from people planning trips. Many of those folks are trying to hit a particular hatch, good flows on the tailwaters, or the best conditions for an extended backcountry fishing trip.

February There’s not usually a whole lot going on in during the heart of winter, but you can get out on the water more than you might think. Focus you attention on the tailwaters for the best action. It’s been a long winter with little to no tailwater fishing depending on the exact river, but TVA should begin to moderate generation by February. The South Holston and Watauga Rivers always have the most consistent schedules for fishing, but look for the Clinch, Holston, and Hiwassee to get good.

Fat rainbows can be caught on the Clinch and Holston in the late winter

The South Holston is the head of the heap for dry fly fishing with great Blue Wing Olive hatches. Also bring some midge patterns along with a few Sulphurs. The Clinch can have some superb midge fishing in the winter. Try some sowbug patterns if the midges aren’t hatching.

Most of the streams in the Smokies will fish slow. Abrams Creek in Cades Cove usually fishes better than most other streams because it has warmer water temperatures from numerous springs that feed it. Delayed Harvest streams like Paint Creek and Tellico River in Tennessee and the Nantahala and Tuckaseegee Rivers in North Carolina are also good bets in the winter.

Periodic mid-winter “thaws” can provide some very good fishing on all waters. Warm, sunny days will get midges hatching on the tailwaters and fish in the mountain streams will become more active as well. Some years spring weather can arrive by the last week of February.

March is really when spring fishing kicks off in the Smoky Mountain region. Fishing on the tailwaters can be good, but dry fly fishing on many of the creeks can be nothing short of phenomenal. Quill Gordons and Blue Quills are mayflies that hatch on the larger streams and bring trout to the surface.

Little River, Deep Creek, the Oconaluftee River, and Bradley Fork have some of the best dry fly fishing in the Smokies during March. These hatches can start as early as the first of the month or as late as the 15th. Bugs will start hatching between 11:00 AM and 1:00 PM and may linger up until 3:00 PM or later.

One thing to be aware of in 2010 is that Cades Cove will be closed March through May while the road is re-paved. This means no fishing on Abrams Creek this spring.

Midge fishing is usually pretty good on the Holston and Clinch Rivers in March. There might be a few caddis on the Holston to whet your appetite for the coming months, but focus your efforts on fishing nymphs. Small Woolly Buggers can also be quite effective in the spring. Bring them across riffles with an erratic retrieve for the best results.

April is when things start to heat up all over. Fishing starts to pick up on all the tailwater rivers and the streams in the Smoky Mountains only get better. The Clinch, Holston, and Hiwassee Rivers are all usually on a “pulse” generation schedule. This is a minimum flow schedule when flows are generally low and generators will give occasional pulses of water to keep water flowing. Caddis usually hatch on the Hiwassee and Holston while Sulphurs start to hatch on the Clinch.

In the Smokies the trout will be rising very well and certainly eating nymphs when they’re not. Quill Gordons will begin to fade from the scene but they are replaced by Hendricksons and March Browns. The yellow mayflies start to hatch by the end of April. Light Cahills and Sulphurs hatch late in the afternoon into the evening.

Watch for Yellow Sallies to start hatching by mid-April but the real action with these bugs happens later in the month when they lay eggs on the water just before dark.

Yellow Sally stonefly

May is one of the best all round months for fly fishing in East Tennessee and western North Carolina. Fishing is excellent in the Smokies at all elevations. Hatches are well under way on the tailwaters and smallmouth bass are also active on the rivers.

Light colored mayflies and stoneflies come out in the evenings on Smoky Mountain trout streams. The caddis hatch on the Holston River can be downright ridiculous at times and the Sulphurs usually have trout rising on the Clinch. Dry fly fishing is certainly part of the experience no matter where you fish for trout, but don’t leave the nymph box at home.

Charity hooked this brown trout on a dry fly

Nymphs are often required on the tailwaters in the hours leading up to a hatch. They continue to work well during a hatch, but who can fish a nymph when trout are rising to the surface? May is usually our best month for dry fly fishing on the Holston River. Caddis hatches can get crazy at times!

May is also the best month for Sulphurs on the Clinch. Last year was the best Sulphur hatch we’ve seen in a long time and we’re hoping for a repeat in 2010!

A view of Mout Leconte from Townsend, TN on a winter day

View from the fly tying desk on a cold day last January, Townsend, TN

Spring rainbow trout during the Quill Gordon hatch, Great Smoky Mountains National park

BBQ Ribs on Hazel Creek; Not a bad way to end a day of fishing.

Little River rainbow trout, Great Smoky Mountains

Michael Kennedy hooked up with a nice trout hooked on a dry fly from the drift boat, Holston River, Tennessee

Hooked up with a rainbow on the Clinch River, Tennessee

Nice brown trout during the Sulphur hatch on the Clinch River, TN

John Emert caught this beautiful rainbow on a #18 caddis dry fly on the Holston River, Tennessee

A black bear eating poke berries, Townsend, TN

A curious deer fawn edges closer to investigate fly fishers on Abrams Creek, Great Smoky Mountains

This tiger striped smallmouth bass inhaled a brown and orange Clouser Minnow on Tennessee's Pigeon River

Did you miss this post last summer? Click the photo for the full story.

Casting terrestrials on Little River mid-summer, Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Madison River, Yellowstone National Park, Montana

Lewis River Canyon, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Madison River rainbow trout, Yellowstone National Park, Montana

A brown trout holds in the current in Little River, Great Smoky Mountains National Park

The view from Newfound Gap on our commute to work guiding the Oconaluftee, Great Smoky Mountains National Park

A trout rises among leaves drifting in the current, Little River, Great Smoky Mountains National Park

John Coley caught this beautiful wild brown trout in the backcountry on a dry fly, Little River, Great Smoky Mountains

That's a nice brown anywhere, but particularly for the wild streams of the Smokies, Oconaluftee River, Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Autumn scene on Hazel Creek, Great Smoky Mountains

Your moment of zen: The bright red adipose fin of a Smoky Mountain trout.

View from the Foothills Parkway on a beautiful fall afternoon

Winter is among the toughest times of year to catch trout in streams. Water temperatures are cold and a trout’s metabolism is slow. Even though a fish doesn’t need to feed as much in cold weather, they will eat if given a chance.

Fishing in the winter is different than spring, summer, and fall. Nymphing skills are more important now than any other time of year. Here is our best advice for catching trout on nymphs in the winter.

1. Fish the middle of the Day – Fishing is rarely very good before 9:00 AM in December, January, and February. In fact, fish may not be moving around much until 11:00 AM or noon. Trout will move most after water temperatures have risen a few degrees. Aquatic insects also move around a little more when things warm up a bit and this gives the fish the best reason to clock into work. Fishing often slows down by 3:30 or 4:00 but can continue to be good right up until dark on unseasonably warm days.

2. Choose the Water you Fish Wisely – Any angler who is skilled at reading the water will always outfish another who isn’t as discriminating. This becomes even more important when fishing in the winter. Shallow riffles and long stretches of pocket water don’t give up trout as generously in the winter as other seasons. Skip swift water lies in favor of slower flows. Trout move to the swifter water when food is more plentiful, but lie in slower water when insects aren’t very active.

One of the best spots is the point where a shallow riffle transitions to deeper, slower water. Cast the fly into the riffle so it has time to sink and falls naturally into the deeper water.

Also keep an eye out for slow pockets in stretches of pocket water. Not all pockets will be productive, but some might give you the best opportunity of the day. Patches of dead water framed by swift water are prime.

Watch for stretches of water that receive plenty of sunlight. Direct sunlight provides a little extra warmth to get both bugs and fish moving. We often spend winter days chasing sunny spots and will occasionally find a few rising trout.

Fish during the warmest part of the day and try to find sunny spots where fish may be more active

3. Plan Your Fishing Around the Weather – Most anglers fish when they can and squeeze a day into a busy schedule when possible. Keep an eye on the extended forecast during the winter months and try to hit the water on a day that will optimize your chances for success. A string of cold nights with temperatures in the teens and daytime temperatures that struggle to rise into the mid 30’s are sure to provide slow fishing.

Water temperatures in freestone mountain streams will often plunge right down to the freezing mark. This is sure to produce a “lockjaw” pandemic among the trout population. Trout are only marginally active when the water gets below 40 degrees. We see the biggest activity swing between 40 and 42 degrees. Fishing is pretty good at 42 but noticeably slower at 40. Get down to 38 or 39 and fishing is extremely slow.

One of the best weather features to watch for in the winter is a period of rain when the overnight temperatures stay in the 40’s or barely dip into the 30’s. A rainy 45 degree day brings relatively warm water into a stream and can get fish and bugs moving. This can jump start a stream after a long cold snap and even keep a stream warm for the first day after temperatures have made a sudden dip.

Even waterfalls start to ice up when the water is 32 degrees. Fishing is guaranteed to be slow when the water is this cold.

4. Use Split Shot – No other piece of equipment is as maligned by fly fishers as split shot. This is in spite of the fact that we find it more useful than almost anything else in the winter. A $5 – $10 investment in split shot will go much further toward catching trout in cold weather than a much pricier investment in rods or reels.

We typically use shot in sizes 4, 6, or 8 depending on the depth and velocity of the water. Pinch it on your tippet 6″ – 8″ above the fly or in between two nymphs tied as a dropper. This will ensure that your flies sink to depth quickly. A fly that sinks quickly is a fly that is in the strike zone sooner and stays there longer.

5. Use the Best Strike Indicator For the Job -  Expect subtle takes from the fish. This requires a strike indicator that can support the weight of heavy nymphs. If you use a strike indicator that sinks under the surface on every other drift you’re very likely to miss a soft strike when a trout does eat. You might even realize it was a fish, only too late to get a good hook set.

Yarn can be a good choice but be sure it’s a big piece. Foam footballs and other other indicators made from high floating materials are the best choice. Sticky pinch-on indicators don’t allow for depth adjustment and are sometimes too small to float a heavy rig.

6. Try Fishing Without a Strike Indicator – Many fly fishers are surprised to hear us say that no strike indicator might be the best way to go. This isn’t a technique we recommend for inexperienced anglers, but those who are already skilled at high stick nymphing with a strike indicator may be surprised at how effective this can be. Strike indicators place a limit on just how deep your nymphs can go and might place a limit on just how effective you can be.

Start out by trying this technique in slow pockets with short casts. Be sure your rod tip is downstream of your nymphs. Use only the minimum amount of line necessary. There should be no extra line on the water. Move your rod tip downstream at the same speed your nymphs drift in the current.

Most fly fishers are shocked at how obvious the strike is. Your leader and the short amount of fly line you are using will twitch or even jump upstream. Another benefit is that you can actually feel your nymph bouncing along the bottom. Just a little practice with this technique will make any fly fisher more effective with nymphs.

7. Use Heavy Tippet – Some fly fishers are extremely conscientious about using the lightest tippet possible so fish won’t see it. This is fine when fishing tiny midge patterns to cautious tailwater sippers in slow water. Light tippet has no benefit in cold mountain streams. Most fish eat size #8 – #14 flies better than those in the range of #18 and smaller. This is probably because the fish are opportunistic and they see the larger patterns better.

Heavier tippet casts heavy nymph rigs better than light tippet. A leader with two nymphs, a split shot, and a strike indicator is naturally clumsy to cast and stiffer tippet helps it turn over better. We generally use 3X on flies down to #8 – #12, 4X on sizes #12 – 14, and 5X on sizes #14 – 16.

8. Use a Dropper Rig – If the fishing will be slow you should do everything to maximize your chances for a hook up. One of the best ways we know is to fish two flies.

There are two big advantages associated with fishing a couple of flies. The first is that you can fish two different flies to a single fish with one drift. Sometimes fish will have a definite preference for one fly over another.

The second advantage is that you can fish two flies at different depths on the same drift. We like to fish a #8 – #10 stonefly pattern on bottom and a smaller beadhead on top. This allows you to present a fly deep for the fish glued to the bottom and another fly higher in the water column for those fish watching for emerging mayflies or caddis.

9. Try Fishing a Streamer Like a Nymph – This is something that doesn’t require a new skill set for fly fishers but is rarely done. You can simply fish a Woolly Bugger or Muddler Minnow under a strike indicator or add a new dimension to your tight line nymphing without an indicator.

We’re strong advocates of putting action on streamers, but they will do better in the coldest conditions with little to no action. After the dead drift you can allow the line to come tight and fish the swing.

Those who opt to use the tight line nymphing method should consider giving the streamer a slight twitch with the rod tip when they feel it tap bottom. Most strikes come when the streamer shows a small sign of life.

10. Stocked Trout are Far More Active in the Cold than Wild Trout – We’re sure there’s a biological reason for this, but stocked trout will continue to feed in the coldest water when wild trout have completely shut down. Our best theory is that stockers don’t have as much survival savvy. They continue to forage for food even when wild fish seem to know it’s a waste of energy when there are no insects moving about.

We’re strong advocates of fishing for wild fish, but if you can only get out during the coldest weather you’re going to have better opportunities to hook some fish on a stocked stream.

That's my size 11 foot in the photo for scale

It’s been a couple of weeks ago now, but I came across the the biggest brown trout I’ve ever seen on the Clinch River. I had taken Gary Newton from Berea, Kentucky on a float trip. It was a pretty good day of fishing with most trout taking midge patterns in the #20 range. A few of the trout were in the 14″ – 17″ range with most in the 10″ range.

Clouds built throughout the day and around 4:00 the rain started to fall. That wasn’t too bad, but the thunder and lightning drove us off the river to safety. There was no real place to stay dry, but we sat it out in rain gear. It was a downpour to say the least and water was standing about ankle deep at the rowers seat in the drift boat.

The rain started to let up and we decided to go ahead and pull out into the current. The water had started to rise so I didn’t have to worry about zig-zagging my way down the river through a maze of ledges. The water had just gotten high enough so there was a few inches clearance to float over them.

The fog had come on pretty thick over the river and visibility was only about 75 yards. There were still some rumbles of thunder in the distance so I was pushing the boat on down the river to avoid round two in the storms.

I was just upstream of Lewellyn Island when I noticed something off to my left in the river. I initially thought it was some flotsam picked up by the rising water, but it had a little bit of motion that made it look more alive than a piece of trash.

As I rowed over to it I could see that it was a big fish. It was drifting with the current but so big that I had difficulty getting in the net. It took me four separate attempts to finally get it in the net and in the boat. Gary made the comment that the fish was easily over 24″ long.

I have a 20″ ruler decal in the drift boat and the fish dwarfed it, more than a head and tail longer than the sticker. I put the fish down in the water in bottom of the boat and it showed signs of life so I rowed over to a shallow spot in order to get out of the boat to revive the fish.

After about 10 minutes the fish didn’t seem to be any more alive, although it occasionally kicked or worked its mouth open and closed. I couldn’t see myself mounting a fish I didn’t catch and I don’t have a fly shop to put it on display so I simply decided to leave the fish in the water. As I started to leave I thought to measure the fish and get some photos.

I don’t carry a tape measure in the boat since I have the ruler decal. I grabbed a spool of tippet and pulled a length of line from the brown trout’s nose to tail and clipped it off. I did the same to get a girth just behind the pectoral fins.

I reviewed the photos I had taken of the fish and knew that even with a net and my foot in the picture and knew that the true size of the fish couldn’t be appreciated from those images. I asked Gary to pop a few pictures of me holding the fish.

In the back of my mind I was guessing that the brown was about 28″. We’ve hooked and landed some beasts from the Clinch over the years but all were 26″ or less. I’m aware of at least one fish that a fly fisher caught on a streamer that was 28″. We hear the 30″ number tossed around every so often, but that’s a bigger trout than most people realize. One of our regular customers has fished Tierra del Fuego for sea run browns and has assured us that 30″ is a lot of fish.

I measured the two pieces of tippet and was floored by the size. The brown trout was 34″ and had a 19″ girth. Truly an impressive trout anywhere you go. Even more when you consider this is a resident fish, not a lake or ocean run fish.

I ran into TWRA cold water fisheries biologist Jim Habera a few days later and showed him the pictures. Jim has handled some big trout while shocking tailwaters here in Tennessee and he laid down an educated guess that the brown trout weighed about 20 pounds. The current state record here in Tennessee is 28 pounds from the Clinch River.

The fish was in good shape and didn’t show any injuries so I asked Jim if he had an opinion as to why the fish was dying. His opinion mirrored mine. A fish has to die some time of something and it looks like this one died of old age. Jim told me that a fish of this size would almost have to be 8 years old but could easily be older.

Brown trout like this one are exceptionally rare, but there are certainly other fish out there in this size range. The Clinch and South Holston Rivers are the most likely suspects along with the Cumberland River in Kentucky, but the Caney Fork in Middle Tennessee is a dark horse that could produce a fish like this or will some time in the future. We know of one fly fisher who landed a 30″ brown trout on the Watauga a few years back so it’s not a stretch to consider that river either.

As fly fishers we have an advantage over natural predators like osprey, herons, water snakes, and otters. They have to catch their dinner with their claws and mouths. Skilled anglers fool trout into coming willing to a fly. All too often many anglers negate the advantages of a well tied fly and clear monofilament leader.

Put the fly where a fish will see it. This is a relatively simple concept, but one that is often overlooked. A fly fisher may have the best fly ever devised, but it is worthless if a fish never sees it. Anglers should strive to find the best spots to cast a fly. Feeding lanes are always the best place to cast a fly since these are the currents where fish find food most often. Most trout will not be found in excessively swift water or still water. Swift water requires a good deal of energy to hold in and still water doesn’t have enough current to bring a steady supply of food.

There's a lot of water out there and that fly is small. Be sure to put it where a fish can see it.

Take special care not to spook fish or make them aware of your presence. As soon as a fish has spooked you will not catch him. This is basic knowledge, but we often see anglers on the river who seem to ignore this fact. We have even watched some anglers wade through pods of rising fish to get a better casting position. Of course this better casting position was worthless once the fish were gone! If a fish runs away to hide it will never see your fly. Again, the perfect fly has been rendered useless.

Move slowly on the water and cast from a position where trout won't notice you.

Make accuracy a priority over distance when casting the fly. The ability to cast a fly far is a valuable skill, but that skill is nullified if you can’t hit a target. Even when casting from a drift boat a 30 foot cast usually works better than a 60 or 70 foot cast. Many anglers can hit a target at 30 feet but have more difficulty as the distance grows. Again, trout will not see your fly if it lands off target.

We often fish to pods of midging fish on our local tailwaters here in East Tennessee. The midge hatches are so prolific that most fish will not move more than a couple of inches for such a small offering. Casting accuracy is crucial in this situation where being off by about a foot might be about as effective as missing by a mile.

Ensure your accuracy by stacking the odds in your favor and only make casts that have at least a reasonable shot of hitting the target. Long casts also increase the chances of a sloppy cast that slaps the water and spooks the fish.

Short casts are usually better than long casts even when fishing from a drift boat.

Get a good drift so the fly looks natural on the water. Ever heard the old adage that good looks will only get you so far? That’s particularly true with trout flies. Even the most realistically tied fly will not look right to a trout if it drags across the current like a water skier. Anglers can do several things to make a good drift easier to accomplish. We’ve already mentioned shorter casts but shorter drifts are just as important. It is far easier to make a fly drift without drag for five or six feet than it is for 20 or 30 feet. Divide a run of water into several short drifts and you will increase your odds of covering a fish with a perfect drift. Another thing anglers can do is to plan ahead by anticipating drag and make the appropriate mend with the line before drag sets in. Mending line is less effective after drag has set in.

Give every drift a chance. We all make bad casts, but leave the fly on the water and see what happens. Worst case scenario a fish will not see the fly and you can pick it up and re-cast in a moment. Every season we see fly fishers pick up “bad casts” just as a fish was about to eat the fly. The fly was good enough to fool the fish, but the cast wasn’t good enough for the angler and he took it away when the fish wanted it. Let the fish be the judge and give every drift a chance, even if it didn’t meet your standard.

Dropping a fly to the water then picking it up quickly may also spook fish. Let the drift out of the zone you’re fishing. Even when fish want the fly they are less likely to come to it a second time if you picked it up before they got to it.

You've fooled the fish. Don't squander the opportunity!

Expect the strike. After reading the water, making an accurate cast, and getting a good drift it’s a real shame when you fool a fish but miss the strike. It never fails to surprise us when anglers say that they didn’t expect a fish to eat. Our response is, “Then why did you put the fly there?” There is no reason to make a cast if you don’t believe a fish might eat your fly.

Even when the fisherman had the perfect fly and the perfect drift he didn’t catch the fish because he was caught off guard. Our motto is “Be surprised when a fish didn’t come to the fly.” Act deliberately and have confidence in your cast and your drift. Try to anticipate the strike and be prepared for it.

The Pat’s Nymph is one of those flies that Smoky Mountain fly fishing guides just love. It has a buggy look that fish can’t resist and it’s relatively quick and easy to tie. While the Pat’s Nymph is good year round, it’s particularly good in the spring since it’s a good representation of several aquatic insects.

Hook: #12-14 Standard Nymph Hook

Underbody: .010 – .015 Lead Free Wire

Thread: 6/0 Black

Tail: Brown Hackle Fibers

Body: Any shaggy gray dubbing material like squirrel or muskrat. I particularly like Wapsi Sow-Scud dubbing

Collar: Brown Hackle

Step 1. Starting at the rear of the hook wrap the lead free wire forward, then wrap back over the first layer of wire about 50% of the way back. This makes the fly heavy enough to sink in turbulent water and also adds shape to the body.

Step 2. Wrap the thread on just in front of the wire underbody, then wrap over the wire toward the rear of the hook. Be sure the wire is locked into place by the thread. Strip a few brown hackle fibers from a feather and tie them in just in front of the bend. Clip the butts. A variety of hackles will work for this since dry fly quality feathers are not required.

Step 3. Twist dubbing fibers onto the thread. Dubbing wax may help, but this is not something we use. Be sure the body of the fly has a shaggy appearance. Taper the body. Leave about one and a half hook eye’s length between the dubbing and the eye of the hook.

Step 4. Tie in the hackle. Use either inferior dry fly hackle or hen hackle. Make one or two wrap depending on the density of the hackle fibers on the feather, then tie it off and clip the excess.

Step 5. Pull the hackle fibers back with the thumb and forefinger, then wrap the thread back over it and make a head. Tie it off with a series of half hitches or a whip finish and take it fishing.

The Pat’s Nymph is excellent in a number of situations when nymphs are required. It’s a heavy fly and sinks well. This is important in cold water or turbulent water. It also makes for one half of an excellent dropper rig along with another nymph. It can weigh down other nymphs like a #16 Beadhead Pheasant Tail or add even more weight to a big stonefly pattern like a #8 Tellico Nymph.

Some anglers are turned off by the scraggly appearance of this somewhat ordinary looking fly, but it should not be ignored. Its drab color scheme imitates a variety of aquatic insects and its weight gets it down where the fish are. We’ve even noticed that fish seem to like it more as it gets chewed up. One of our fishing buddies used to grind the fly under his boot heel before tying it on and claimed that made it more enticing to fish!

Our job as guides is to direct anglers to catch fish. Sometimes we come up with creative ways to get a point across. Regardless of whether we’re fishing small brook trout streams high in the Smokies or floating down a big tailwater in a driftboat we can distill the main concept to one word: Wait!

A guide advises an angler for the best drift

In the truest sense, fly fishing is a predatory exercise; the same as hunting. We catch fish through deception while hunters take down a deer or bird with a gun, but there are more similarities than you might think. A hunter does NOT just walk through the woods blasting a rifle or shotgun as he goes. He has to wait for the shot. There are times when a hunter sees a deer or a bird, but doesn’t take the shot. It’s either too far or isn’t a clear shot, so he waits for a better opportunity.

This can apply to fly fishers too. How many times have you waded up a stream, casting as you go with no real target? This alerts fish to your presence and diminishes your chances of catching trout. An angler will do far better to simply wade into position and decide where to cast. Sometimes it helps to move a step or two further to get in the best position for a good drift.  This sets the angler up for the best shot before he casts.

Trout live in moving water. If you think about it, they only see food once before they eat it. If a real bug comes down the river and a trout doesn’t eat it, he never will. The bug only floats by once. If an angler makes a cast from a bad position there is a good chance the fly will drag or the cast will alert the fish to danger. The first time the fish sees the fly he knows it isn’t real.

On the other hand, if the angler casts from the best position possible there is a good chance the cast will be a good one. A trout is likely to eat a fly on the first cast if it has a good drift. Hunters rarely get a second shot. Deer or birds take flight and the opportunity is gone. This happens with trout too, but many anglers don’t realize this since they never saw the fish in the first place.

Charity gets a good drift from a good position

Most nights after guide trips we tell each other about our day on the water. One of the most common recurring stories is when an angler misses a strike and says, “I didn’t expect one to be there!” Of course we told them to put the fly there, but even if we didn’t we always like to ask, “Then why did you put it there?”

A hunter never shoots his rifle at random, only to be surprised that he hit something. A fly fisher should be the same way. It’s a simple concept, almost too simple, but only cast the fly when you think you’ll get a strike. Our motto is “Be surprised when a fish doesn’t eat your fly. Never be surprised when you get a strike.”

Most anglers see a pod of rising trout as a sure thing. The best way to fish over a group of fish is to pick one and fish to it. There are two ways to pick a fish. You can either choose the one you think is biggest or choose the one you think is the easiest to catch. In either case you should focus on that one fish. Most anglers cast at the whole group. This often results in the fly drifting between fish instead of drifting to a fish.

Don't "flock shoot" rising trout. Pick one fish and cast to it.

Treat your fly rod like a loaded gun and you’ll catch more fish. Choose you casts wisely and don’t cast indescriminately. Position yourself for the best opportunity and don’t cast until you know you’ll make a good one. If you follow those rules you should get more strikes, so don’t be surprised by your success. Enjoy it!

Success! A nice brown trout is the reward when everything is done right.

The Scenery

Abrams Creek on a snowy day last January

Misty spring day on Newfound Gap Road

Daffodils at Elkmont in March

Rhododendron blooms on a remote brook trout stream

Rainbow over Rich Mountain, Townsend, TN

The Fish from 2008

A Little River brown trout fooled by a Haystack

A native brook trout miles from the trailhead

A rainbow trout feeds in the current in a Smokies stream

Charity with a 18″ Hazel Creek brown trout

John Switow shows a beautiful rainbow that he caught on a caddis emerger on the Holston

A nice Holston brown trout caught by Chad Plumly last May

A family float on the Holston

A smallmouth bass from the Pigeon River

A different view of a Smokies rainbow trout

Underwater view of a Smoky Mountain brook trout

The rare big brown trout landed on Little River

Another very nice Little River brown trout

A rainbow rises to an emerging caddis on the Holston River

The Wildlife

A bull elk along the Oconaluftee River near Cherokee, NC

 A bull elk in Cataloochee Valley

Ruffed Grouse along Little River

River otter in Little River

River otters on Calderwood Lake

Bear tracks at the mouth of Hazel Creek

Black bear eating cherries in Cades Cove

This timber rattler was sunning along the trail up Fish Camp Prong

1. Dress for the Occasion – There are few things in the world more miserable than being cold and wet and this is the number one reason why most people avoid fishing in the winter. Cold and wet are standard conditions on a river in the winter. As outdoor professionals we rely on the creed, “There is no such thing as bad weather, just bad equipment.”

Leave your cotton socks in the drawer. Wear wool socks which are warmer. Long underwear is essential. We like capilene tights with something heavier over them. Heavy fleece pants are excellent. Turtle neck or zip neck undershirts are a good base layer. Wear a warm shirt over that plus a good jacket. Windproof fleece jackets are among the best since they block any breeze from chilling you. However, a light windbreaker or rainjacket worn over a heavy fleece jacket or pullover will achieve the same thing.

A warm hat will do more to keep you warm than almost anything else. A simple stocking cap will work fine and is often the most effective piece of head gear. Be sure to wear something that keeps your ears covered and warm.

Fleece gloves are the last piece of essential gear. We prefer the fingerless variety that still allow us some dexterity for tying knots and stripping fly line. Try to find gloves that only expose your fingertips, not the whole finger.

2. Head to the Best Destination for the Conditions – Not all rivers fish the same in the winter. Tailwaters fish much differently than natural freestone trout streams.  Extended cold snaps will keep the water temperatures extremely on mountain streams where you might even find a skim of ice on the bigger pools of water. Tailwater rivers will always have moderate water temperatures. Sometimes the water temperature is similar to what it is in the spring so tailwaters are always the best choice on the coldest days.

Many tailwaters like the South Holston in northeast Tennessee will have phenomenal Blue Wing Olive hatches during foul weather. However, some tailwaters will have massive midge emergences on sunny days. While fish will feed aggressively on these miniscule midges during these times, they can also be maddeningly selective. If the weather has been relatively mild for several days we often fare better fishing in freestone streams where the fish are rarely selective and feed more aggressively as the water warms.

3. Don’t be Afraid to Fish with Extra Weight – Trout in freestone streams aren’t likely to rise when the water is in the 40’s or colder. Tailwater trout are notorious for rising only during reliable insect emergences. Both of these facts make the point that you will have to fish a nymph to have a real opportunity at hooking fish in the winter months.  Furthermore, extra weight that gets your fly close to the river bottom will improve your odds of drawing a strike.

Fish will not move about in the current when there is little or no food to be intercepted. For this reason fish will lie on bottom to conserve their energy and often won’t even be on the lookout for food drifting above them. A fly that is tumbling along the bottom is in the only place where a fish will likely eat it. A fly that drifts only a foot higher in the water may not even get a fish’s attention.

Use small split shot and crimp them on your leader 4″ – 10″ above your fly. This is an easy step that remarkably few fly fishers take. I can’t remember how many times one small split shot made the difference between a slow day of fishing and a day of reliable hook-ups.

4. Be Sure to Fish the Fly at the Proper Depth – This concept goes hand in hand with fishing extra weight. A heavy nymph fished too shallow is just as ineffective as an unweighted fly. The best policy is to fish your nymph rig about 30″ – 36″ under a strike indicator. This is a good average. If you’re not drawing strikes or hooking bottom, make the distance longer until one or the other starts to happen. Hooking bottom about one time in ten drifts is acceptable when the fish are moving slow. This shows you that your fly is consistently getting deep. Hooking bottom any more than that will only serve to cause  aggravation as you repeatedly have to get flies off the bottom and perhaps retie your whole rig.

One rule we have is “If you’re not hooking fish, try to hook bottom.” Gradually fish the fly deeper until you either start getting strikes or snag bottom. Again, the occasional snag on the bottom is a positive, but repeated hang ups are reason to shorten it up.

5. Fish at the Appropriate Time – Much of the best activity will occur in the middle of the day so try to time your schedule to coincide with that. Show up too early and you might just get cold while fish aren’t feeding. Show up too late and you might miss the best part of the day.

Eat a big breakfast and hit the water around 10:00 – 11:00 AM when the day has started to warm up. If it’s a clear day the sun will begin to stir some activity. Some of the best fishing takes place from noon to mid-afternoon so taking a lunch break may cause you to miss the best part of the day. Keep some snacks your jacket or fishing vest along with a bottle of water. A small thermos of warm coffee or cocoa is even better. This allows you to grab a bite or have something warm to drink without taking a long break during the most productive time. Fishing will usually begin to trail off around 4:00, sometimes later on tailwaters, but it’s typically dark shortly after 5:00.

Another timing issue to consider when fishing tailwaters is hitting the rise and fall of the water right. This is a huge consideration on tailwaters in the Southeast where water levels change daily, but not so much a factor on Western tailwaters. Insects will often start to hatch very well as the water falls. Short pulses of water from generators will also stir up some activity. This is only occurs on a few rivers where a short pulse is done to keep a minimum flow without sending a big wave of water that requires anglers to get out of the river for their safety.

6. Read the Water Differently – Reading the water is an essential skill for success on the water. However, there are more factors to consider when fishing in the cold weather. Shallow, riffles that are productive in the spring may be completely devoid of fish in the winter. Look for slower currents downstream of the riffle. This type of water is more conducive to find fish feeding on the small midges and nymphs that trout seek in the winter. Also look for deep slot where you can’t see bottom. These are excellent spots for sluggish trout to lie when they aren’t feeding aggressively. Avoid shady stretches of water. This is more important in mountain streams than it is on tailwaters, but may still be a factor. Bugs and fish both seem more active while the sun is on the water. Midges and caddis are more active in the sunshine than shade. This important only on sunny days. Overcast days often find fish behaving the same in most sections of the river and Blue Wing Olive mayflies usually prefer such conditions.

Fish the sunny spots on mountain streams

7. Temper Your Expectations and Enjoy the Fishing – A day fishing in the cold weather is rarely as productive as the warm days of spring or the mild days of autumn.  Learn to take pleasure in the extra solitude that the cold weather provides and find delight in the occasional rising trout you find. I’ve always thought that a fish caught in foul weather is worth three caught on a nice day and a rising trout caught in the winter is worth ten caught in the winter or spring.

One of my favorite fly fishing memories was catching a hatch on Abrams Creek in Great Smoky Mountains National Park as snow started to fall one February day about 10 years ago. I had caught several fish on beadhead nymphs before realizing some splashes on the water were rising trout, not something falling from the trees. I don’t remember how many fish I caught or how large they were, but I do remember the rises and the world slowly turning white. I was the only person on the Cades Cove loop road as I passed scattered groups of whitetail deer grazing in the meadows.

Many fly fishers and fly tyers are turned off by small flies, but there is no reason to be intimidated. Yes the flies are small, but the strike indicator is just as big as it is for a #14 nymph. Furthermore, small flies are generally less complicated to tie than larger ones.

Skull & Bones

The Skull & Bones is our “go to” midge pattern. We’ve used it extensively on tailwaters in the Southeast, but we’ve also used it with success on Montana’s Madison River and we’ll occasionally trail one under a dry fly in the Smokies. This fly works great on its own, fished in tandem with a second nymph, or under a dry fly.

Hook:       #18 – #20 Scud hook

Bead:        5/64″ or 2 mm black bead

Thread:   Black 8/0

Body:       Black Ultrawire, Small or X-Small

Wing:       Z-lon, Midge Grey

Collar:     1 or 2 strands of peacock herl

Step 1. After threading the bead onto the hook, wrap your thread onto the hook behind the bead. You can wrap all the way to the bend of the hook and back up but we generally avoid doing this to prevent too much build up on the hook and keep the body slim and slender.

Step 2. Tie the wire onto the hook behind the bead. Hold the wire tight at an upward angle as you wrap thread over it. This will keep the wire on the top of the hook. Wrap all the way to the bend of the hook.

Step 3. Wrap the thread to the head of the fly. Tightly wrap the wire forward. Stop about 1 bead’s distance back from the bead. Tie it off with the thread and clip any excess.

Step 4. Tie in a small strand of Z-lon fibers. You may have to divide a strand of fibers in half. The wing should be clearly visible when the fly is complete, but it shouldn’t be too bulky either. Wait to clip the excess until the rest of the fly is complete.

Step 5. Tie in one or two strands of peacock herl. A #18 generally requires two strands, but this is sometimes too bulky for a #20. Wrap the herl around the thread about 5 or 6 times, then wrap around the hook about 3 times. Wrapping the peacock around the thread will reinforce it and make it less likely to break when you’re fishing it. The bulkiness of your peacock will dictate how many wraps it takes to create the collar. You want enough to fill in the gap nicely without creating unnecessary bulk.

Step 6. Tie off with a couple of half hitches or a whip finish. Clip the wing so it is short and stumpy. It shouldn’t be very long.

Take it fishing!

This fly fishes very well on its own in rivers with robust midge populations like the Clinch River here in East Tennessee. If only a few midges are hatching we’ll fish it in tandem with a sow bug pattern or another nymph like a #16 Beadhead Pheasant Tail. We usually fish the Skull & Bones as the top fly.

It’s not unusual for us to fish it under a dry fly. We’ll fish it under Sulphur patterns when the hatch is sporadic. It is heavy enough to sink well, but not heavy enough to sink a #16 Sulphur Comparadun dry fly.While it’s not our top producer in the Smokies, we’ll occasionally use it as a dropper when rising trout seem to ignore everything else. It’s hooked enough tough fish on Little River that we keep a few in our vest. Be sure to use 6X tippet with this small fly.