Fishing Report

Fishing continues to be impressive on the Hi. Everyone we speak with in the shop reports good catch rates as well as some good size fish being caught. We remain very optimistic and think that the fishing will continue to improve throughout the season.
The top producing flies continue to be the size 16 tan EHC and size 10 olive BH woolly buggers. We still have lots of big sulphurs coming off, but the fish have really been keying in on the caddis for their top water meals. Watched several sulphurs float right through a pod of  rising fish. The caddis were not as lucky though.  
The water temp remains perfect at 58 degrees. The recreational flows have begun and summer is in full swing on the Hi. The trout stocking continues and the numbers of fish remain strong.
Our striper run will begin this month. I've heard reports of some already spotted in the river, but I've yet to see any myself. These fish are truly a nuisance and are hard on the trout population, but damn they sure are fun to catch. Nothing like laying into a 20 - 30 pound striper that's cruising along in a trout stream. They are extremely strong and fight like crazy. One of the hardest fighting fish that you'll ever tangle with in freshwater.
Over the years we've developed quite a following of clients that book our guides for a shot at catching these migrating fish. They can be hard to locate, especially on a large tailwater like the Hi, but once you find them they usually eat. And when they hit, hold on! It's definitely worth the price of admission.
All signs continue to point to this being an epic year for our fishery. The drought is behind us, the delayed harvest has allowed some good fish to holdover for the season and the water temps look like they will remain good as well. If you've been wanting to try the Hi, now's the time!

           
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Worth Watching

This is in response to the Corps of Engineers who recently banned fishing from boats below their dams. Guess they will change this policy now since they're getting hit in their pocketbook. Click HERE to check out the video where Senator Lamar Alexander spells it out to them. It's worth your time.

New Smallie Float

Going to do a test run Thursday to check the possibility of offering a new smallmouth float this year. I know the water holds lots of nice fish, just not sure if we can get a boat through it or not. It's about a 4 mile float, with much of it that's not visible unless you're actually on the water. That's what we'll be checking out Thursday, so stay tuned. If this works out (fingers crossed), it may be the ultimate smallie trip that we offer. I can't wait to float it!

 



Fishing Report

The fishing this year has been incredible. April continues to impress with better than average numbers and size of fish. With the season now upon us, we expect good things to continue. The insect activity has been on schedule and the trout have taken notice with many "dry fly" days had already. The number of fishermen has also increased as the good word about the Hi has apparently spread. We've had some wadeable flows as of late too, and that always brings people to the river to wet a line.
The #16 Hendrickson's, #20 BWO's and #18 dark EH caddis have been the choice for dry fly enthusiasts. Others have opted for olive buggers with standard nymph droppers or chosen to swing dark soft hackles for their catches. Honestly, there are so many combos that are working now that I can't begin to list them all here. The important thing is that people have been able to wade and to put fish in their nets.
Our water temps should hold up again this year. To our knowledge the pump back is still out of service. That helps to keep the temps down since that process of re-circulating tends to warm the water up before discharge.
As you can see, several factors are in place to make this one of the best years in recent memory on the Hi. We have lots of hungry fish, they are swimming in cold water and they are looking up at insects. That's hard to beat if you like to fly fish for trout!

Great Lakes Steelhead

Just got back from a phenomenal trip out to the Great Lakes region of Ohio and Pennsylvania. A good friend of mine invited me along on a steelhead trip and I was quick to accept! It was a return trip for him, but would be my first time to that area. Especially my first time to that area in search of the migrating steelhead that the area is famous for. Needless to say, we had a blast!
The town we stayed in was right on the eastern shore of Lake Erie. To say that the town (or the whole region for that matter) was fishermen friendly would be an understatement! The people were great, the prices were good and the atmosphere is definitely "fishy", in a good way, of course. The whole area becomes enchanted with the steelhead run. I have never seen so many people walking around a hotel in waders and boots in my life. I loved it! And despite the intense draw, NONE of the streams were crowded....not at all! I guess that would be due to the fact that there are so many Lake Erie tribs to fish that everyone stays pretty spread out. Whatever the case, the crowds were non-existent on the actual streams. We did have some good interaction with other anglers at our hotel though. Typical fishing talk you know. Some came from as far away as Colorado and Maine to fish the run. Good times!
I'm posting a couple fish pics below from the trip. More will follow soon on our newsletter. See the post below for info. on how to subscribe to it if interested.
We are currently considering the possibility of hosting trips to this area each year. They have great runs of steelhead, brown trout and smallmouth, all fresh from Lake Erie. The runs are obviously spread out over the year. We have the local intel in place to ensure that we have the best chance for success during our time there. IF YOU ARE AT ALL INTERESTED in the possibility of participating in one of these hosted trips, don't hesitate to give Steve a call or email. They make great family trips and can even be done over a long weekend. If we get enough interest, we will definitely pursue hosting these trips. If not, I'll just go by myself. Either way, I'm going back!

Nice Buck....on the swing!

Dropback Hen

 

Newsletter

Due to several requests from store customers and fishing clients, we have decided to start putting out a monthly newsletter. We'll be sending it out via email to subscribers that sign up for it on our website. It's an easy process to subscribe. Simply go to our website by clicking HERE. Then scroll down just below the main picture and you'll see the box to enter your email in. Once you do that, hit the "Submit" button and you're all set.
The first newsletter will go out in April. It will go out to many customers and clients that I already had on my email contact list. If you happen to receive the newsletter due to simply being on my contact list instead of signing up for it, I'm sorry for the inconvenience. I hope that it's something you'll enjoy reading and that you'll want to continue receiving it. However, if that is not the case, it's easy to unsubscribe. Simply go to the bottom of the email and click the "Unsubscribe" link.
The first issue will simply be a sort of update on the business and the river since many of you are out of touch with our area during the so-called "off-season". I know that many of you don't care about the update, but we had to start somewhere. With the large number of calls and emails we get requesting this info., it seemed like a logical place to start the series. So with that being said, we hope that everyone enjoys the read and tight lines to all.  

Fishing Report

The Hiwassee River is fishing great! Lots of hungry trout are being caught and we've had plenty of water for drift boat trips. They should start filling the lakes soon, which will be good for wade fishermen. This year has started out with great fishing. All signs point to this trend continuing through the season. This will be one of the best years in recent memory for our fishery. We're all excited about the upcoming season.
The majority of fish have been taken on nymph patterns, sometimes dropped off the back of an olive bugger. A couple of times on today's trip the client caught 2 fish at once, one on each fly of the dropper rig. Gotta love that! No particular fly has really stood out. They don't seem to be picky, they just seem to be hungry. A good presentation will get the job done.
The Hendrickson's have also made an appearance on the river. A huge hatch was spotted coming off last Friday at about 3:00 at the steps. The dry fly action was sporadic Saturday and Sunday, but there were a few heads popping up to eat here and there. It should be epic soon...real soon.
The shop is now open 7 days a week. We just re-stocked the fly bin and even added some new patterns. We're putting in another fly order this week. We sell a TON of flies.
Our Echo rod order also came in this week. We're all impressed with the quality as well as the price of these rods. If you need a new stick come on in and test drive one. As mentioned above, you might want a new dry fly rod soon...real soon.

New Hours

Now open 7 days a week!

Great News!

Click HERE to see what TWRA found on their latest survey of the Hiwassee River.

Don't Forget!

Just a heads up, public service announcement or whatever you want to call it, but just reminding all our TN fishing license holders that your current license will expire at the end of this month. Don't forget to renew it before wetting a line in March. That is all.

Winter Fishin'

Don't forget about our great winter fisheries that we have in our area. What better way to beat cabin fever than to get out and swing flies for lake run steelhead? 'Tis the season!



Don't Forget...Free Shipping

Don't forget that we still offer free ground shipping on all orders to the lower 48. We've had to remind some people recently that were ordering new gear and getting ready for spring. Thought I would post it again to remind everyone. Just give us a call and we'll be glad to help.

New Products Enroute

We are pleased to announce that we're now an official dealer for Echo fly rods and Airflo fly lines. Both of these lines offer great products and great value for your money. I fish these rods and lines and can tell you that you will not be disappointed in their performance. We will have inventory enroute soon and will be stocked up for your spring shopping. Come on by and check them out.

Fishing Report

The fishing on the Hi continues to be good. We still have high numbers of fish with most in the "larger than normal" range. To be honest, the river is loaded with fish right now and lots of them are still fat from the recent shad kill that we had on the river. The fishing has been "crazy" good and everyone that we have spoken to in the shop seems to be very satisfied with the way the DH is fishing. It definitely beats sitting at home on these winter days.
The top producing flies have been white and olive buggers along with pink and yellow Y2K's. The key has been to fish them slow and deep, just like it is every winter. You might see some dry fly activity if you're lucky. We've had some BWO and winter stone action, but not even close to what you may see by "dredging" a size 6 bugger.
TVA has been blowing out a 2 generator flow over the last couple weeks. With the rain that we've gotten lately, and still to come, that will certainly continue for a while. DO NOT even think about fishing the Tellico River or any of its tribs. It's currently at flood stage and blown out with a couple more days of rain coming this week. It is way too high to consider fishing, and so is every other freestone stream in the area watersheds. The tailwaters will continue to fish good, you'll just have to float them instead of planning to wade. And don't forget your rain gear!

Need a New Rod?

FLY ROD SALE:
50% off the following rods in stock:
Orvis T3 9' 5wt
Orvis TLS Power Matrix 9' 5wt
Orvis Trout Bum 7'6" 4wt
10% off all other fly rods in stock!