More Striper Porn

Couple more striper shots for everyone to check out. These were caught on the Hi this week by some buddies of ours. And yes, they are good eating if prepared right. We do eat all of them, but the biggest reason that we keep them is because they eat our trout.

Stripers Are Here!

The striper are making their annual run up the Hiwassee River. These fish move up into our colder waters when the lakes warm up. Like any fish, they will migrate, if possible, to find better water temps and conditions. These fish usually hang around until October. They're not very hard to catch, just hard to locate. Once you find them holding in an area they can be caught on the fly or on spinning tackle. They are feeding machines that will put a big time stretch in your line.

 

Terrestrial Bite Is On!

We have finally started having lots of success with terrestrial patterns on the Hi. The fish are a little late this year, but they are definitely looking for them now. Initially you had to beat the banks with them to have success, which is usually the case. But they are now taking them in the middle of the river. That is when I consider the terrestrial bite to be on.
Our top patterns have been hoppers, crickets and cicadas. Yes cicadas. I know, a cicada is not a terrestrial pattern. But due to the fact that we have not had any of them on the upper river, I am convinced that they are hitting it as a cricket or beetle pattern. I may be wrong, and I don't really care as long as they continue to hit them. Get out and enjoy while it lasts!

Fishing Report

The Hiwassee River fly fishing continues to impress. The dry fly activity has been great with the sulphurs still hanging around and the Isonychias making an appearance here and there. It won't be long before they are in full effect and driving the trout crazy. And, as usual, we still have some tiny BWO's buzzing around in the evenings.
Sub-surface patterns would have to be zug bugs and BHPT's. You can also drop a soft hackle off the back of your nymph and let it swing below for some jarring strikes.
That's about it for now. Will try to do better on my posting frequency if I can get the time to sit down and put a thought process together long enough to type something out. We have been extremely busy this season. The fly shop numbers are up and the guide service numbers have doubled again this year. All of this is great news and we hope it continues to grow. Thanks to all our customers for their continued support!

Hiwassee and Holston River fishing on fire!

The Hiwassee River trout fishing has been on fire lately. Trout are feeding in all levels of the water column and do not seem to be picky about what they will eat. We are catching them on dry flies, streamers, swung soft hackles and nymphs. I don't really know how you could have a fishless day on the Hi right now. TVA is on a pulsing schedule right now and the falling water is triggering some incredible dry fly activity. The sulphurs are popping and the fish are taking notice.
Rocky, our Holston River expert, told me today that the fishing there is incredible. He said that they too are catching fish on just about any type fly that you want to throw. He said the fishing should remain stellar all through the summer months.
As you can see, now is the time to be fishing in East TN! Give us a call soon to book your dates for this season. Once schools let out for the summer we get extremely busy with bookings. That is a huge vacation time and people want to get some fishing in while they can. Don't wait too long to try and book your day!