Great Smoky Mountains Fishing Report August 27

Cooler August weather and good streams flows have the Great Smoky Mountains fishing Hot! Plenty of rainfall all summer long has made for some perfect conditions for late August fishing. Normally we see low water and hot days in August, however that is not the case this year. We have had an abundance of rain all year long, which none of us have complained about because the drought of 2016 is still firmly planted in the back of our minds. As Luke Bryan sings, Rain is a good thang, this especially holds true in the Great Smoky Mountains where rain is everything!

What are the biting on?

We are still seeing good hatches of little Yellow Sallies, Sluphers and tons of Caddis all day long. Cloudy days we see an abundance of Blue Winged Olives about too which no doubt bring eager trout to the surface. Stoneflies are still producing a good numbers of fish and a well placed yellow Stimulator will fool even the pickiest trout. Inch worms and caterpillars are a fine choice for good subsurface offerings, especially gypsy moth caterpillars. Something about those grey and black morsels make them hard to resist for a big Brown trout. Take some orangish-red nail polish and add a few dots to the backs of the fly with a tooth pick and you have yourself a deadly pattern. Just practice catch and release because this fly is a stone cold killer!

Hoppers

Far and above the best patterns for late Summer are hoppers and beetles. Most folks only associate fishing hoppers with the Rocky Mountain west. If you’re not throwing a tan hopper in the Smokies you could be missing out on some of the most fun dry fly fishing of the year. Streams such as Abrams Creek in Cades Cove are treasure trove of hopper action. The Little River is also a great choice on the Tennessee side of the Smokies. On the North Carolina side of the Smokies hoppers are great along the fields of the Oconaluftee river especially around Tow String. Hazel Creek is also a great stream for hopper action.

Beetles

Bettles are a common sight on all Smokies streams but are the most often overlooked insect available to a trout. Fact is there are more than 400,000 known species of beetles around the world. Beetles account for more than 40% of all insect life and over 25% of all animal life on earth. So why aren’t you fishing with one?! Trout crush them, and pretty much all year long. Beetles are especially active this time of year and will continue to be the most available food source for trout until heavy frosts and freezes descend on the park. It doesn’t matter size or really the color, brown or black work equally well. Just fish them on the edges of riffles and pools and watch fo the explosive takes. Beetles are hard to see in the shadows of a Smokies trout stream so using a small tuft of yarn a foot or so away from your fly will help greatly in spotting the pattern. You can also find many beetle patterns with hot spots or add your own, however don’t get to crazy with them, wild trout will notice the added tomfoolery.

The weather this week looks very promising for many good morning and early afternoon jaunts to the water. Most of the week has a slight chance of scattered rain and pop up storms. Don’t let that keep you indoors. Summer is still not over yet, so enjoy the last days while you can. Fall is around the corner

See you on the water!