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Hot Summer Days Will Soon Give Way To Fall

If you have been wanting to hit the water this summer, don't wait much longer as fall is just around the corner. We have been floating tailwaters, smallmouth bass rivers, and of course doing a lot of wade fishing as well. The cool mountain streams of the Smokies feel particularly good this time of year. With schools about to start back up for another year, expect crowds to start dwindling soon on all your favorite streams.

July was a great month out on the tailwaters. We saw a new leader for Big Fish of the Year, good flows on our favorite tailwaters, and the Caney Fork had a midsummer burst of good fishing which has NOT been the norm as of late. The Smokies, while bordering on low water, have not been too hot for the most part with the exception of the last week or so. Going higher in elevation is keeping us in fish up in the mountains.

August is looking like another excellent month of fishing here in Tennessee. I'm excited for some of the tailwater float options and also looking forward to spending more time in the mountains as we head towards fall. If you want to hit some of the summer terrestrial fishing in the Smokies, it isn't too late as we still have a few openings this month.

In the rest of this newsletter, find the usual fishing reports, tips and tricks, and guide trip availability. As always, thanks for supporting us here at Trout Zone Anglers and reading our newsletter!

Another Look at a Monster and an Argument For Catch and Release

This fish is too good to just see once. In fact, it has been shared several other times in this newsletter. When angler Bill Cash caught such a monster brown trout, I immediately had to share it with the angler who had caught a previous year's big fish, Chuck Traylor. You can read more about that discovery over on the Trout Zone blog and also get a glimpse into my philosophy on catch and release. Here is the story.

An Argument For Catch and Release - A tale of a big brown trout in a Tennessee tailwater and a glimpse into what could be on our waters.

Here in Tennessee, are rivers are capable of growing trout extremely fast. Unfortunately, a widespread catch and keep mindset has prevented our rivers from becoming what they could be. Anglers continue to lament the poor fishing, all while filling stringers full of 7 inch brown trout on the Clinch River that were stocked with a put and grow intention. Exactly what people intend to do with a bunch of 7 inch fish is beyond me, and why the Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency doesn't adjust regulations to fit the size of fish they are stocking also makes no sense. If fish are going to be stocked small with the intent of allowing them to grow, then minimum size limits should be enacted.

Unfortunately, this hasn't happened which means it is up to anglers to self regulate. If more anglers would quit keeping trout on our tailwaters and also quit the use of bait which has a high mortality rate, our rivers could be much better than they are now. States with famous rivers are in that position through careful management, not because they are gifted with better rivers. The Tennessee tailwaters are capable of rivaling anything around the country if they are managed correctly. As anglers, we need to kindly encourage other people to shift their mindset.

The Diversification of Our Sport

Over the years, fly fishing was often viewed as a sport for men. Thankfully those days are largely behind us. More and more ladies are getting into the sport and some of the better guides out there are ladies as well, some of whom I count as good friends, not just colleagues. While this shift hasn't always been smooth, more and more organizations and businesses are trying to connect with people outside of the traditional fly angler from 50 years ago.

This great blog post highlights one of those opportunities that North Carolina provides and also alludes to some of the still present issues that are preventing more diversity in our sport. If you see someone out there who doesn't fit the stereotypical fly angler, take a moment to be welcoming and even help them out of they look like they need it. The more people we have advocating for wild places and clean water and air the better. Read the article here:

River Wisdom Keepers

Check Out the Expanded Fly Tying Department at Little River Outfitters

If you haven't been inside Little River Outfitters lately and enjoy fly tying, you owe it to yourself to make a trip over there. Owner Byron Begley along with Will Davis have been putting in a lot of time and effort to make the fly tying department even better. We got to fish with Will last week, and a peek inside one of his fly boxes assured me that he is a great fly tyer. If you need help with tying, talk to him or Byron while you are there. If for some reason they don't have what you are looking for, they can almost always order it. I have taken advantage of this on several occasions.

In addition to being a great tyer, Will is also an excellent angler with an emphasis on Euro techniques. Make sure to pick his brain some while you are in the shop. Here is Will with one of his nice Clinch River rainbows on our recent trip together on a guides' day off with myself and TZA guide Pat Tully.

Current Fishing Report

Here is the latest fishing report over on our Trout Zone Anglers blog.

Fishing Report

One thing that I didn't mention in that fishing report was an interesting day I had last week. I was fishing with Spencer, who you might remember as catching a big Little River brown trout on a dry fly a few years back with me (David Knapp) during the spring hatches. We had the first GOOD day of inchworm fishing I've had this year. The Green Weenie doesn't produce as consistently as it did 15 or 20 years ago, probably because of all the people fishing it, but it is still a deadly fly at the right time. Last year, the best fishing was much later than I normally expect. Same thing this year, but either way, make sure and try an inchworm if you are fishing in the mountains any time soon. Ants and beetles are good now as well.

On the tailwaters, we have been doing well with midges per the usual. Little Black Caddis are hatching well on the Clinch as of late also. Terrestrials will account for some fish on the tailwaters also this time of year.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been very good lately. If you want to float some out of the way rivers, book a trip with Guide Travis Williams. See more just below.

New Smallmouth Bass Float Options

With the addition of a raft, Trout Zone Anglers guide Travis Williams is now able to offer some new trip options for us. One of those is some new summer smallmouth floats that you probably won't find too many other places. If you are interested in some relaxed floats for the Tennessee state game fish, we've got you covered. Travis uses a variety of techniques, but the one constant will be rods in the 6 to 8 weight range. If you are interested in non fly fishing options, we can help with that also. We recognize that not all anglers are up for chucking the heavy rods and lines required to fly fish for smallmouth all day and are happy to work with different approaches as necessary. The fish above was caught in Travis' raft on a recent float. I (David Knapp) am planning to spend a day with Travis soon to try a new to me river that he guides on that I've been dying to fish for a long time. Hopefully I'll have a good report for the next newsletter as well as for the Trout Zone blog.

Speaking of the Trout Zone Blog...

While nowhere near as productive as some of my past years of blogging, I'm still trying to keep up with a little writing from time to time. That will mean a handful of posts each month...if I'm lucky. This last month, I had a couple of posts I probably already shared here and some newer ones as well.

Check out all of them, but in particular you will probably benefit from this one on fighting and landing large trout on a fly rod.

Guided Trip Availability

Looking for a guided trip in the next few months? You've come to the right place. I'll share our upcoming open dates for each guide. You can see our rates HERE. We do offer a discount if you use a check or cash to pay. Ask about that at the time of booking.

I am booking trips as far out as next summer now, so if you would like to make sure you get on our calendar for next year, feel free to reach out about a trip at any point. I generally recommend booking at least 2-3 months in advance to make sure you can snag a date. If you want float trips for prime spring dates (April through June on the Clinch and May and June on the Caney), then go ahead and contact me ASAP.

Right now, we do still have some availability with each guide for August and September. Find those dates just below if you want to fish with us. Thanks!

For Trips With David Knapp

August 17, 19
September 7-9, 20-24, 27, 29, 30
October 1, 8, 11-15, 26, 29
November 1, 4, 8-10, 17, 18, 22-24, 29, 30
December 6, 7, 9, 10, 13-17, 20-23, 27-30

For Trips With Travis Williams

August 5, 23, 26, 30
September 2, 6, 9, 13, 16, 20, 23, 27, 30
October 7, 14, 21, 28
Good November and December availability

For Trips With Pat Tully

August 11, 13, 17, 19, 20, 23, 26, 30, 31
September 1-3, 6-9, 13-17, 20-24, 27-30
October 1, 4-8, 12-15, 20-22, 25-27, 29
Good November and December availability

Booking

To book a guided trip with any of the TZA guides, email me (David Knapp) at TroutZoneAnglers@gmail.com or call/text me at (931) 261-1884. Alternatively, if you have the contact info for Pat or Travis from fishing with them before, you can contact them directly to get on their calendars. Thanks and we look forward to sharing the water with you!

COVID Trip Info

With case numbers rising drastically, we are back to asking people to drive their own vehicles and follow us and also to bring their own lunches. We had been making some exceptions through the summer, but with recent guidance and requirements from the National Park Service, this is the easiest way to keep everyone safe without too much hassle. Thanks for understanding!

Until Next Time...

Thanks again for reading our newsletter and keeping up with what we are doing here at Trout Zone Anglers. Our goal is to provide excellent guided fly fishing trips that are customized for your skillset and goals as an angler. We continue to expand our offerings with that goal in mind and hope you choose us for your next fly fishing adventure.

Sincerely,

David Knapp, Travis Williams, and Pat Tully