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The Peak of Great Spring Fishing Is Here

Ever since late February, we have been building towards the crescendo that is now here. Just about all of the waters we guide on our fishing well right now with some very short term exceptions. For example, I avoided fishing out in the severe thunderstorms this morning (thankfully!) as did Pat Tully. While we always hate cancelling trips that we know people have looked forward to, we put safety first as far as possible. Occasionally, storms will still sneak up on us, but days like today are a wash for good reason. 

The good news is that this is a short term setback. By tomorrow, we should be able to fish in the Smokies and on the Clinch again. The Caney Fork should be okay on Thursday and probably good this weekend. We'll see how much of a setback this rain is, but I'm guessing it won't be too bad. The Smokies were starting to need some rain so we're thankful for getting it there. 

We have been guiding and fishing all over from the Caney Fork and Clinch Rivers to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Fishing has been good just about everywhere.

In the rest of this newsletter, I'll highlight some recent guide trips, share some tips as we head towards summer, share about new guide trip offerings, and a few other things. As always, thanks for being here and supporting us at Trout Zone Anglers!

Everyone Likes a Good Fish Story!

This last weekend, Trout Zone Anglers guide Pat Tully got into a good one on a short vacation/camping trip with his buddies. Pat was fishing one of his favorite flies and favorite techniques which is euro nymphing. Next time you fish with Pat or see him at the fly shop, ask him about this great fish story!

As it turns out, it came from the same small run where I had a client catch a nice brown last fall. The only difference is that nice brown was more like 11 inches instead of 22 inches. It is one of those holes that you look at and it doesn't immediately scream huge trout. The pool really isn't that large. However, a closer inspection reveals it is actually a pretty good spot. All the current dumps against the left bank (looking upstream) with a really nice slot but a fairly soft current. A big boulder provides some shelter. 

If you want to work on some euro or high sticking techniques, all of us here at Trout Zone Anglers enjoy teaching that style. Travis is a bit more likely to teach indicator nymphing techniques, I'm about equal on what I like to do, and Pat is a little more likely to teach sightline euro techniques, but all three of us fish and use each method. If you want to advance as a fly angler, good nymphing skills are a must. 

Want to take your nymphing to the next level? Ask us about a dedicated nymphing class where we go through all the details necessary to help you become a better nymph angler. We can teach several different nymphing styles and techniques, so make sure and let us know ahead of time what you specifically want to work on for your day on the water. 

Throwback to Pre-Covid

Much thanks to Scott Bevan for this picture from a couple of years ago when I was guiding his buddy on the Oconaluftee River. Things are about the same now, except we might not be hovering quite as close behind your shoulder. We are thankful to have a job in the outdoors and fresh air where we can keep everyone safe and still have a good time. 

Remember, right now with COVID, we are asking people to drive their own vehicles and bring their own lunches. We recognize that this last piece in particular can be a challenge if you are on vacation, so please let us know at the time of booking if you need some help on the lunch.

Spring Brook Trout Fishing

The brook trout fishing has been very good as of late. Fish are looking up, but also eating droppers very well trailed behind a dry fly. This nice colored up brook trout was caught just yesterday by Troy who was fishing with guide Pat Tully. They did the best through the morning rain, which was also my experience with Mike who was fishing with me on Little River. Things slowed down in the afternoon as it cleared up and the sun came out, but did not completely shut down. We all still caught fish the whole day.

We are running more dedicated brook trout trips than ever now. If you want to experience this amazing native char, then make sure to request a brook trout trip when you get on our guide calendar. Most of these trips require a hike of anywhere from 1.5-3 miles one way. The longer hikes typically produce better fishing, but definitely not always. 

Here is another recent brook trout from one of my trips. Those colors look more like a fall fish than a spring fish!

Speaking of Char

So, for those of you who have been waiting on pins and needles, I finally shared day four of my bull trout trip from last summer in Idaho. You can read about this day where everything came together on my blog at: http://www.thetroutzone.com/2021/05/the-hunt-for-bull-trout-day-four.html

Brook trout are salvelinus fontinalis with the fontinalis being latin for "of a spring or fountain." This is in reference to the clear and cold waters they usually reside in. Bull trout are salvelinus confluentus with the confluentus referring to the confluence of tributary streams with larger rivers where the bull trout are often found. They are a migratory fish running many miles upstream in the summer into fall on a spawning journey. They stage at or below the confluence with smaller tributaries before running up those tributaries to spawn.

Going into the trip, I had found a ton of great information including some scholarly articles complete with maps. Thus, I felt a lot more confident before the trip than I did by the morning of the fourth day of the trip. If you haven't read all of the days of bull trout fishing yet, you can do so using the links below. 

Bull Trout Day One
Bull Trout Day Two 
Bull Trout Day Three 

While you are on the blog, don't forget to look around and enjoy some of the posts from Glacier National Park as well. We had an incredible time out there and hope to go back again someday!

For those of you who just want the pictures and don't want to read through 2000+ words of a blog post, here is a picture.

New Guide Trip Offerings with Trout Zone Anglers guide Travis Williams

Over the last few months, Travis has been contemplating making a big addition to the guide offerings. Recently, he finally pulled the trigger on a new Star Raft complete with a rowing/fishing frame. He can handle two anglers on this very nice raft and will be offering Clinch River float trips and some East Tennessee smallmouth bass trips as well. If you are looking for a float trip near Gatlinburg while on vacation and want to try something a little different, the smallmouth trips will be just the ticket.  Other trip offerings could come along at some point in the future as well. Here is Shawn who helped Travis break in the new boat with a very nice brown trout. Congrats guys on a great fish! 

Learning to Fly Fish With Trout Zone Anglers

One of the most rewarding parts of our job is teaching this amazing sport. Seeing a new angler put all the skills together and land that first trout is always special. Recently, Travis did one of our beginner fly fishing classes for new angler Simone Lipscomb. She had a great day and really learned the techniques needed quickly. Here is a blog post over on her website sharing about that day with Travis. She is an excellent writer and photographer so I know you'll enjoy her story about fly fishing!

Beyond the Fish

Below is a picture of Travis with fly boxes out, discussing the different types of flies and their uses and applications. Over the course of a beginner fly fishing day, we cover different casts, reading water, bugs that trout eat, flies, leaders, tippet, knots, and many other things. Need to take your game to the next level, our more advanced nymphing and streamer techniques classes will help you do that. 

Guided Trips Are Booking Fast

If you want to do a guided fly fishing trip this year, I would suggest to book sooner rather than later. All three of us here at Trout Zone Anglers are booking up well with few last minute days available. I generally suggest booking at least two months in advance. At certain times of the year, it probably needs to be longer. That said, we do get last minute cancelations from time to time, so always feel free to check in if you have a spontaneous trip that you decide to make. 

Coming up, we have the following availability for each guide. If you are interested in dates beyond the ones listed for each guide, just reach out via email or text/call and we'll get you set up with a trip.

David Knapp 
July 5, 7-9, 14-16, 19-23, 27, and 30
August 3, 10-13, 17-20, 24-27, 30 and 31
September 1-3, 7-9, 20-24, 27-30
October 1, 5, 6, 8, 11-15, 22, 26-29
November 1, 2, 4, 5, 8-12, 16-19, 22-24, 29, 30

Travis Williams
June 7, 10, 14, 17
July 1, 5, 8, 15, 19, 22, and 26
August 2, 5, 9, 12, 23, 26, and 30

Pat Tully
May 17, 20, 21, 26, 27, 28, 31
June 3, 4, 7, 11, 14, 15, 17, and 29
July 1, 2, 5-9, 13-16, 19-23, 26-30

For all guided trip rates, please visit www.troutzoneanglers.com/rates or let me know if you have questions. You can email me (David Knapp) at TroutZoneAnglers@gmail.com to book or call/text me at (931) 261-1884. 

Don't Forget Your Hat

Thanks to everyone who has bought a hat. If you still want one, we have a few left. Ask about it at the time of booking. Hats are $30 but we'll do $20 if you are also doing a guided trip with us. 

The Challenge of the Tailwaters

If you have mostly fly fished in the Smokies, the tailwaters are an entirely different ballgame. The Clinch River in particular is a difficult river with challenging fishing conditions and strong fish that will test your fish fighting skills. All of that said, you might end up like David on his recent trip. You can see one of his fine rainbow trout in the picture above. He likes to visit the area to fish for trout a few days. Last fall, we did several days in the Smokies and he had a great time. This spring, we decided to mix things up with a Smoky Mountain day and then two days floating the Clinch. By the end of the second day, he said "This is what I'll be doing from now on!" Congrats again David on a good trip! To be fair, he hit the Clinch on a couple of fairly good days. The Clinch is notorious for producing difficult "Grinch" days also, but it is always an achievement to catch trout there. You will leave each trip after fishing there as a better angler in some way. It will also make you a more patient angler, whether you like it or not!

If you want to take your fly fishing to the next level and improve your skills, consider a tailwater trout trip. We offer float trips in a drift boat or raft. Both are comfortable and well suited to the fishing we do on those rivers. Most of our fishing on the Clinch is fairly technical, with small flies and light tippets combined with long casts. The Caney Fork is another great tailwater that is a must fish for anyone who enjoys fishing in Tennessee. It generally fishes the best spring through mid summer or so unless we get a drought. In that case, it will fish okay on into the fall. The Clinch is a more consistent river, however. 

Smoky Mountains Success

Here are a few highlights from recent Smoky Mountain trips. The fishing has been good to excellent in the Park. These were all caught using a variety of nymphing methods. Two of them were for anglers learning to euro nymph for the first time. Both of them picked up that technique quickly!

Updated Will Call List

Occasionally, due to a variety of factors, we get late cancelations. When that happens, we are always happy to be able to rebook the day. Guiding is a business where you have to make your paychecks when conditions allow. As you well know, conditions aren't always good for fly fishing! Anyway, I maintain a list of people I will call in the event of cancelations. Some of the info is dated at this point. Thus, I'm redoing this list for the 2021 season. 

If you would like to be added to the will call list for last minute trip availability in 2021 due to cancelations, please email me at TroutZoneAnglers@gmail.com, text me at (931) 261-1884, or simply reply to this email. Thanks!!!

Guided Nature and Wildflower Walks and Hikes

We are going to be adding some guided wildflower hikes to our offerings and I'm checking into the level of interest in this service as we speak. Right now, the plan is for these to be led by naturalist Tim McHenry with me helping in support and especially with technical assistance to those wanting to do photography. Our plan is to introduce more people to the enjoyment of wildflowers and nature, while also teaching sound leave no trace and minimal impact principles for recreating responsibly. If this sounds like something you would be interested in, please let me know!

At this point, most of these hikes will be happening on the Cumberland Plateau here in Tennessee. In the future, we might also expand to offer these in the Great Smoky Mountains as well. 

Hatch Spotlight: Golden Stoneflies

Golden stoneflies are one of the big attractions around here. The start hatching by sometime in May most years and continue well into the summer months. In fact, like the little yellow stoneflies, these bugs could emerge anytime over the next several months until early fall. Most will emerge in the next two months, however. 

A nymph is the best way to imitate these insects for the most part. They are typically found throughout the faster water but trout will be on the lookout for them in all water types. Prior to emergence, they will crawl to the bank or to a rock and out of the water before the adult emerges from the nymphal shuck. This is the main reason that nymphs are the best imitation. The trout don't see the adults until the return to the water for egg laying activities.

We do like a big dry fly imitation, however. It makes a great strike indicator for dry/dropper fishing and can handle a fairly heavy tungsten bead head nymph. Large foam versions with elk hair wings are best in the rough and tumble mountain streams of the Smokies. Yellow Stimulators in larger sizes are excellent as well. We like these on brown trout streams in particular. You never know when a giant brown trout will come up to annihilate that big dry fly. In the meantime, you'll catch a lot of fish on the dropper underneath. If you need some flies, check out the selection from our friends over at Little River Outfitters. While you're there, make sure you have some heavier leaders and tippet. I would not fish these on anything lighter than 4x and 3x is okay much of the time as well. 

Summer Tip/Reminder

Moving towards the hot days of summer, DON'T FORGET YOUR TERRESTRIALS!!! That's it, now carry on. Oh, I've already seen some inch worms hanging out of trees. You know what that means...
 

Thanks For Reading!

As always, thank you for taking the time to keep up with the goings on here at Trout Zone Anglers. I really appreciate each and every one of you. If we can help you in any way with a fly fishing experience here in middle or east Tennessee, please reach out to me. 

Sincerely,

David Knapp
 

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