Middle Tennessee Trout

This Winter has been brutal in many ways, but the time off  the harsh weather provided has been needed. The latest round of ice storms and days of snowfall have kept us close to the Southeastern Fly Corporate Headquarters (or I should say upstairs at the tying bench) with one trip to the west to visit family. We are back on the river and booking trips into the Spring. We still have to make it through some rough weather, but it is shaping up to be a real good first couple months of the fishing season. Speaking of the new fishing season, if you are reading this and planning on fishing, get your fishing license and trout stamp because your yearly license from last year will not work when you meet with TWRA on that trip.

The Caney Fork- Some of the area around the Caney has been iced in for over a week. The ramps were iced over and for a period of time there was not a clear ramp to put the boats in or to take the boats out. Things on the ramps are back to normal, whatever that means, and the fish still have to eat sometime. With that being said the water is a bit on the high side.

The water levels on the Caney are on the high side but the fish are healthy. Right now there is plenty of food in the river and this is making the fish more picky than usual. Nymphs are not the way to get fish to the net and dries aren't producing a lot of action either. Throwing streamers is the best way to get some attention. 

There is a chance to get a trophy on the Caney and to do that on high water it takes the ability to cast a streamer for an entire day. Not only does it take a strong casting arm and shoulder, it takes accuracy with that streamer. Getting the fly tight to the bank or to the exact spot on the gravel bar, that you may not be able to see, is critical. As stated earlier there is plenty of food in the river and the fish are full for the most part. It can be a grind for long periods of time if not most of the day. Keeping your head in the game is a must, because when a trophy shows up it is intense. 

The Elk River- This river has been giving us some times for low water floats. For some reason the fish haven't been responding to the streamer. So, we have been fishing nymphs and midges. I heard about a midge pattern over the cold months and began experimenting with different versions of the pattern last week. Armed with several versions we dialed in a couple different midges this week. You can work on patterns for months, thinking with every wrap they will the best fly on the river, but you don't know 'til you go. The new midges produced good results on the river, so we will be fishing a more dry/droppers in some parts of the floats throughout the spring.

Nymphs are still the king of the Elk. If you don't have the right pattern it is tough to bring fish to the net. The wrong version of the right nymph can also put an angler in the weeds. Speaking of weeds the river bed is looking good now. There is still vegetation but the bottom is clean. The banks are also clean as we await the spring wake-up. The water has been clear too and that makes spotting the fish much easier. All this makes the job in the center of the drifter and at lunchtime easier. 

The Perfect Shot- The fish are pretty lively right now and they jump several times before finally getting to the net. This year I hope to figure out how to get a good shot of a jumping fish. If you are a regular reader of this report you've probably noticed more shots of fish as they come toward the boat. I hope you don't mind my less than perfect jumping fish shots. I hope to show some progress throughout the year. So, please bear with me as I work toward this goal.

Jimmy the Net, a nickname that was somehow born out of bad tippet. Here we go. Early in a recent float Jim was drifting a nymph under a particularly good overhanging tree. I was picking the next likely spot and trying to scratch my ankle. Anthony was trying to figure out how to steal Jim's water...OK Anthony may not have been trying to figure out how to steal Jim's water, but there is a better than average chance that's exactly what Anthony was doing. Anyway, Jim has his nymph floating in some fishy water and the next thing we know he is coming tight on a fish. The fish puts a good bend in the rod, which shifts my attention from how do I scratch my ankle through these waders and wading boots to where'd the net go? Anthony and Jim start talking about the size of the fish and the first glimpse I get of the fish is the large tail... The net is under all the extra bags and jackets, because it was 26 degrees when we started this float and apparently it's my job to get the net. It's my job to get the net not only because Jim can't move all this stuff and fight the fish, but also because Anthony sure isn't going to help. Anthony? He is already winding up his cast to drop his nymph under the same tree Jim was just fishing. 

Jim was well into a fight with an above average brown and it was putting his Orvis Helios II to the test. Jim knows how to handle a big fish and was doing a good job staying ahead of this 20+ Club entry. While Anthony finally gets a good drift going and with his fly drifting under the tree and into a blowdown, Jim is fighting the fish and it makes a run along the length of the boat. We all get a real good look at this brown trout. Jim's got the fish on the reel, Anthony is just about far enough into the blowdown to get good and hung up and I am now thinking of a way to get the handle of the net inside the waders and down my leg so I can get some relief from this itching ankle.  Then the fish began a slow run upstream. The fish got just enough speed and force that a short time later it was over. The tippet broke at the leader knot... Everyone was quiet for a short time and I briefly forgot about the itchy ankle. 

Being as we are all friends it was decided, mostly by me, to begin giving Jim a hard time. Anthony was quickly there to assist with the constant bombardment of fun at Jim's expense as we moved toward the blowdown to get Anthony's fly, that was hung in a small branch under the water. The best way to help a friend through the loss of a big fish is "to make it fun" for the rest of the trip. Anthony and I made it fun, at least for us, while Jim suffered the thought of the loss of that fish. Dude, nobody has ever lost a big fish like that before and now everyone is going to do it. Anyway, we helped him through his heartbreak by letting him row more than usual. He didn't even have to ask and the extra rowing really seemed to help. He also had the chance to net our fish on many occasions which may have been what earned him the nickname Jimmy The Net. He is now good at netting fish because we brought our fair share and Jim's fair share to the net. Practice makes perfect and all those other sports analogies work with a netter in training.  And for the few times Jim was fishing, Anthony would take Jim's water just in case there was a big fish lurking. For those who don't remember and the one who wants to forget, remember Jim lost that big fish. Jim losing that fish started this whole story in the first place. Jim took it all in stride, but couldn't have done so without our "help". You're welcome Jim.

The Paul Harvey or the rest of the story...A fish or two later we found out the loss of that fish may have been was definitely due to a roll of bad tippet. This isn't the first roll of expensive tippet I have seen that wasn't good. Jim's roll wasn't old and there weren't knicks in the many feet of the roll. It just had weak spots and plenty of them.  We tied some less expensive but better tippet on the leader and the problem was solved. Jim didn't get a second chance at another 20+ fish on this trip. But, Anthony and I both had a better than average time on the river.

To see the latest fishing report click here and for more booking information see our Homepage.  If you are a seasoned angler or have never picked up a fly rod and want to set up a day on the river just email or call/text 615-796-5143 to book a day on the water.

Sunny Days on the River...Foul Weather on the Way

The weather has been good for the past several days and the fish have been hunkered down with tight lips. On some days the fish are extremely tight lipped. We keep going back, trying different patterns and techniques, hoping we will stumble into a large and hungry fish or two. According to the weather-guessers the South is in for some days of extreme cold.

The Elk: TVA is running the river very low, after they turn off the water on some mornings. So catching falling water on the floats are best and make the rowing easy while getting a good drift. The river continues to fish best with nymphs vs. streamers or anything on top. This time of year there is a race against daylight so normally we are not stopping to try soft hackles, but I would bet in the right water type the ole soft hackle would produce some action.

The Caney Fork: The Caney has been finicky. We have been fishing mostly falling water so streamers haven't necessarily been the hot ticket, even though there are plenty of shad floating around on cold days. Nymphs have been producing some fish on low water, but for the most part it has been slow for everyone. However, the fish have to eat sometime...and we want to be there when it's time for them to begin to eat again.  

If you catch steady and high water the fishing actually is better. So timing is everything, well timing, sinking lines, and streamers fished slow and deep... That's really more the ticket. We are getting some better fish coming to streamers in flowing water vs. nymphs fished on lower water. That could change overnight, with the upcoming changes in the weather pattern we may have to start all over again. Who knows. But you don't if you don't go...

To see the latest fishing report click here and for more booking information see our Homepage.  If you are a seasoned angler or have never picked up a fly rod and want to set up a day on the river just email or call/text 615-796-5143 to book a day on the water.

High and Low Water Fishing

The fish in Middle TN are healthy that's for sure. We have been tossing some streamers over the past few weeks and have been trying some different methods to catch'em. Some methods we have been bringing back after not using them for years.  It is amazing how a new trend is sometimes a technique that was put on the shelf years ago for one reason or another. None the less it's fun to fish those techniques and they can be as comfortable as fishing with an old friend.

I had a discussion with a couple friends yesterday about fly patterns. We all agreed an angler can take the right handful of patterns anywhere in the United States and catch fish. (Yes, I caught a flounder on a Zoo Cougar in the Gulf of Mexico a couple years ago, not that it proves the point.) People sometimes make light of the person who seems to fish the same patterns over and over. But, is that person concentrating more on the presentation?  We all know presentation is extremely important.  Should we all take a handful of patterns to the river this year? I am not saying that and certainly don't want to tell anyone how they should enjoy their pastime. Presentation vs. pattern is only food for thought though.  

Anyway, we began this report talking about fishing streamers. On the Caney and with higher water they have been working well. Hitting the gravel bars and banks on that higher water has been productive. We have been staying on the lighter shades of the color wheel. But, we caught some falling water the other day and turned to the nymph. It was tough fishing for the most part and looking back the water levels did not fall out as quickly as on most days. The river was still high from the previous round of generation. But we caught fish and the better fish came to nymph along gravel bars and in more shallow water than usual. This goes back to the old saying, if you don't do anything else adjust the depth.

Some fish will eat and eat and... It is cold out right now and with the cold weather there aren't as many bugs, surely the fish are realizing this too. During the colder months fish change their feeding patterns and feeding habits. On the tailwaters the fish can turn from bugs to sculpins and other small fish. Sculpins grow to be about 4" long,  instead of swimming like most fish they dart among the rocks and other cover and apparently make good meals for brown trout. As seen in the photo above this sculpin didn't get away. The brown was still trying to digest the sculpin and if I had to guess the brown was a day or two away from getting its meal completely into the digestive system. So while waiting for the main course maybe the brown decided to try our nymph to curb the ole appetite. 

The Elk has been fishing well, especially in the middle sections of the river. The streamer has not been productive on this river, other than a small Bugger. A well placed nymph however can be deadly. The flows on the river are super-low when the generators are turned off and this makes the wading pretty easy. The weekdays have seen some short windows and these windows are providing some enjoyable wading in the upper section of the river. Fishing can be tough up there but there are still some fish around.  Don't be afraid to try an old technique it can be as comfortable as fishing with an old friend.

To see the latest fishing report click here and for more booking information see our Homepage.  If you are a seasoned angler or have never picked up a fly rod and want to set up a day on the river just email or call/text 615-796-5143 to book a day on the water.

Middle Tennessee Fly Fishing

Fish Caught & Lost- It has been a week of more rain throughout Middle Tennessee, that's for sure. We also woke up to snow one morning, but late sleepers likely never knew because the snow was gone by 10:00 a.m. With all the recent rain, generation has been pretty big. Fortunately we have caught the rivers on low generation over the past few weeks and the fish have responded well.

The Elk River- Some days TVA has given us falling water. As I say with regularity, if you get a chance to fish falling water by all means fish falling water. It is Winter and anglers need to take advantage of every opportunity. Falling water on the Elk fishes best with nymphs, even when every bone in an old angling body says to throw the groceries at 'em. Set the depth a bit deeper if using a dry-dropper or indicator rig. Adjust the depth as the water level decreases. 

When fishing the Elk also take into consideration fishing above and below the shoals. As a very general rule, when wading and hitting shoals, it is good to fish the moving water below the shoal early and then a bit after lunch move to more flat water above the shoal. The right depth on the nymph is critical, especially when fishing moving water below a shoal. Getting enough weight on the fly and making sure the fly is getting in their face is very important. The trout normally don't venture out quite as far for a meal during the Winter. 

The Caney Fork-  We have seen some heavy generation and even some spilling over the past few weeks.  We go to the river in all types of weather, yes I have pushed the drifter down the ramp at Happy Hollow on a 13 degree day because the ramp was iced over and we wanted to fish. Between Columbia, heavy wool and possibly a bit short on brains, weather isn't much of a deterrent. Weather is one thing, but fishing super-high water is something entirely different and sometimes turns fishing into more of a boat ride. But, you don't know 'til you go.

Catching on one generator can be good this time of year and getting a constant one generator release would be prime time to throw some meaty streamers. We haven't gotten the opportunity to fish a one generator constant flow, but we take the transition from two generators to one generator pretty serious too. Heavy sinking lines and a fly with enough weight to break through the surface will get those streamers in front of the fish, the rest is between you and the fish. Frankly we have been catching solid numbers when pulling streamers so that's what we will be doing while the we are getting this type of release. 

OK, so we have been getting good numbers and had our chances at some really nice fish. There are times that things just don't work out. Like the photo above. The photo is a fly just as it comes unbuttoned. So here is what happened...

Ten minutes before this photo was taken we had a big brown follow and then ghost at the last second. A short time later we came into the next high-value area and had another follow from another nice brown. The brown ate right at the boat and then turned hard to the bank when it felt the pressure of the rod. The fish ran around the front of the drifter and made a couple jumps. The next thing we knew the fly was coming out of the water and the pressure on the rod was gone. It looked like everything was going well and then it was over as fast as it began. Fish lost...

Elk River Fishing Report 2015

We have all heard of the Dog Days of Summer, otherwise known as hopper season, and now we have the Dog Days of Winter. The Dog Days of Winter are easily identified when temperatures dip into the single digits and Ginger the Non-Fishing Dog won't even lift her head when the door is opened. Nope the warm wood floor is fine by her, thank you very much...and drop some food in the bowl before heading to the river. So with everyone else still lazing around the house it was up to me to get out in the eight degree temps to see what's happening on the tailwaters of Middle TN. Every man needs a mission right?

Anglers will be happy to know that in spite of all the rain, high water and heavy releases, the fish are still hungry on our tailwaters. That's right they still have to eat and if an angler can catch some falling water, well it's recommend.

There has been ice on all the rivers. Not that the rivers are frozen over because that is certainly not the case. But there seems to be ice in all the shady areas on the bank. That may have changed since this last round of rains over the past few days. The ice makes for some nice photos and also the ice-falls show clearly where there may be a small channel coming into the river. I always wondered why fish hold right here and now I know...or at least I think I know.

The fly of choice has been the nymph. We fished streamers until arms began to get sore with very little action. It was amazing how much better the nymph performed. So we settled into nymphs and hit all the structure. The structure may have been a blowdown, a ledge, or just a channel, but whenever we found some structure we fished it. We fished it and the fish responded.

The fish responded from most every place thought they should be hiding. There is one brown that we have lost with three different anglers over the past few months. This fish is sitting at the upstream side of a very large root ball. The nymphs have been going into the spot on near perfect drifts. The fish ate more than three times, but we've only had three solid hook ups. Of those hook-ups we had on clear break of the tippet and two short fights and just enough time to get to know the fish. So the story goes on and we will keep trying to bring this fish to the net. It is just another reason we keep going to the river during the "Dog Days of Winter". 

To see the latest fishing report click here and for more booking information see our Homepage.  If you are a seasoned angler or have never picked up a fly rod and want to set up a day on the river just email or call/text 615-796-5143 to book a day on the water.

Fly Fishing the Hiwassee River...2015 Here We Come

While others were ringing in the new year, I was fast asleep, at least until the people in the neighborhood began shooting off fireworks to celebrate turning the page on another calendar year. But, soon I was back to sleep and then awake at 4:00 a.m. or there about. After stepping over the dogs to get the truck loaded, the cruise was set as I headed East to meet up with Breck. We were to meet at the previously agreed upon time and we were both early, which is usually a sign of two anglers who are more than ready to go fishing.

We began with a decision concerning where to take out the raft at the end of the day. There were two conventional options. One ramp was close and could cut the trip a little short. The other ramp was a grueling 8 hour float that usually ends with rowing out the last couple miles or more. So, we decided on a third option, just drag the raft up the bank when the river came close to the road. 

The first few minutes of this cold float were just that, cold. But with the nymph rod working we were soon into fish and getting warmer with each hookset. The first several fish were hungry rainbows. The usual stuff was working and the bows seem a bit aggressive. Before long the streamers were flying. The first fish on the streamer, a nice little brown with a big attitude. The streamers continued until we saw rising fish. The rising fish were eating hatching bugs. That's when a dry was knotted to the tippet on the Orvis glass rod. Tossing the little dry on the edge of the wide foam line, with just the right drift, produced some fine early in the year action. There it was, the first fish on the dry was putting a bend in this cool little rod.

After a bit of dry fly action it was back to the streamer rod. Breck is dialed in on the Hi and guided the raft to all the good holes. We pulled streamers most of the last leg of the trip and switched between a couple Galloup patterns that have proven their worth plenty of times in the past. At one point every cast produced either a fish or at the very least a hot follow. So we had punched our fun tickets for the day. As all good things do this float came to an end and it was time to pay the piper as they say. I never really liked the piper...

This isn't the first time or first river on which we have dragged the raft to the trailer. Since there were light pole size wood stops dug into the ground we were going to have to put some muscle to getting the raft out.  As Breck said "taking the boat out was a real drag..." After pulling the boat out of the water and up the bank, just trying to catch my breath kept me from saying much of anything. 

To see the latest fishing report click here and for more booking information see our Homepage.  If you are a seasoned angler or have never picked up a fly rod and want to set up a day on the river just email or call/text 615-796-5143 to book a day on the water.

Costa Interchangeable Polarized Glasses For Sale

There's a lot of stuff laying around here. Every Winter I clean-up just a little and usually it leads to buying more stuff. But, the intentions are good, with the selling part anyway. It is time to clean out the polarized fishing glasses drawer and there is no way I will be replacing these with another pair, or maybe two. Nope no way...OK that's a flat out lie. Anyway here we go. 

This are a pair Costa Interchangeable polarized glasses with mojo. They have a nifty carrying case to keep them safe, a pair of light yellow lens to brighten up that cloudy day and a pair of darker lens to darken that blue sky and sunny day. None of the 4 lenses have a scratch. The warranty information and instructions for lens changes are there, as well as the matching lens cleaning cloth. They are worth $100.00 or so and that's what I am asking. If you are interested just send an email to david at southeasternfly.com and we can work on some way for you to take a look through them.