Current streamflow- 178cfs
Water temp- low to mid 40s
Hatches:
Quill Gordons
Blue winged olives
Winter black stoneflies
Dark gray caddis
Hot Flies:
Parachute Adams 16-12
Parachute hare's ear 16-12
Griffith's gnat 18-16
Rainbow warrior 18-16
Hickey's auto emerger 18-16
Walt's worm 16-14
Tungsten eggs 14-12
Micro eggs 18-16
While the river experienced a fairly steep drop in temps over the weekend, mayflies and caddis are still hatching in sunny pools during the warmest part of the day, and the trout were in hot pursuit. We landed a great number of fish on a variety of flies, with most of the wild trout and holdover stockers committing to smaller nymphs and emergers. This is likely an indication of them keying in on smaller caddis and blue winged olives, which were the predominant insect emergences today. We did see trout rising to caddis and quill gordons mid-afternoon, but the majority of trout were taking subsurface patterns.
With colder air temps being projected for the coming week, focus your efforts during the middle of the day when temps are warmest, spurring mayfly and caddis hatches. Trout feeding patterns closely follow insect activity during the colder months.
You can expect similar conditions on the wild trout streams such as Bald or North, with the best activity occurring mid-day.
We'd like to extend a reminder to all of the people who come up and enjoy a day of fishing on the Tellico River. Please take your trash with you. The amount of broken and wadded up line we saw today was pretty heartbreaking. Help us take care of our wild places, and if you pack it in, pack it out. If you see litter on the river, please do your part and take it with you. Thank you.
Stream Report 2.27.25
Current streamflow: 234cfs, 1.34ft
Water temps- upper 40s
Hatches:
March browns
Quill Gordons
Blue-winged olives
Winter black stoneflies
Tan caddis
Hot Flies:
Parachute March brown 14-12
Parachute Adams 16-12
Griffith's gnat 18-16
Klinkhammer 16-12
Walt's worm 16-14
Blowtorch 16-14
Rainbow warrior 18-16
Pink eggs 14-12
Jigged leeches 12-10
After weeks of snow and then rain and then snow again, we finally had a beautiful week and some warm temps in the mountains. Both flora and fauna are as ready for Spring as we are, and the river and mountains were alive with activity this week. Multiple hatches are kicking off throughout the day, with fish mostly keying in on Quill Gordon duns. A simple parachute Adams coaxed many trout to the surface, both wild and stocked.
Besides the hatches, plenty of fish were eager to take a variety of nymphs and streamers this week. The usual pink eggs, squirmies, and mops will produce fish, but you may find more fish on slightly more natural presentations such as Walt's worms and perdigons.
It may be a good weekend to start exploring the wild streams as well. Rainbow trout spawn in March and early April in our southeastern streams and are starting to put on their brightest colors in preparation. Hit these smaller streams in the middle of the day for the best shot at catching an mayfly hatch and finding trout looking up for dry flies.
Just a reminder that catch and keep season and weekly stocking starts March 1st, which is this coming Saturday. You will need to purchase your Tellico/ Citico daily permit for each day you wish to fish in the stocked sections of Tellico River and Citico Creek. A 'Sportsman's' type license also covers the daily permit. Don't forget that stocked sections are closed on Thursdays and Fridays for stocking.
BRIDGE UPDATE: From all available information, it sounds like the Bald River Bridge project will be completed by late March/early April and River Road will be reopened at that time. We will keep you up to date as we receive more detailed information.
The shop will be back to regular hours starting this weekend.
Stream Report 2.13.25
Current streamflow- 1700cfs
Water temps- mid 40s
The river is running pretty high after heavy rains the last couple of days. River levels are dropping quickly, but there is another 1"+ of rain in the forecast between Saturday and early Sunday morning. According to the extended forecast, it looks like we are also diving back into below freezing overnight temps next week with up to 2" of snow now being forecasted for the middle of the week. Stark contrast to the t-shirt weather that we all enjoyed just a week ago. This has been one rollercoaster of a winter!
It may be a better weekend to tie flies and prep your gear for warmer days. On the bright side, spring isn't too far away. It's just one of the many perks of living in East Tennessee.
stream report 1.24.25
Current streamflow- 188cfs
Water temps- low 30s
Hatches:
Midges
Winter black stoneflies
It's been quite a while since we've last posted a report, and for good reason. Like most other mountain streams in the state, the Tellico and its tributaries are currently locked in ice. Anchor ice has formed on the bottom and sides of runs and rapids, and many pools are mostly if not completely frozen over. To make matters worse, both detour routes are still ice covered and treacherous to navigate. We would strongly advise not making the trip up river until weather warms and the roads thaw, for your safety. Even for those willing to brave the road conditions, river conditions will make fishing tough at best.
Unfortunately, most of the other mountain streams in the state are experiencing similar conditions. You may be able to find better conditions in our tailwater fisheries, if generation schedules allow.
This coming week will bring warmer temps along with some rain, and conditions should greatly improve by next weekend. Until then, it may be a good time to whip up your favorite patterns and get those fly boxes filled in preparation for warmer days.
Stream Report 12.18.25
Current Streamflow- 178cfs
Water Temps- mid to upper 40s
Hatches:
Black Caddis
Blue-winged olives
Winter black stoneflies
Hot flies:
Blowtorch 16-12
Walt's worm 16-12
Pat's rubber legs 12-10
Jigged leeches 12-8
It's been a while since we've posted a stream report. We haven't had much of a chance to get up river ourselves in this busy time among holidays, but we finally found some time earlier this week. I'm happy to report that the Tellico is in fine shape thanks to recent rains and is fishing very well. The day we spent on the Tellico this week brought some of the most consistent fishing that we've seen yet this winter. While we didn't land any giants, we caught multiple healthy rainbows in the 16-18" range, a couple of browns, and a ton of wild rainbows. Warmer water temps had the trout eating nearly every offering we threw at them and many of the trout had moved back into faster runs and pocket water after spending the last week being largely dormant in deep pools due to a bitter cold front and sudden drop in water temps.
Fish nymphs in runs and pools, but focus on the swifter water at the head off pools where trout will stack up and feed in warmer temps. If water temps drop back into the low 40s, focus on deeper, slower parts of the same runs and pools.
BONUS REPORT- GATLINBURG DH:
I spent yesterday fishing the Gatlinburg Delayed Harvest with Mark Brown from Chota Outdoor Gear . We found similar conditions on the West Prong as we did on the Tellico River the day before. The sight fishing was excellent, and there were plenty of fish to target, although they were more selective and harder to fool due to more pressure than what we've had on the Tellico River. Take a variety of nymphs, streamers, and small egg patterns and be prepared to change flies often to stay on top of what the trout are looking for. Gatlinburg is definitely a fun option if you don't mind the crowds, and some very large and hard fighting fish are your potential reward.
STREAM REPORT 11.27.24
Current streamflow - 133cfs
Water temps- mid to upper 40s
Hatches:
Blue-winged olives
Tan midges
Black midges
Tan caddis
Hot flies:
Griffith's Gnat 18-16
Blue-winged olives dry 18-16
Parachute Adams 16-14
Chubby Chernobyl 14-12
Walt's worm 18-12
Frenchies 18-12
Bwo emergers 20-14
Rainbow warrior 20-16
Blowtorch 16-14
The Tellico River DH continues to produce good numbers of stocked and wild fish with some trophies still to be found. The DH was last stocked a little over a week ago and with cool water and low flows, the trout have settled in to deeper runs and pools and have keyed in on natural food sources, mostly midges and blue-winged olives. On sunny days, good numbers of fish can be found in the lower half of runs and pools, sipping dry flies and emergers in the tailouts.
While nymphs will still produce fish, we recommend making the most of sight fishing for dry fly sippers with a Griffith's gnat or other small dry fly and an emerger or small nymph on a short dropper. There's nothing better than watching a trout line up and break the surface to sip a well presented dry fly.
The wild trout streams are still fishing well on warmer days, although they tend to be a little more hit or miss and temperamental than the stocked waters. Focus on mid day when temps are warmest if you want to focus on wild trout.
We hope that everyone has a happy Thanksgiving and a great weekend, whether that finds you on the water, in the woods, or spending time with family.
STREAM REPORT 11.21.24
Current streamflow- 105cfs
Water temps- uppers 40s to low 50s
Current hatches:
Midges
Blue-winged olives
Winter black stoneflies
Hot flies:
Perdigons- olive/quill/orange 18-14
Rainbow warrior 18-14
Frenchies 18-12
Cdc Soft tackle nymphs (quill, Blowtorch, etc) 16-12
Walt's worms 18-12
Jigged buggers 12-10
Bwo dries 18-16
Griffith's gnats 18-16
Chubby Chernobyl 14-10
The Tellico and its tributaries received a fair amount of rain over the past couple of days. While not enough to get stream levels up to median flows for this time of year, this was a nice shot in the arm. A little extra flow has helped clear out a lot of the leaf litter and tanning water. Colder overnight temps the next few days will likely have fish moving from pocket water to deeper runs and pools and water temps drop, and trout metabolism slows down.
Early mornings will likely find trout sluggish and waiting to warm up from the cold overnight temps. Late-morning to mid-afternoon is when trout will be most active. Focus on nymphing deeper runs and pools and find sunny spots on the river where insect life will be most active, and as a result, so will the trout.
The Tellico River has received a decent amount of stocking over the past week, and there are plenty of quality fish and some true trophies out there. You may find good fish downstream of Green Cove, but we'd recommend focusing the majority of your time from Green Cove upstream to the state line.
Fishing in wild trout streams will begin to slow down as these small streams experience more extreme temp drops overnight than the main river and trout become more dormant during these temp drops. If you want to hit the small streams, plan on doing so mid day when temps are highest, and you might run into a midge or bwo hatch, which will spur trout into feeding.
STREAM REPORT 10.31.24
Current streamflow- 50cfs
Water temps- mid to low 50s
Hatches:
Blue-winged olives
Midges
Hot flies:
Parachute Adams 16-14
Griffith's Gnat 18-16
Chubby Chernobyl- 14-12
Pat's Rubber Legs 12-10
Pink eggs 18-14
Blowtorch 16-12
Walt's worms- 18-14
Rainbow warrior- 18-16
Jigged leeches & buggers- 12-10
It's been a week of beautiful, albeit dry, Fall weather in the Tellico area. Streams continue to run a bit lower than average although cool temps, especially in higher elevations have kept streams cold and the trout happy. The Tellico was recently stocked and now has a great number of bows, browns and palominos, with some substantially large fish. With the low water conditions, sight fishing for browns and bows over 20" is a real possibility this weekend.
Since stocked fish are in high numbers at the moment, we would recommend starting with your favorite 'junk' flies and working your way down to smaller and more natural patterns if the junk flies aren't producing. Once they're in the river stocked trout will soon switch over to a natural diet, usually in a week or two, so it doesn't take long for them to start looking for more natural offerings.
Brook trout are spawning in the highest elevation streams (3,000'+) so please keep an eye out for redds (clean gravel, fish paired up) and avoid fishing for spawning trout and consider fishing elsewhere. Our native brookies only inhabit around 10% of their natural streams in the Southern Appalachians, so need all the help we can give them to ensure their populations remain healthy.
Other wild streams in the Tellico area are still providing great dry fly action for bows and browns, but low water conditions are making these wild trout skittish, so use the utmost in stealth when approaching likely runs and pockets and keep your casts precise, using small dry flies.