Current streamflow- 195cfs
Water temps- 60-68 depending on elevation
It's been a wet summer so far, and that trend is going to continue for the next couple of days, with 1.5" of rain expected this afternoon and another .5" forecasted for Friday. The good news is that the rain departs Friday night and Saturday and Sunday are predicted to be sunny and clear. We may see high or off color water at the start of the weekend, not necessarily unfishable, and the river should be clear by Sunday and going into next week.
Despite a lack of noticeable hatches lately, dry fly fishing has been phenomenal, especially for anglers who are venturing into the tributaries and targeting wild and native trout. A Parachute adams, yellow stimulator or Griffith's gnat is about all you need. We have been fishing nymphs below our dries and 90% of the fish choose to pounce on the dry fly. Temps are still in the 60-65° range in tributaries over 2,500', which is perfectly fine for sagely catching and releasing trout.
Big dry flies (hoppers, chernobyls) and nymph droppers are still the way to go on the Tellico. Most stocked trout will eat the nymph, but don't be surprised if they pounce on a big foam dry fly. Pat's rubber legs, Frenchies and perdigons are still top producing nymphs. If the water is high and off color this weekend, it will be the perfect time to throw streamers as well.
There's not much rain in the forecast for early next week, and temps will be pushing into the low 90s, so keep on eye on temps next week if you want to catch and release. Any water temps above 68° presents too much risk of trout going belly up after a hard fight, so move upstream to higher elevations until you find water temps below 68°. As of this week, temps are still fine from North River confluence upstream to the NC state line. A thermometer is an invaluable tool this time of year for finding ideal water temps.