Current streamflow- 76cfs
Water temps- upper 50s
Hatches:
Tan caddis 16-14
Midges 20-18
Hot flies:
X-caddis
Griffith's gnat
Parachute midge
Rainbow warrior
Pat's rubber legs
Tungsten eggs
The upper Tellico River was stocked earlier this week, and Delayed Harvest is off to a great start. The quality of fish is outstanding this year, with the average fish being about 14" and around 1lb. There are plenty of trout in the 18-20" range as well, and it's like an Easter egg hunt to find the big ones. Keep your eyes open and you can sight fish a lot of the bigger browns and rainbows with the low, clear streamflows.
Next week's forecast looks dry with decent daytime temps and cool overnight lows. This means streamflows will continue to drop, making fooling fish a bit more difficult, but on the brightside, it means fish will mostly stay close to the areas they were stocked as opposed to scattering and often leaving the DH area as is often the case during high flows. This brings an advantage to the angler in locating fish, but you will likely need a variety of flies to fool fish that are often much more wary in low water. Start with the usual stocker favorites: eggs, squirmies and Pat's. If you get a lot of refusals, downsize to frenchies, perdigons and midge patterns. A dry and dropper is a great combo for low water as it gives you the ability to keep your distance and easily match the speed of your drift with the slow, glassy currents that low water brings.
Give us a call, shoot us a message or stop by the shop for the latest conditions.