Current streamflow- 300cfs
Water temp- upper 40s
Hatches:
Tan caddis
Black winter stonefly
Quill Gordons
Hot Flies:
Pat's rubber legs
Soft hackle hare's ears
Zebra midges
Rainbow warrior
Eggs
Mini leeches
Jigged buggers
Stream temps in the area are on a warming trend thanks to warmer air temps this week. With rising temps comes more insect hatches, and feeding trout aren't far behind. In lower elevation streams where water temps are warmest, such as Tellico, North and Bald, you may see Spring's first hatches of Quill Gordons. If you're not already familiar with them, these are fairly large mayflies that hatch in good numbers when conditions are right and trout will eagerly key in on the clumsy bugs as newly hatched adults struggle to leave the water's surface. A size 14 parachute Adams is a great way to match this hatch. Look for these mayflies to pop off on sunny afternoons of warmer days from now until the end of March.
The Delayed Harvest section is still going strong. There have been a number of browns and rainbows over 20" caught this month, and catch rates are high with great conditions this week.
Looks like rain is in the forecast for Saturday night and Sunday morning, dropping off into Sunday afternoon.
Give us a call, shoot us a message or stop by the shop for the latest conditions.
STREAM REPORT 2.01.23
Current Streamflow- 538cfs
Water Temps- mid 40s
Hatches: None observed
Hot Flies:
Pat's Rubber Legs
Walt's Worm
Blowtorch
Egan's Red Dart
Eggs
Jigged Buggers
Today was cold, damp and kind of miserable but the fish are still there and willing to eat if you're willing to get out!
The Tellico is still fairly high after recent rains but is running clear and dropped considerably over the course of the day. More rain is in the forecast for tomorrow, but it is far enough removed from the weekend that it should drop back out, clear up, and be very fishable this weekend. Temps and conditions look very good for Saturday and Sunday with highs in the mid-50s.
Despite air temps on the river not breaking beyond the 30s today, water temps remained in the mid-40s, and being relatively warm, had fish holding in feeding lanes in moderately fast water. Trout were quick to eat a variety of heavy nymphs and buggers, provided you could get the flies down to them.
The tributaries such as Sycamore and Bald should be fishing well this weekend with the warming trend.
Just an FYI, the gate is open on North River Rd but it is not recommended that you drive up it as trucks are hauling gravel and road crews are working to rebuild the road as quickly as possible. I was told today by one of the road crew that they are closing the gates at 4:30 each day so just be aware that if you try to fish North River and find the gates locked on your way back out, it's a long walk back to the pay phone at Green Cove.
Give us a call, stop by the shop or shoot us a message for the latest conditions.
STREAM REPORT 1.22.23
Current streamflow- 330cfs (1.6ft)
Water temp- mid to low 40s
Current Hatches:
Black winter stoneflies
Tan/black midges
March Browns (sporadic)
Hot Flies:
Pat's rubber legs 8-12
Walt's worms- 12-16
Perdigons- 12-16
Eggs- 12-14
Rainbow warriors- 16-18
Wooly buggers olive/black- 4-8
The Tellico River was stocked earlier this week. With a boost in numbers of fish and perfect streamflows, the fishing has been fantastic this over the last couple of days. Heavy nymphs and streamers are still the top producers. Start with bright attractor nymphs to get the attention of the more aggressive fish and switch to smaller or more natural flies if you encounter picky fish.
The wild trout have also been heavy on the feed with the warmer temps this week. Bald and Sycamore should be fishing well with a parachute dry fly and pheasant tail or prince nymph dropper.
Nearly an inch of rain is expected through the course of the day tomorrow followed by a drop in temps. This won't be as drastic of a temperature swing as we had seen a couple of weeks ago, so the quality of fishing really should not drop off going into the weekend. Partly sunny with decently warm temps for winter going into the weekend, so the forecast for Saturday and Sunday look great.
Give us a call, shoot us a message or stop by the shop for the latest conditions.
Stream report 1.05.23
Current streamflow- 542cfs (2.15ft)
Water temps- 45-50°F
The Tellico area got a decent amount of rain earlier this week and streamflows are coming down from 1200cfs, currently around 500cfs. At the current flow, the Tellico will be high but fishable. The warmer water temps will help as trout will be actively feeding and willing to move further to pick up food. Streamflows will continue to drop towards the weekend and I would expect streamflow to be between 300-400cfs by Saturday, which is plenty fishable. Pat's rubber legs, walt's worms, squirmies and weighted egg patterns would be my top choices for nymphs, fished with enough weight to punch through the extra current. It should also be a good weekend for streamers.
The temps are warm enough that the tributaries should also be fishing well. It'll be a good weekend to throw dries and droppers on Bald, North, Sycamore or the forks of Citico. You will likely see black winter stoneflies hatching this weekend. There's a good chance you'll see tan caddis and maybe even a few early March Browns.
Give usba call, shoot us a message or stop by the shop for the latest conditions.
Stream Report 12.20.22
Current streamflow- 209cfs, 1.35ft
Water temp- mid to upper 40s
Hatches:
Winter Black stoneflies
Midges
Hot Flies:
Walt's worms (various colors)
Pat's rubber legs
Blowtorches
Perdigons (various colors)
Peach eggs
Streamflow on the Tellico is currently just above normal and the river is beautiful. The water has a habit of running crystal clear in the winter and at this time is very reminiscent of the gin clear glacial fed rivers that you might see out West. The river is currently as cold as glacier melt too, so don't fall in.
With higher flows and cold water temps, trout are sluggish and have moved out of the current as much as possible. This means that most fish will be settled into the deeper, slower, middle and tailouts of pools. There will be fewer fish in the fast pocketwater sections. The trout are still plenty hungry though, and will eat a variety of nymphs provided you can get your flies down to them. In these conditions, when tightlining, I often like to throw a heavily weighted nymph, such as a large Pat's rubber legs along with a small nymph like a Perdigon or Walt's worm. The heavier nymph will help you get the smaller fly down and in front of the fish. If indicator fishing, you may need to add extra shot to get your flies down.
This time of year, work water slower than you would in the warmer months. Feeding trout will not move far to take a fly, so you may have to make a few extra casts and get that fly right in front of their nose before they commit to eating it.
Best time to fish will be around mid day. Especially look for pools where the sun is hitting the water. Midges and winter stoneflies are most active in the midday sun, and trout will key in on this and begin feeding.
It looks like most of this week will be cold. Wednesday is the warmest day with a high in the 50s. Rain/snow mix is expected Thursday and Friday night. Should be a chilly but sunny weekend with great river conditions.
Give us a call, shoot us a message, or stop by yhe shop for the latest conditions. Tight lines.
Stream Report 12.14.22
Current streamflow- 289cfs
Water temps- mid 50s
Hatches:
BWOs
Tan caddis
Black winter stoneflies
Mahogany mayflies
Hot flies:
Walt's worms
Blowtorch
Rainbow warriors
Asstd perdigons
San Juans
Eggs
Pat's rubber legs
Prince nymphs
Hot bead pheasant tails
Today brings another round of rain to the Tellico. Stream levels are near perfect at the moment, but with an inch of rain forecasted for today, streamflows will undoubtedly rise. The forecast for the rest of the week and into the weekend is clear, so stream levels should drop out and bring excellent conditions for the weekend.
Trout are feeding heavily and taking a variety of flies in this higher water. Whether or not you can get your flies down to the fish will be the deciding factor on how successful your day will be. We prefer to fish heavier tungsten nymphs when the streamflows are 300cfs+ which is what we will likely to see this weekend. If you prefer to fish indicator rigs, make sure you have enough split shot or weight built into the flies to get down.
Streamers are also a viable option this weekend. Black or olive would be my colors of choice.
Give us a call, shoot us a message or stop by the shop for the latest conditions.
Stream Report 12.08.22
Current streamflow- 873cfs
Water temp- mid 50s
Hatches:
Black midges
Tan midges
Black winter stoneflies
Tan caddis
BWOs
Hot Flies:
Pat's rubber legs brown/black
Blowtorches
Soft hackle hare's ears
Asstd. Perdigons
Squirmies
Eggs
Wooly buggers
Pine squirrel leeches
It's been at least a couple of months since the Tellico area has seen this amount of sustained rainfall and it was much needed. Rain from this week should keep streamflows at near perfect levels for the next week or two. More rainfall is forecasted for today and tomorrow with a break in the rain on Saturday until late afternoon. Expect high but fishable water with a little bit of color this weekend.
The trout should be taking advantage of the extra water and feeding heavily. A variety of nymphs should work provided you can get them down through the higher flows and to the fish. Heavy flies with tungsten beads or split shot to help them get down will produce fish. It'll also be a good weekend to throw streamers. I would prioritize dark or bright colors over natural this weekend.
Many trout will spread out into the tailouts and slower parts of pools and runs during high water so make sure to work the tailouts and edges during higher flows.
Give us a call, shoot us a message or stop by the shop for the latest conditions.
Stream Report 11.30.22
Current streamflow- 970cfs
Water temps- mid to low 50s
Hatches:
Winter Black stoneflies
Tan caddis
BWOs
Midges- grey, black and tan
Hot Flies:
Pat's rubber legs- 10-14
Squirmies & San Juans- 10-12
Eggs- 12-14
Walt's Worm- 12-16
Rainbow Warrior- 16-18
Asstd. Perdigons- 18-14
Flows are way up on the Tellico this morning. What was predicted earlier this week to drop .5" of rain ended up dropping over 2.5" in town and probably more in the higher elevations. It's going to be a couple of days until the river is fishable/easily wadeable. But when the flows drop, the fishing should be great.
Spooky fish that have been cooped up in pools and deeper runs so far this fall will have the chance to spread out and feed heavily. Higher flows will dislodge more aquatic and terrestrial insects making a wider range of food sources available for hungry fish. So instead of tiny midges and dries like we've been throwing these last two months, try your bigger and more bugger patterns this weekend such as Pat's rubber legs, squirmies and heavily weighted nymphs. Wooly buggers and other streamers will also be an excellent option with higher streamflows and more aggressive fish.
Flows will continue to drop today and tomorrow. I would expect decently fishable water on Friday. Early Saturday morning and Sunday evening will bring small chances of rain, but as of right now, the forecast shows a good window of clear weather most of the day Saturday and Sunday.
Give us a call, shoot us a message or stop by the shop for the latest conditions. Tight lines.