Current streamflow- 89cfs
Water temps- Low 60s
Hatches:
Yellow Sally stoneflies
Cahills mayflies
Sulphur mayflies
Golden stone flies
Salmonflies
Tan midges
Hot flies:
Elk hair caddis
Neversink caddis
Klinkhammer
Parachute Adams
Chubby Chernobyl
Pat's rubber legs
Rainbow warrior
Frenchie
Quill perdigon
We could use a good shot of rain like most streams in Tennessee right now, but thankfully, water temps are very good at the moment. Daytime highs and overnight lows have been cooler than normal, keeping water temps in the safe zone for trout on most of the river. Concentrate your efforts from Bald River confluence upstream to the NC State Line. You can probably still find trout on the Tellico downstream of Bald Rivee, but water temps are likely pushing up into the mid or upper 60s, so if you plan to release your catch, move further upstream.
The Tellico, Citico and tribs are all excellent right now albeit some of the lower gradient tribs like North and Bald, are getting pretty skinny and the trout will be more skittish than at normal stream levels. A dry dropper is your best bet for gently laying out flies with the least chance of spooking your target. A dry fly in the size 14-16 range and a similarly sized, lightly weighted or unweighted dropper is your best option on the tributaries.
Dry/dropper is also an excellent choice for the Tellico and Citico, although you will still have plenty of luck on a nymph rig, especially if you are euronymphing in the faster runs and pocket water.
There is a chance for rain this afternoon and a decent chance all next week so hopefully that will be enough to get streamflows back up to normal level. Either way, air temps will continue to be cooler than normal throughout this week and next, so we shouldn't see water temps degrade too much.
Give us a call, shoot us a message, or stop by the shop for the latest conditions.
Stream Report 6.02.23
Current Streamflow- 144cfs
Water Temps- upper 50s to low 60s
Hatches:
Yellow sallies
Cahill mayflies
Golden stoneflies
Salmonflies
Tan caddis
Mahogany mayflies
Bwos
Midges
We are fully in the midst of that sweet spot between spring hatches and summer heat. As such, the hatches are great, air temps aren't too hot, and water temps are ideal for wet wading and happy trout.
Water levels are on the low-side but remain cool and well within the safe temperature range for catching and releasing trout. Temps were measured at 60F in the late afternoon below Turkey Creek, so expect good water temps all through the Tellico River system and its tributaries.
We have seen phenomenal hatches this year. All of the big players are out: yellow sallies and cahill mayflies dominate the scene with frequent glimpses of golden stones and salmonflies and sporadic occurrences of a variety of other mayflies, stoneflies and caddis. Terrestrials are also out in big numbers and you will find action on foam beetles, ants, and small crickets/hoppers. There really is not a wrong choice for dry flies right now.
As for nymphs, both for the Tellico and tributaries, smaller, more natural nymphs seem to be the preference while streamflows are low. Tried and true patterns like pheasant tails, hare's ears and prince nymphs will all produce fish. Try tungsten headed nymphs such as thread frenchies, walt's worms and small Pat's rubber legs in the deeper pocket water on the main river to drum up the stocked fish.
The weather forecast for the weekend looks great. Not much forecast of rain this weekend or in the coming week but pop-up showers are common in the mountains, especially in the afternoons, so be prepared.
Give us a call, shoot us a message or stop by the shop for the latest conditions.
Stream Report 5.18.23
Current streamflow- 300cfs, 1.59ft
Water temps- mid 50s to low 60s
What a beautiful time to be in the mountains. The birds are singing, mountain laurel is blooming, bugs are hatching and the trout are hungry. Water temps are still great and the recent rain earlier this week was enough to recharge streamflows and water levels look perfect going into the weekend. More rain is in the forecast for Saturday which may make for wet weekend plans, but we are in need of those rainy days to keep flows strong before air temps get hot so we will take what we can get.
There really isn't a bad choice of where to fish this weekend. Trout are on the feed right now, from lower Tellico all the way up to the headwaters and tributaries. Hatches of Cahill mayflies, yellow sallies, golden stones and even salmonflies are going strong, as well as a variety of terrestrials, so there are plenty of patterns that will produce fish right now.
Give us a call, shoot us a message or stop by the shop for the latest conditions.
STREAM REPORT 5.02.23
Current streamflow- 260cfs
Water temp- low to mid 50s
Hatches:
Yellow sallies
Slate gray mayflies
Cahill mayflies
Golden stoneflies
Tan caddis
Hot flies:
Neversink caddis
Elk hair caddis
Parachute adams
Light Wulff
Blowtorch
Rainbow warrior
Hot bead pheasant tail
Pat's rubber legs
Copper John
Wooly buggers
Pine squirrel leeches
Articulated streamers
This coming weekend is the 3rd Annual Tellico Troutfest! Kick-off party is 5-9p Friday, Troutfest is 10-5p Saturday in downtown Tellico Plains. Hope to see y'all there!
The river conditions look great for Troutfest weekend. We've got some raining coming in over Friday night/Saturday morning, but for now, the forecast shows sporadic showers without much accumulation.
Yellow sallies and other insects are out in droves. There's a good chance that you'll find wild trout and a few stockers looking up all day long, but the best dry fly fishing will be in the afternoon and evenings when yellow sallies are most active. Terrestrial patterns such as beetles and ants should also be working as more terrestrial insects become active as spring progresses.
Water temps are cool enough throughout the watershed that trout can still be found on the Tellico River from town all the way to the NC state line. A dry/dropper rig will cover most situations from North River upstream to the state line. If you decide to fish downstream on the bigger water, heavy nymph rigs or streamers are a better option.
If chasing wild trout or native brookies on the tribs, a dry/dropper rig should be all you need to have a good time.
Give us a call, stop by the shop, or shoot us a message for the latest conditons.
STREAM REPORT 4.28.23
Current streamflow- 394cfs 1.8ft
Water temps- low to mid 50s
Hatches:
Sulphurs
Yellow Sallies
Golden stones
Slate greys
Bwos
Hot flies:
Neversink caddis
Chubby chernobyl
Elk hair caddis
Parachute adams
Walts worm
Blowtorch
Frenchies
Prince nymphs
The on-again, off-again rains of this past week have brought a decent amount of rainfall to the area, but with streamflows already below the median, the rivers are in fine shape going into the weekend. Expect the streamflows to be in the lower 300s to mid 200s by Saturday and Sunday, which are perfect levels for wading and just high enough for trout to feed comfortably. Water temps dictate that the majority of trout will be in the faster runs and pocketwater, actively seeking out a meal of one of the many insect hatches currently popping off throughout the day.
Hatches have been phenomenal lately with a multitude of mayfly and stonefly species on the water, especially in the afternoon and evenings. The first few yellow sallies have made their annual appearance, and as a result, yellow-bodied dry flies in a size 14-12 should definitely be in your fly box. Once this easily recognizable and consistent hatch kicks off, trout will be on the lookout for these little stoneflies all through spring and summer.
A wide variety of dries, nymphs, and streamers will catch fish right now, and you can find trout from the Skyway all the way upstream to the NC line with the current water temps. This is prime time spring fishing, so take full advantage of it.
Give us a call, shoot us a message, or stop by the shop for the latest conditions.
STREAM REPORT 4.19.23
Current streamflow- 261cfs
Water temps- mid 50s
Hatches:
Yellow Sallies
Golden stoneflies
Sulphurs
March browns
Tan caddis
Midges
Hot Flies:
Tellico/Citico-
Pat's rubber legs
Walt's worm
Blowtorch
Pink squirrel nymph
Squirmies
Chubby Chernobyl
Yellow stimulator
Tributaries-
Parachute adams
Yellow stimulator
Elk hair caddis
Hot bead pheasant tail
Bloody Mary nymph
Pink squirrel nymph
With the beautiful weather and perfect strewmflows and water temps this week, this is prime time spring fishing. The hatches have been incredible with a variety of mayflies, stoneflies, caddis, and midges on the water, especially in the evenings. The dry fly action has been amazing on the smaller streams and the upper Tellico River, where more wild trout are present. You've got a wide variety of dries and nymphs to choose from right now with so many hatches going on. Now is also a great time to go for a hike and find some brookies.
The stocked trout will also take dries on occasion, but you will find better numbers of fish on nymphs. Try a dry and dropper with a large foam bug such as a chubby chernobyl with a Walt's worm, perdigon, or squirmy dropped 2-2.5' below to find fish feeding both on and below the surface.
With current streamflows, you'll have a lot of very wadeable and fishable water to choose from. You'll be able to find trout along the entire length of the Tellico River, with the best fishing being from the Baby Falls picnic area upstream to the NC state line.
There is some rain in the forecast for Friday night/Saturday morning. The current forecast is calling for 1/2" total. This may add some color to the water on Saturday morning, but shouldn't be enough to make the river unfishable over the weekend.
Give us call, shoot us a message or stop by the shop for the latest conditions.
STREAM 4.14.23
Current streamflow- 363cfs
Water temps- mid 50s
Hatches:
Sulphurs
Quill gordons
Blue-winged olives
Tan caddis
With warmer temps last week, we've witnessed some of the best hatches so far this year with many mayfly and caddis species hatching simultaneously. With all of the available food on the surface, trout are readily looking up and eating dry flies and emergers. A parachute adams or elk hair caddis with a lightly weighted or unweighted nymph dropper should do the trick for those fish feeding on the surface. There will still be plenty of trout feeding near the bottom and taking a variety of nymphs. Woolly buggers and other streamers are still finding fish as well.
All of the tributaries will be fishing well and there are trout to be found in all of the Tellico right now, from the NC line down to Turkey Creek and beyond.
Cody is out of the shop this weekend fishing the Casting for Hope competition in Spruce Pine, NC, but @elijahpowell_01 and @collinstuart are holding down the fort and will be happy to help you out.
Give us a call, shoot us a message or stop by the shop for the latest conditions.
STREAM REPORT 4.06.23
Current streamflow- 276cfs
Water temps- mid 50s
Current hatches:
March Browns
Blue-winged olives
Black Caddis
Hot Flies:
Tellico/Citico:
Pat's rubber legs
Blowtorch
Egan's red dart
Perdigons
Walt's worm
Eggs
Woolly buggers and other streamers
Tributaries:
Parachute adams
Yellow stimulator
Prince nymph
Hot bead pheasant tail
Rainbow warrior
It's been another beautiful week of spring weather in the mountains of Tellico. And so right on cue, another front is on its way to bring rain to everyone's weekend plans. Depending on the forecast, we have seen anywhere from .25" to 1" predicted for both Friday and Saturday with weather clearing up and warm temps returning on Sunday. If the most optimistic of forecasts holds true, water will come up some, but will drop quickly and should not affect streamflows for long. If the actual precipitation is closer to the 1" mark for the next two days, be prepared for high water and tough wading.
The good news about streams in our area is that given half a day, streamflows will drop, and the river will clear, and fish will be caught. This means that even with the worst forecast, Sunday should be plenty fishable on the upper end of Tellico, Citico, and tribs.
Plan on fishing nymphs or streamers this weekend and fish them deep. Fish will be holding in the tailouts of pools as well as faster runs and pocket water, the key will be getting a fly in front of their face.
Give us a call, shoot us a message, or stop by the shop for the latest conditions.