Current streamflow- 257cfs
Water temps- low 50s
Hatches:
Bwos
Tan caddis
Brown stoneflies
Shmedium-sized golden stones
Hot flies:
Griffith's gnat- 16-14
Purple Haze- 16-12
Elk Hair Caddis, Brown- 16-12
Klinkhammer- 18-12
Walt's worm- 18-12
Perdigons- 18-14
Pat's rubber legs- 14-10
Prince nymphs- 16-12
Olive/black streamers- 10-6
It's been a great week on the Tellico as spring marches on, despite some setbacks in the weather department. This past week's storm brought some rain and high water earlier this week, but streamflows are back down and running steady around 250cfs which is a great stream level for wading.
Fishing on the Tellico River has been great, with lower than normal fishing pressure thanks to the River Rd closure and forest road detour routes. Small streams also continue to fish very well as water temps warm and spring hatches become more consistent.
Nymphs should be the main focus on the Tellico River with some potential for dry fly fishing on calmer pools where hatches are concentrated and trout are looking up for an easy meal. Dry flies are producing a lot of wild bows and brookies on the tributaries but you may still want to run a nymph below your dry fly to increase your catch rate and potentially find some of the bigger fish which sometimes aren't as eager to rise to a dry fly.
The weather looks beautiful for this weekend with sunny skies and temps in the 60s and 70s for both Saturday and Sunday.
STREAM REPORT 3.28.24
Current streamflow- 268cfs
Water temps- upper 40s to low 50s
Harches:
Black caddis- 18-16
Tan caddis- 16-14
Early brown stoneflies- 14-12
Hendrickson mayflies- 14-12
Bwos- 18-16
Hot flies:
Klinkhammer- 16-12
Griffith's gnat- 16-14
Purple haze parachute- 16-12
Blowtorch- 16-12
Walt's worm- 18-12
Bloody Mary- 16-14
Perdigons- 18-12
The month of March has brought cool, rainy weather these past few weeks, but spring is in full force and there's no stopping it now. The iconic trillium and lily varieties are making their annual appearance along the creek banks, like old friends, indicating that it's time to toss dry flies to wild bows and native brook trout on small mountains streams.
This is the first weekend in March that we haven't had high water or rain or both. Water levels are the perfect level for wading and sunny skies and warming air temps will prevail this weekend. Nymphs are going to produce the most fish on the Tellico River this weekend, while a dry only or a dry and dropper will do the trick on the tributaries and wild trout. Either way, it should be an excellent weekend to get on the water.
Don't forget that this Friday is Good Friday, meaning that the Tellico River is open to fishing this Friday.
Stream Report 3.13.24
Current streamflow- 386cfs
Water temps- low to mid 50s
Hatches:
March Brown
Quill Gordon
Black Caddis
Hot flies:
Purple haze (purple parachute)- 16-12
Parachute Adams- 16-12
Elk hair caddis- black- 16-14
Frenchies- 16-12
Perdigons- 18-12
Walt's worms- 16-12
Egg patterns- 18-14
Prince nymph- 16-14
They say variety is the spice of life, and the variety of places to go and fish species to catch doesn't get much better than in the springtime in East Tennessee. With warming temps on both the streams and lakes, the opportunities are increasing by the day. The big spring insect hatches are ramping up on trout streams in the area. Brook trout are waking up from their winter slumber and eagerly taking dry flies on sunny days. Wild rainbow trout are beginning their spring spawn, but until they are on the redds, they'll eat nearly any well presented nymph or dry with a passion. The Tellico River is being stocked weekly now for anyone looking for larger-than-wild rainbows and occasional brown trout.
Alternatively, the area lakes are coming alive as temps warm. Largemouth, crappie, white bass, carp, and others are making their way towards spawning grounds in warmer coves and creek mouths.
As for the Tellico and its tributaries, we have some rain coming in on Friday, which may bring streamflows up a bit on Saturday, but streams should remain clear and fish well through the weekend and into next week.
Give us a call, send us a message or stop by the shop for the latest conditions.
STREAM REPORT 3.07.24
Current streamflow: 730cfs
Water temps: low to mid 50s
Hatches:
March browns
Quill gordons
Winter black stoneflies
Midges
Blue-winged olives
Hot flies:
Parachute purple haze- 16-12
Parachute adams- 16-12
Griffith's gnat- 18-14
March brown dry fly- 14-12
Pat's rubber legs- 12-8
Heavy egg patterns- 16-12
Blowtorch- 16-12
Perdigons- 18-14
Walt's worms- 18-12
Jigged buggers and leeches- 12-6
It's beginning to feel a little more like spring everyday. The cherry trees are blooming in the square and country roads are lined with blooming daffodils and the white blossoms of Bradford pears. Spring peepers can be heard if you listen closely in soggy, lowland areas. This is just the beginning of our favorite time of year. March browns, quill gordons and the other big mayflies of spring are hatching with more consistency every day and trout are starting to take notice.
However, with the spring season comes spring rains, and this week is no exception. Yesterday's rain has brought river flows up, and more rain is in the forecast for Friday and Saturday. Expect high water this weekend. The Tellico is a healthy river, so it won't take long for the stream to clear, but flows will be high. The Tellico Hatchery stocks rain or shine, however, so the fish will be there regardless.
If you're more interested in targeting wild trout, streamflow on the tributaries will drop quicker than on the main river, so it may be a good weekend to look for those wild bows, browns and brookies.
STREAM REPORT 2.21.24
Current streamflow- 231cfs
Water temp- low to mid 40s
Hatches:
March Browns!!!!
Black Caddis
Blue winged olives
Hot flies:
Parachute Adams 16-12
Grey or black Elk hair caddis 16-14
Griffith's gnat 18-16
Blowtorch 16-12
Perdigons 18-14
Walt's worms 16-12
Jigged buggers 12-10
We are excited to report that some of the most anticipated hatches of the year are starting to make an appearance! Earlier this week, we witnessed good numbers of black caddis, March browns, and bwos on the water, and trout were keying in on the hatching insects. While still sporadic, these hatches should increase in consistency on warmer days as we approach early spring. Quill Gordons should be right around the corner. Nymphs and other subsurface patterns should still be the main focus, but have some of the above-mentioned dry flies on hand in case you see a hatch going on and trout sipping on the surface.
The Tellico is still fishing decently well, although fish are largely spread out and not as concentrated in pools as they once were since it's been a month or so since the last stocking. There are still some great fish to be found if you take the time to cover water until you find them.
Wild rainbows are feeding aggressively on warmer days, putting on their spring colors and gearing up for spawn, which should happen sometime in mid-March to early April. You should be able to find decent action on the tributary streams for wild fish on warmer days.
Catch and keep season begins March 1st on the Tellico River. From that day forward until August 15th you will need to purchase the Tellico/Citico Daily Permit in addition to your fishing license and trout stamp if you wish to fish within the designated stocking areas. During this time, the stocked sections of both rivers will be closed to fishing on Thursday and Friday. Tellico will be stocked every week from the North River confluence up to the NC state line. Citico Creek will be stocked every other week, starting in April. More information on stocking and regulations can be found in the TWRA Tennessee fishing regulations handbook.
STREAM REPORT 2.16.24
The Tellico area received a decent amount of rain this past week. While we didn't get the chance to fish the river ourselves since we were out of town, we've had several reports from those who have. The stocked trout that are currently in the Tellico have been there for several weeks now and have mostly wisened up to larger attractor nymphs such as eggs and squirmies. While they're not necessarily picky, we recommend scaling your flies down to attractor nymphs in the size 18 to 14 range.
Fish are spread out along the length of the Delayed Harvest and not evenly distributed. The best tactic for finding fish is to spot hop from one likely looking spot to the next, spending about 20-30mins in a spot and moving on to the next if no fish are caught or seen in that time frame. In other words, the name of the game is Covering Water. As long as your drifts are good and flies are heavy enough to be near the bottom, if the fish are there, they should be willing to eat. If not, it's time to move. Focus on pools and slower runs where the majority of fish will hold during the winter months.
Just a reminder that the Bald River Bridge project is still ongoing, so the Wildcat Rd and North River Rd detour routes are your ways to access the upper river and Delayed Harvest section at this time.
STREAM REPORT 1.25.24
Current streamflow- 676cfs
Water temp- upper 40s
Hatches:
Black or Tan midges
Blue-winged olives
Winter black stoneflies
Hot flies:
Griffith's gnat- 18-16
Parachute bwo- 18-16
Grey Elk hair caddis- 18-14
Rainbow warriors/lightning bugs- 18-14
Perdigons (various colors)- 18-16
Pat's rubber legs- 12-8
Walt's worms- 18-12
Jigged buggers- 12-8
Leeches- 10-6
Welcome to East Tennessee, where single digit temps and snow one week are followed by temps in the 60s and copious amounts of rain the next.
While the snow and icy roads are gone in the Tellico area in elevations below about 3,500ft, it's quickly being replaced with rain and soft, muddy forest roads. The Wildcat Rd/Bald River Rd detour to the upper Tellico River is clear as of yesterday but pretty soft and muddy due to freezing and thawing earlier this week, and we wouldn't recommend anyone drive it without 4wd as there is very little traction on some of the steeper muddy sections of road. Beyond that, it's entirely drivable at this time.
The North River Rd detour route should be free of ice this weekend due to he warmer temps and rain and shouldn't be as muddy as the Wildcat route, although we haven't been up there ourselves to check it out since last week.
The Hanging Dog route (detour from Murphy, NC) has taken some damage with the recent weather and the road appears to be unstable in some places according to some reports that we have received. We wouldn't recommend this route, but it is worth mentioning since some of our customers from the south prefer to take this detour.
Having said all that, we fished the Tellico River yesterday and the fishing was fantastic. With the warmer weather moving in and water temps ramping up, trout were feeding aggressively on just about anything we put in front of their noses, as long as it was heavy enough to get down to them. Nymphs are still the name of the game, but we would expect a pretty solid streamer bite with these warming temps.
This will also be a good weekend to fish the lower elevation wild trout streams such as North and Bald Rivers as wild trout, such as this healthy wild bow, usually respond well to warm winter fronts.
STREAM REPORT 1.12.24
Current streamflow- 435cfs
Water temp- low 40s
Hatches:
Tan midges
Blue-wingled olives
Winter black stoneflies
Hot flies:
Griffith's gnats
Perdigons
Walt's worms
Pheasant tails
Egg patterns
Pat's rubber legs
Streamers
Attention: The Cherohala Skyway currently has patches of snow and ice from approx. 3,000' and up and conditions will undoubtedly deteriorate with today's cold front and rain, which translates to snow and ice in the higher elevations. North River Rd is currently covered in snow and ice. We would not recommend that anyone take North River Rd as their route to the upper Tellico River this weekend. As of now, road conditions are fine on the Wildcat/Bald River Rd detour route, but of course, this could change as rain/snow and wind moves through this afternoon.
Streamflows are on the high side after the rain earlier this week and will most likely rise with the rain we are getting today. Conditions look better for Saturday and Sunday but expect high flows over the weekend. Best flies will be heavily weighted Pat's rubber legs, Walt's worms and egg patterns.
Next week will be cold with a chance of snow early in the week. We will do our best to keep everyone informed on the latest road and river conditions.