August 28, 2017

We are in need of some rain but the cooler weather is a welcome sight.  Fishing for wild fish is still pretty good but you really need to be on your A-game.  I was able to take some pretty good trout last week in the GSMNP on dries and a few Frenchies.

Watch your drifts pretty close and try to avoid spooking the fish and your chances will go up.  Any false move or a kicked stone could make a good hole non-productive.  Hey it is fishing!  I was able to sneak up on a few Brook trout and they were eager to take Messer's Smoky Mountain Caddis #12.  The one to the right was very energetic leaping and pulling like a much larger trout.  This guy was caught and release at about 3100 feet.

Rainbows got in on the action as well.  I took them on the Caddis as well as a #16 Frenchies with an Olive Brown collar.  The strike was very subtle so I was setting hook at any slight line stoppage.  The Browns were not interested that day but others took some good browns.  I also observed some tiny stones on the rocks and also we are starting to see some cased caddis form on the boulders. 


Inch worms were hanging and we are seeing some woolly worms in the area.  The mornings are a bit cooler and the fishing for me got good between 11 and 2 this particular day.  Watch leader and tippet sizes and maintain a good drag fee drift as this should increase your chances for a strike.

I did make sure to get the trout released very quickly so no harm was done while taking photos.  Watch the death grips since you are squeezing the vital organs of the trout.

Tight Lines!