Current Streamflow- 84cfs
Water temps- low to mid 50s
Hot Flies:
Olive Walt's worm- 16-14
Redneck pheasant tail- 18-14
Eggs- 18-14
Pat's rubber legs- 14-12
Rainbow warrior- 18-16
Hatches:
Tan midges
Blue-winged olives
The dreaded leaf hatch of early November is over, water is crystal clear, and sight fishing has been phenomenal in the Tellico delayed harvest. This is quite possibly the strongest DH that we've had in years, and we've seen some fantastic trophy browns and bows so far this fall. Big shoutout to the crew at the Tellico Hatchery for all of their hard work in providing us with a great fall and winter fishery. They really have the trophy program dialed in!
As long as streamflows remain low, light nymph or dry/dropper rigs are the best bets for success. Temps have been warm this week, so many fish are still sitting in pocket water and shallow runs. Work water slowly and keep eyes out for these fish feeding in shallow water. This weekend and next week should bring rain, and if streamflows bump up, trout will feed heavily and be less skittish. Temps will also be much cooler next week, and as water temps drop, trout will seek out deeper pools and slower water.
Alongside hatchery fish, we have been finding healthy numbers of wild bows and increasing numbers of wild browns, which we're extremely excited to see. While low water during the fall can make for some tricky fishing, it is apparently beneficial to the spawning success of wild brown trout, as we have seen numbers rise the last few years on the Tellico and its tributaries. We love to see these wild browns showing up in better numbers every year. On that note, wild browns will soon be spawning, so keep an eye out for redds in areas of shallow gravel and sand and avoid fishing for spawning fish so we can continue to enjoy a rise in wild brown trout populations.
STREAM REPORT 11.11.25
Current Streamflow- 110cfs
Water Temps- low-mid 40s
Hatches:
Blue-winged olives
Midges
Hot Flies:
Eggs- 18-14
Perdigons- 18-16
Blowtorches- 16-14
Pat's rubber legs- 12-8
Walt's worms- 16-12
Mops- 16-12
Griffith's gnats- 18-16
Purple haze- 18-14
Snow flurries and trophy trout. It's a rare day when the two align in East Tennessee. Yesterday was one of those days.
The Tellico River received a hefty stocking prior to the Project Healing Waters event this past weekend in the Delayed Harvest waters. Those fish have settled in nicely with cold water temps and good streamflows keeping them happy. To start this week, we've seen freezing temps and snow, with a decent accumulation in high elevations. A return to warmer temps the rest of this week will melt off whatever accumulation is left in all but the highest mountains.
Many trout have moved to deeper, slower pools and runs now that water temps have dropped into the mid to low 40s and their metabolism has slowed down a bit. Water temps will be coldest early in the morning. Look for trout to feed the most from mid-morning to mid-day once the sun has had time to warm the water and boost their metabolism. A variety of nymphs have been producing fish, with eggs, Walt's worms, and blowtorches being the all-stars. Blue-winged olives and midges continue to bring fish to the surface in slower pools, but the intensity of hatches and number of fish looking up will vary from day to day. A small Griffith's gnat or parachute dry fly is a good thing to have in the box in case you're lucky enough to run into a good hatch.
Forecast for the rest of the week looks good with warming temps and little chance of rain.
STREAM REPORT 11.05.25
ATTENTION: This Saturday is the annual PHWFF Veteran's fishing event on the Tellico River Delayed Harvest section. Volunteers will be guiding veterans on the Tellico River mostly in the couple of miles above and below the hatchery. These events give our disabled veterans a chance to experience fly fishing as a way of physical and emotional rehabilitation. If you see a veteran and guide, please show your appreciation by giving them the right of way and thanking them for their service.
Current streamflow- 120cfs
Water temps- low 50s
Hatches:
Blue winged olives
Midges
Hot flies:
Blowtorch 18-14
Walt's worms 18-12
Pat's rubber legs 12-10
Perdigons 18-14
Leeches and buggers 12-8
Eggs 16-12
Griffith's gnat 18-16
Parachute adams 18-16
Purple haze 18-16
The river continues to be in excellent shape and is fishing well, thanks to better streamflows going into November. Trout are less spooky with the better flows, and hatches of blue-winged olives and midges have encouraged a lot more trout to look up and potentially take dry flies. While the dry fly bite is improving, nymphs are still accounting for the majority of fish. A wide variety of nymphs have worked for us this past week, so you shouldn't have to be too selective with the patterns that you choose. A good rule of thumb is to start with bright or buggy attractor patterns like eggs and Pat's rubber legs and scale down or go with more natural patterns if trout seem uninterested in your initial offerings.
Brook trout are still in spawning mode and browns will be spawning soon, so please keep an eye out for redds and spawning fish.
STREAM REPORT 10.29.25
Current Streamflow- 205cfs
Water temp- low 50s
Hatches:
Blue winged olives
Tan caddis
Black midges
Hot Flies:
Eggs 18-14
Pat's rubber legs 14-10
Mops 16-12
Blowtorch 16-14
Rainbow warrior 20-16
Jigged leeches and buggers 12-10
Griffith's gnat 18-16
Purple haze 18-16
A slow, drizzling rain over the past few days is just what the doctor ordered for our parched mountain streams. Consistent rain on Monday brought flows up and fishing so far this week has been fantastic.
Tellico Outfitter's prodigal son, @thebigview, and I fished the main river yesterday, and trout were feeding so heavily that it really didn't matter what flies we used, they were willing to eat just about everything. However, pink eggs were the top producer of the day, most likely due to bright colors being more visible to hungry trout in the higher streamflows and fall leaves filling the stream. Wild trout made up the bulk of what we caught yesterday, but we did find a few decent holdovers.
We have not yet seen a refresher on the initial Delayed Harvest stocking from the beginning of the month, but there are still some holdover fish to be found here and there. The bump in stream flow from the recent rains will allow stocked fish to disperse from the original stocking points that they had held closely to during low stream flows, so it's a good idea to cover as much water as possible since it's unlikely that you'll find fish concentrated in pools or runs until the river gets another stocking.
While we observed some solid blue winged olive and caddis hatches yesterday, we didn't find any fish feeding on the surface, and nymphs were the way to go with the extra flows. An overcast and drizzly day is often the trigger for a good blue winged olive hatch, so look for rising fish on both stocked and wild trout waters as flows drop and fish begin looking up hatching mayflies.
The weather report for the next 10 days looks great, with cooler temps, more rain today, and another chance of rain early next week
STREAM REPORT 10.23.25
Current streamflow- 60cfs
Water temps- upper 40s-low 50s
Hatches:
Midges
Blue winged olives
Tan caddis
Hot flies:
Eggs 20-14
Mops 14
Rainbow warriors 20-16
Duracell 18-14
Jigged bugger 14-12
Bwo parachute 18-16
Griffith's gnat 18-16
Mini hopper 12
Recent rains earlier this week bumped flows on the Tellico a bit, but wasn't enough to keep the flows up for long. Until flows come up, we're in a holding pattern of smaller flies, light tippet, and careful presentations. Sight fishing is still the name of the game. Trout have continued to spread out through the entire Delayed Harvest area, hanging on to whatever cover is available, whether that be from current, deeper pools, rock outcrops, or overhanging limbs. Trout in low water are skittish and have the opportunity to scrutinize flies, tippet and presentation, so make your casts count, don't make a lot of false casts or blind casts. Wait until you either see fish or find some likely looking water that offers cover and security before making a cast. Fish smaller flies and lighter tippet, 6X is preferred.
We've had some cold overnight temps lately, so it's best to hit the river mid morning through mid afternoon when the sun has had time to warm the water and trigger hatches and feeding activity.
Brook trout have begun their spawning activity. We highly recommend letting them be for the next month or two until their job is done.
Looks like rain is in the forecast for most of next week so hopefully that will bring streamflows back up to normal soon.
STREAM REPORT 10.15.25
Current streamflow- 51cfs
Water temps- upper 40s-mid 50s
Hatches:
Blue-winged olives
Midges
Tan caddis
October caddis
Hot flies:
Mops 16-12
Eggs 18-14
Squirmies 16-12
Rainbow warriors 20-18
Perdigons 18-14
Jigged buggers 14-12
The Tellico River Delayed Harvest section continues to produce some quality fish, despite low stream flows. Water temps are great thanks to cooler daytime temps and low overnights. Stocked trout have continued to spread out from their initial stocking points from a couple of weeks ago, so covering longer stretches of water will help you find fish. Many trout have moved to fast flowing pocket water and faster flowing pools and runs. These areas provide overhead cover and security during low flows. A stealthy approach and careful presentation with light tippet is still the best method for skinny water and spooky trout.
Over the past two weeks, we have found some fantastic fish, but have yet to find 'the magic fly'. Carrying a variety of small nymphs such as rainbow warriors, perdigons and walt's worms as well as standard stocker favorites such as squirmies, mops and eggs and switching up flies often seems to be the best way to find the most fish. We haven't seen the same number of fish looking to the surface and keying in on midges as we did last year under similar conditions, but we suspect that more trout will begin to look up and take dry flies as air and water temps drop, encouraging more frequent midge hatches.
Wild trout streams are still fishing well despite low streamflows. Wild trout and native brookies will be spooky, so stealth is required for a successful day. Small parachute adams and Griffith's gnats are the best choice right now on the tributaries. Brook trout should begin their spawning season in the next week, so watch your step in sections of sand and gravel streambed and leave spawning fish to do their thing if looking for brook trout this fall.
STREAM REPORT 10.08.25
Current Streamflow- 65cfs, .67ft
Water Temps- upper 50s, low 60s
Hatches:
Blue winged olives
Midges
Tan caddis
October caddis
Hot flies:
Griffith's Gnat 16-18
Purple Haze 14-16
Orange Stimulator 14-16
Rainbow warrior 18-16
Quill perdigon 18-16
Zebra midge, black or olive 20-18
Tungsten eggs 18-14
Tan mops 16-12
Jigged leeches and buggers 12-10
Skinny water and big fish. It's a recipe for some challenging yet very exciting and rewarding fishing. Sight fishing is the name of the game until we get rain, but remember, if you can see the fish, the fish can see you. Wear muted colors to disguise your outline and blend with your surroundings. Approach pools and runs from downstream and keep a low profile. Keep false casts to a minimum and keep your presentation light. We recommend small dry flies and nymphs and light tippet. 6X is good, 7X is better.
Always take a careful look at the water you plan to fish, trout may be sitting in places you wouldn't expect when the water is low, and if you try to cherry pick the best looking spot in the run or pool you want to fish, chances are you'll spook more than you catch. But if you take your time and play your cards right, you may very well catch your biggest trout all year.
The wild trout streams present a similar situation. Be stealthy, downsize your flies, and make your casts count to make the most out of your day. We still have a solid week to chase colored up brook trout before they begin the fall spawn.
STREAM REPORT 10.03.25
Current streamflow- 66cfs
Stream temps- upper 50s/low 60s
And now the report you've all been waiting for. It's Delayed Harvest once again! We're a few days late on this report, DH started October 1st, but we wanted to make sure and confirm stocking ourselves before hyping up our DH crowd. While we didn't connect with any trophy fish while we scouted the river last night (photos are from previous DH seasons) we caught a great number of healthy rainbows and saw several big browns sprinkled throughout the DH section.
While we have better temps and streamflows for the start of DH than in year's past, water is still low and clear, and trout are still settling in and spooky. Use light tippet, we recommend 6X, and small flies. With the low flows, many trout will be looking up and feeding on midges and blue winged olives, so small dry flies like a size 16 Griffith's gnat or 18 parachute bwo will make for a fun day casting to rising fish. Small nymphs will find good numbers of fish, especially flashy nymphs like rainbow warriors and lightning bugs, as well as frenchies, blown torches and walt's worms in smaller sizes. The flows are a little low for streamers, but retrieving zonkers and wooly buggers at dawn or dusk may entice some of the big browns to eat.
Brook trout are still in pre-spawn stage, so now is still a good time to find some colored up brookies before spawn is in full swing. Elk hair caddis, parachutes and Griffith's gnats are all good choices.