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.