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.