Current streamflow- 469cfs
Water temps- low to mid 40s
Hatches:
Blue winged olives
Winter black stoneflies
March Browns
Hot flies:
Quill perdigon 18-16
Firestarter perdigon 18-16
Micro eggs 18
Frenchies 18-12
Walt's worms 18-12
Parachute Adams 18-12
Purple haze 18-12
Elk hair caddis- black 18-14
Jigged leeches- olive 12-10
After a fantastic fall and winter season, delayed harvest is finally coming to a close. Saturday will be the last day of delayed harvest. Sunday, March 1st, marks the start of the catch and keep season. From March 1st until August 15th, the Tellico/Citico Daily Permit will be required to fish the Tellico River in addition to your regular fishing license and trout stamp. If you have an Annual or Lifetime Sportsman's license, you do not need the daily permit as it is already included in the Sportsman's license. The Tellico River will be closed from Turkey Creek confluence to the NC state line on Thursdays and Fridays for stocking from March 1st-Aug 15th. Citico Creek is closed from Little Citico Creek confluence upstream to the North and South Fork Citico confluence on Thursdays and Fridays during this time.
With weekly stockings, it won't be long until the entire river is teeming with trout, which means it will also be teeming with people, especially on the weekends. To avoid crowds, fish the river Mon-Wed or as an alternative, there are a lot of wild trout tributaries to explore. If you enjoy dry fly eats on lighter rods and fiesty wild trout, the tribs are a great alternative to the main rivers.