Great Smoky Mountains Fly Fishing Report - Fly Fishing Smoky Mountains

Great Smoky Mountains Fly Fishing Report: December 15, 2024

All the streams in the park are flowing a little below normal level and clear. We received two good reports from Perfect Fly customers fishing this past week. See the fly selection you should be using below. To adjust to the colder water temperatures, you will need to slow down your presentations and fish slower moving water than you have been doing. Dress to match the background and stay as low as you can to help cope with the lower water levels. The streams won’t be flowing low after the next two days. Today’s high will be 52 degrees with a 90% chance of rain. Tomorrow’s high will be 63 with a 50% chance of rain. Tuesday’s high will be 59 with no chance of rain. Wednesday’s high should be 66 degrees with no chance of rain.

Check out our sister websites: www.flyfishingyellowstonenationalpark.com & www.perfectflystore.com

Smoky Mountain Stream Conditions:
The streams with links that have nearby USGS Station Real-time stream data: Click the links to see updates:

Little River: Rate 139 cfs at 1.78 ft
(Good wading up to 239 cfs and with extra caution up to 300 cfs)

West Prong Little Pigeon River (Gatlinburg): Rate 45.8 cfs at 3.00 ft (Good Wading up to 125 cfs with extra caution up to 250 cfs.

O conaluftee River: Rate 322 cfs at 1.54 ft, (Good wading up to 550 cfs and with extra
caution up to 850 cfs)

C ataloochee Creek: Rate 59 cfs at 2.02 ft. (Good wading up to 200 cfs with extra caution up to 250 cfs.

Hazel Creek and the other larger NC streams flowing into Fontana Lake:
The streams are all a little below a normal level.

Weather Forecast: (click the boxes below for more detailed weather information)

https://forecast7.com/en/35d71n83d51/gatlinburg/?unit=us

https://forecast7.com/en/35d48n83d32/cherokee/?unit=us

Trout Flies Currently Needed or needed very soon;
Streamers:
Brown Sculpin: 6
White Belly Sculpin: 6
Articulated Sculpin: 4
Aquatic Worms, size 12, pink, red, and others
Midges: Cream and Red (Blood) midges sizes 20/22, larva, pupa and adult. Our larva and pupa midge flies, pre-rigged in tandem, are very popular here. You can fish them under a strike indicator keeping the larva fly near the bottom. https://perfectflystore.com/product/pre-rigged-tandem-midge-larva-pupa-tippet

Blue-winged Olives: 18 Nymphs, emergers, duns and spinners

Great Autumn Brown Sedge: 10 pupae and adults

Mahogany Duns, size 16/18, nymphs, emergers, duns and spinners

Little Yellow Quills: 16, nymphs, emergers duns and spinners

Needle Stoneflies: 16/18, nymphs and adults

Recommended Fishing Strategy:
Keep in mind, the strategies I am recommending is for the maximum odds of catching numbers of fish. Many prefer or favor a dry fly and by all means there isn’t anything wrong with that. It’s just a fact that if nothing is hatching at the time, it reduces your odds of success. You can still probably hook some trout, just not as many as if you fish subsurface. Of course, this is also based on using good techniques and the right flies. Some guys don’t know how to fish below the surface.

Strategy:
Not all of the insects you see above will be hatching in the same location. It is usually only one or two. It varies with the elevation. Some are just starting in the low elevations and some about finished in the higher elevations. If you fished the day or two before and know where something is hatching, fish the nymph or larva stage of it. If you haven’t fished the day or two before, until I spotted something hatching, I would fish the BWO nymph. If you spot something hatching (coming off the water), change to the appropriate emerger, dun or adult imitations of the insect.

Tips for Beginners:
Don’t let anyone intimidate you by contending that fly fishing is more difficult to learn and master than other types of fishing. It isn’t.

Thank you for visiting our website

James Marsh

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Options For Selecting Flies:

Email us (sales@perfectflystore.com) with the dates you will be fishing the park and we will send you a list of our fly suggestions. Please allow up to 24 hours for a response.
Call us at 800-594-4726 and we will help you decide which flies you need.
Call or email us (sales@perfectflystore.com) with a budget for flies and we will select them and get them to you in time for your trip.

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