
The Trout Zone
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A fly fishing blog containing the ramblings of an East Tennessee fly fisherman and fly fishing guide covering the Great Smoky Mountains, area tailwaters like the Caney Fork River, Cumberland Plateau smallmouth bass and musky streams, and many other fishing adventures.
The Trout Zone
1M ago
If you've followed this blog for any length of time, then you probably know that I enjoy hiking almost as much as fishing. Photography is a close second as well. For the past handful of years, I've been running into a good problem to have. My fly fishing guide business here in middle and east Tennessee keeps me busy enough that it can be tough finding time for other things that I enjoy.
While you won't hear me complaining about having enough work, it can be a challenge to stay in shape. As my business has grown, more and more of those trips have been float trips. I enjoy working out of t ..read more
The Trout Zone
1M ago
This was a great year of fishing for me. I got out on the water less than ever for myself, but ran a ton of guided trips of course. This trend towards less personal fishing has made me focus on quality over quantity. That might involve unusual adventures or even something closer to home but on new to me water or sections of water. For example, on my annual fall camping trip, I fished some new to me water on Noland Creek. I've been slowly working on fishing my way up that drainage, so each trip extends further and further into the backcountry.
Something else that I've started doing is set ..read more
The Trout Zone
2M ago
Every year, I try to make it over to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park outside of work for a fun trip. That usually means camping for 2-3 nights and fishing hard for a couple of days. This year, I planned the usual trip, but as the day of the trip drew closer, the weather was looking iffy. After deciding to NOT chicken out, I made the drive over to Smokemont Campground midday on Sunday, and got my tent set up before the rain set in too much. It was sprinkling while I put it up, but thankfully never got serious.
After the tent went up, I was ready to hit the water for a couple of hours be ..read more
The Trout Zone
3M ago
It has been a while since I've shared some tips to up your fly fishing game. While reading is helpful, it doesn't replace in-person coaching via a guided experience. I'm glad to help with that as well, of course. However, sometimes figuring things out at least a little on your own brings joy to the journey. If you need just a little guidance to steer your fishing in more productive directions, this blog post is for you.
While dead drifting (or otherwise) our flies on mountain streams and even larger rivers, we are normally looking for current seams. These changes in current speed (and sometime ..read more
The Trout Zone
5M ago
Most fly fishing trips have at minimum a general itinerary. If there are guided trips involved, then it is likely a very specific itinerary out of necessity. As a long time fly fishing guide myself, I know how busy guides get, and there is no room for last minute schedule adjustments for most trips even if conditions aren't optimal. That's one thing that makes guides good at what they do if they stay in the business: they have learned to put fish in the net no matter the conditions.
Since our Wyoming trip was completely self guided, we had more flexibility. So, when the first phase of our trip ..read more
The Trout Zone
5M ago
After getting a small taste that first evening in camp, I was excited to really explore this new to me section of the Green River. Having read about this incredible fishery, I knew it had some serious potential. Only time would reveal some of the secrets held by this fine trout stream.
The interesting thing about this trip is that it helped me make significant strides forward as both an angler and a guide, at least in one way. Even as long as I've been fishing, I still learn a TON every single year. In fact, the longer I fish and learn the more I realize how little I actually know. Still, each ..read more
The Trout Zone
5M ago
Here in Tennessee, TWRA will solicit comments from hunters and anglers about the regulations they would like to see implemented. Right now, that is happening for fishing regulations for the 2025-2026 years. While I generally have little hope of any serious changes happening that will result in improvements in our fisheries, there is always a chance.
I have written in and made several recommendations. Here are some of my ideas along with commentary on why it would be useful.
First, all of my comments revolve around trout fishing primarily, but the general principles will apply to other fi ..read more
The Trout Zone
6M ago
A Perfect Day For Finding Golden Trout
Fishing high elevation lakes is a gamble at best. Weather can change very suddenly, fish seemingly appear and vanish at random, or never appear at all. On some days you'll catch fish, while on others, you might think there are no fish to be found. I've been on a streak of having excellent luck while fishing high lakes, so I was likely due for a clunker.
We got up early to try and beat the wind. That is often the biggest challenge of fishing these lakes. The wind almost always comes up every single day. If it gets bad enough, you simply cannot fish ..read more
The Trout Zone
6M ago
Planning For Adventure
For many years, I've kept a rather loose bucket list. Unlike most people who have a bucket list, I'm not particularly organized. I've met more than a few people who are carefully working through a list, checking off adventure after adventure. That's not me. Rather, I have a vague mental collection of places I would like to someday visit. Since I'm well beyond the young footloose stage of life, these adventures are almost always intentional, but generally rare. Adult responsibilities are always getting in the way, so most of my adventures these days are a little more tame ..read more
The Trout Zone
9M ago
Yes, that's not a typo. By now you have probably seen everyone else's pictures via social media, but almost a month later, I'm still in shock. Seeing the "northern lights" was always on my bucket list. However, I assumed it would take a trip to Iceland or something similar to eventually get to enjoy this incredible phenomena.
I really owe a debt of gratitude to an old friend of mine who now lives in London. Reuben posted a picture on Facebook of the northern lights as viewed from northern London. I had seen the hype on social media and in the news, but hadn't thought much beyond that. Se ..read more