Fly Fishing Tennessee: My Smoky Mountains Trip Buildup Begins
By Tom Chandler on Apr 13, 2007 in Tennessee
It’s human nature to complicate even the simplest of activities – to the point that I’ve got a closet full of fly rods, several trunks of fly tying materials, and a gordian assemblage of other stuff.
Eventually you realize collecting all the extra gear is helping the fly fishing industry a lot more than it is your fishing, and you stop, or even backpedal a little bit.
The last few years have seen a considerable winnowing of the gear I fish, and this year I created a considerably narrowed list of fly fishing gear to drag along to Tennessee.
And you wonder why I go there to fish?
Waders, boots, a couple 5wt fiberglass rods, two reels, camera, one box of flies, fly fishing odds and ends, and some hats, clothes, socks (plus the stuff you bring to function in a civilized society, like shoes and a laptop).
That’s a wholly manageable pile of gear – and a big decrease in pre-trip stresses — but naturally, I couldn’t leave well enough alone.
Backpacking for Fun and Gear
This year I’m taking a four-day backpacking trip into a remote section of the park, so in addition to my recently narrowed fly fishing catastrophe, I’m suddenly dragging along a tent, stove, sleeping bag, pad – all the backcountry goodies.
Where I had one oversize duffle bag, now I’ve got two, and given the Law of Complexity (doubling your gear squares your chances of forgetting something), I’m now 4x more likely to leave something important on my desk.
That’s no big deal when you’re fly fishing with friends and drive by a fly shop every day on the way to the river.
But when you’re miles out into the backcountry, “forgetting something” takes on a whole new level of meaning (as in you don’t eat).
Naturally, I’m confident I’ll be all right, which is to say I’m probably doomed – I just don’t know it yet.
A Frenzy of Flies
In an attempt to demonstrate my mastery over Tennessee’s trout, I’m trying to limit myself to a single fly box, and if I was fishing only in the park, that might be a wholly attainable goal.
Ian Rutter and Rich Margiotta both suggested only an idiot would show up without a box of Adams dries, but some of us are more stubborn than others, and I plan to give the Parachute Beetle Bug (red and yellow dubbed bodies) a workout.
There will also be a yellow caddis pattern (the yellow sallies are all over the upper reaches of the river), and a trimmer #16 Sulphur pattern in case I hit the hatch.
At Rich’s suggestion I’ll bring along a few Sulphur spinners, and maybe even some “coffin flies” (essentially a Green Drake spinner) and yes, I’ll have some nymph patterns on hand in case conditions turn ugly.
In truth, the fish in most of the park aren’t highly selective, but there are always times when you’ll do better with one fly than another.
Those are the times when you look at the single fly box in your hand and pray that you’ve got something close – maybe the odd fly you stuck in and then forgot.
It doesn’t speak well to my skills as a fly fisher, but my fly selection is usually driven by fear as much as confidence, then tempered by a healthy dose of laziness.
In other words, I’ll never tie as many flies as I’m afraid I’ll need, but I’ll probably never need as many flies as I don’t tie. Or something like that.
More to Come
I’ll be writing more about Tennessee – I’ll even tell you why I go there to fish every spring instead of flying someplace more exotic. Until then, see you at the fly tying table, Tom Chandler.
[tags]fly fishing, tennessee, gsmnp, smoky mountains[/tags]
BillyB | Apr 13, 2007 | Reply
TC,
Sounds like a great trip. Backpacked and fished Forney Creek (in GSMNP) last October, truly a great experience. I agree that the trout are not selective and you don’t need many flies. (I caught 90% of my fish on parachute adams/female adams size 16). The important part seemed to be remining unseen by the trout, they were very wary of overhead predators. So, put a couple adams in the box and bring something green to wear!!
Billy
Jim Webb | Apr 13, 2007 | Reply
Sounds like a great trip! When I was a boy my family used to vacation in Gatlinburg, TN., and my father would take me into the park to fly fish. He didn’t fish, so we would arrange for him to meet me at the end of the day at a certain place. Never got a strike; didn’t understand that trout were a bit more cagey than Kentucky farm pond and small lake Bluegill. And I didn’t have a clue how to fish for them.
Kentucky Bluegill were not as smart as trout, but they were a lot of fun for a kid with his first fly rod!
I’ve just returned from a day on the Kern river, and I’ve learned a small amount in the intervening XX years, at least enough to turn over a rock to see what the trout are eating. Today, that paid off. But the real joy was being out of doors, in fresh air and sunshiine, listening to the sounds of the river, wathcing a March Brown hatch and a snake sunning itself on a dry granite boulder in the river. The wild, aerobatic rainbows just put the icing on the cake.
Bamboo Addict | Apr 14, 2007 | Reply
As always I now you will have fun, and bring back some great storys, and picture’s. Just one word of caustion if you hear banjo’s run brother run.
David
Jim Webb | Apr 14, 2007 | Reply
I hear about one of those jokes per week, or so.
David Knapp | Apr 14, 2007 | Reply
You’re in for a great trip! Getting into the backcountry is the best way to really experience the park. My best memories usually happen miles from the nearest roads…
Tom Chandler | Apr 14, 2007 | Reply
It should prove interesting. The park’s gorgeous, and while the traffic on the main roads can be dizzying, there’s just so damned much water available…
Jim Webb | Apr 14, 2007 | Reply
When I used to be a frequent visitor to Yosemite, a ranger told me that the most heavily used national park in the system was Great Smokey Mountains National Park. I was surprised, but then thought about how close it is to the entire eastern seaboard.
Craig Lancaster | Apr 15, 2007 | Reply
Sounds like a great trip. I’m heading up to abrams creek to fish a few days this upcoming weekend. A few weeks following that, i’m heading on a backcountry trip myself up noland creek. Some great fishing ni the backcountry, you’ll enjoy yourself. May i suggest an isonychia nymph………
Tom Chandler | Apr 15, 2007 | Reply
The Smokies can really be overrun at certain times of the year. Two years ago I was fishing a bend pool while a unending stream of traffic went by on the road above.
At one point, five huge tour buses went by one after another, with at least a half-dozen cameras pressed against the window in each.
I can only wonder how many vacation pictures I inhabited that year.
Still, I learned something important: cameras don’t steal your soul.
If they did, I’d be working for Nestle by now.
And Craig, let me know how Abrams goes for you. I’ll be fishing Abrams Creek for the first time this year (I just posted some thoughts about planning this year’s trip — don’t miss ‘em).
Heddon17 | Apr 16, 2007 | Reply
That is surprising that Great Smokey Mountains National Park is the most heavily used park in the system. I would have thought that honor would have gone to Yellowstone or Yosemite.
But I can see how the park can get overrun with folks/tourists during the summer season since the park is pretty close to the eastern seaboard and within day trip or weekend trip range for a LOT of people………
Brian
Tom Chandler | Apr 16, 2007 | Reply
Brian: What’s criminal has been the development right outside the park boundaries — strip development at its ugliest.
I think a large number of the park’s visitors experience the park largely from within their automobiles.
Ian says the fishing’s been discovered. Every year, more folks from as far away as Michigan (Pennsylvania anglers too) fish the Smokies in February and March — when their home waters are still iced over or closed.
Jim Webb | Apr 16, 2007 | Reply
Yeah, Yellowstone or Yosemite would have been my guess as well. As I said, I was surprised when the ranger told me that. Let’s see, Atlanta, Charleston, Charlotte, Knoxville, Nashville, Louisville, Cicinnatti, Huntington, Richmond, D.C., Atlantic City, Newark, and New York are, I believe, all less than a 500 mile drive from the park. Still a great place to go fishing! Those people never get far off the roads. The black bears begging on the side of the road keep ‘em completely entertained.
Heddon17 | Apr 16, 2007 | Reply
Fortunately out here in the west the strip development around the National Parks has not happened, mainly because most of the National Parks in the western US are surrounded by National Forest land.
I think the same thing can be said of other National Parks like Yosemite, etc. that are close to major population centers. Most folks experience them from the confines of their automobiles.
Brian
LeMoyne Mercer | Apr 23, 2007 | Reply
Jim Webb must be a really old visitor to the Smokies. There haven’t been any black bears begging at the side of the road in 30 years. The Park Service has done a really good job of discouraging the feeding of bears and relocating those that insist on visiting picnic areas and campgrounds. (”A fed bear is a dead bear.)
You might try Abrams Creek downstream from the falls. The Horseshoe (upstream of the falls) is well known for the trout–but also for the slippery rocks.
Tom Chandler | Apr 23, 2007 | Reply
The park regulations require hanging all food out of the reach of bars, and in some campsites they’ve built hanglines.
I’m not sure what part of Abrams yet — perhaps the small horseshoe. It’ll be during the week, so I don’t expect people to be much of a problem…
josh chambers | Apr 28, 2007 | Reply
hey there, my name is josh and am a fly fishing guide in Arkansas. my wife and i are going to be in Cherokee and smoky mountain park area sometime in June for about three days. looking for either car camp and fish as much water as possible or looking for a stellar back country fly fishing/backpacking trip. any info or tips would be great. looking to stay away from the crowds if possible.