A Quill Gordon and the parachute pattern we use most often to imitate it. The hatches continue along with the unseasonably warm weather this February.

Charity and her guide Herbie hard at work. Looks like they’re putting in overtime.

Meanwhile, I’m back here in the Smokies taking it easy. There’s not much to do besides get the kids dressed, change the odd dirty diaper, make the meals, do the laundry, return the phone calls, book the guide trips, help my daughter with her homework, tie the flies, kiss the “boo boo’s”, help the kids walk the dog, clean up the mess when the kids forget to walk the dog and wash the dishes.

Fortunately, after all this time off from work as a guide, my vocational skills shouldn’t atrophy. I’m looking forward to some guide trips coming up this weekend. REALLY looking forward to guide trips this weekend.

Thank God they at least took a break for some nourishment. Wait, is that a wine bottle in the cooler?

Charity’s traveling companion Julie Tallman with the fish of the day

After getting up early with the kids and ripping my daughter’s hair out by the roots helping Willow fix her hair we arrived at an empty school. There was absolutely now snow at our house or even frost, but apparently there was some ice in other parts of the county and school opened an hour later. At least we were early…

While Charity is taking in the stunning beauty of the Andes Mountains in Argentina I’m also reminded of the incredible beauty of East Tennessee. After I dropped Willow at school I headed up into the Smokies to see how much snow there was.

There wasn’t much of any snow on the ground, but the trees were flocked with snow and ice.

There almost now snow at the Townsend Y, and only a small amount on lower Tremont Road. By the time I got the the Smoky Mountain Institute where the road turns to gravel there was snow on the trees over the stream.

At the trailhead and confluence of Lynn Camp Prong and Thunderhead Prong there was a fair amount of snow on the ground. I’m sure there was a substantial amount much further up the mountain but probably not more than a couple of inches.

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The brief but significant snowfall in the Smokies last weekend has certainly cooled the water but the Blue Quill and Quill Gordon hatches are continuing with some of the best dry fly fishing we’ll see all year in the Smokies. Warm rains on the way will wash any snow away and bring water temperatures back up into the high 40′s or perhaps even above 50.

One of our favorite brook trout streams under snow and ice on Monday afternoon

While the Tennessee Valley got a healthy dose of winter temperatures dipping down into the teens, the higher elevations of the Smoky Mountains got the full treatment. Temperatures dipped down below zero along the high peaks and some locations received as much as 8″ of snow.

It looks as if the warmer weather will return shortly, but not before the mountains get a little more snow followed by rain. We’re headed up to Columbus, Ohio to speak at the Central Ohio Fly Fishers so another day of two of bum weather isn’t putting us out.

This time next week Charity will also be settling in for two weeks of incredible fishing hard work on the water in Patagonia while I earn “Husband of the Year” honors back here in Townsend. She’ll be keeping us all advised of how she’s having the time of her life catching big trout while the rest of us toil away enduring the hardship of life so far from home.

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Quill Gordon: The surest sign of spring on the streams in the Smokies

Spring really has arrived early, at least from a fly fisher’s view. Here in the Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee we’ve already experienced about a week of afternoon hatches with rising fish. This doesn’t usually happen until early March or the last week of February at the earliest. That has put us in a kind of running around with our heads cut off mode of trying to balance our work, time with kids, and fishing since we’re not really prepared for such an early season.

On the other hand, we’ve had a couple of frosty mornings and snow is in tonight’s forecast. Looks like winter isn’t really over, but that’s usually what March is like. We get a few warm days followed by a few cold ones until the warm ones outnumber the cold ones. By May there might be one last shot of cold, locally referred to as “blackberry winter” and you’ll know it’s over.

This 16″ Little River brown trout at a #12 Quill Gordon Parachute

We haven’t been on the water for more than three hours at a time and we’re still getting the very best of the fishing that’s going on. First of all, with the cold weather moving in don’t expect the fish to move much in the mornings. In fact, the past two days the water has been in the low 40′s or high 30′s in the afternoons. The fish are only moving when the bugs are hatching.

Quill Gordons are hatching well, but don’t forget about the Blue Quills. These small #16-18 mayflies are very similar to a Blue Wing Olive but hatch in far greater numbers than the Quill Gordon. A small fly may be far more effective than a heavily hackled #12. Of course, the big fluffy dry fly is more fun to fish!

Charity caught this brightly colored rainbow trout on a #18 Hi-Vis Blue Wing Olive Parachute

The tailwater scene may be improving in the near future, but it seems like we’ve said that several times before. Don’t expect the Clinch to have good water levels for a while, but the South Holston, Watauga, and Holston Rivers are all showing signs of improvement so keep you eyes on the TVA generation schedules.