Fly Fishing Adventures
in the Southern Appalachians
in the Southern Appalachians
A happy New Year to all of the southeastern anglers out there! Thank you for making 2022 one of our best years ever. Just thought I would take a moment to usher in 2023 in a big way and present a little photo recap of some of 2022's best catches.
First - The crystal ball says: Go ahead and book early season 2023 fishing trips and take them too. The 90 day weather forecast is for average precipitation and slightly above average temps for our area. It has been years since NWS has forecast anything near normal weather for the Southeast. TVA and USACE have the major reservoirs we fish below at perfect levels. This spells excellent fishing opportunities for the first six months of 2023. The Hiwassee and Cumberland rivers should perform as well as or better than last year during this period. The Clinch and Holston rivers, which have been finicky during the last few wet years, should come much more back into focus for us as a spring fishing destination.
We added boats and equipment in 2022. The big items were a new center console jet and new 14ft Aire rafts set up for fly fishing. These new rigs give us multiple boats for all conditions and situations. I am especially excited about the fleet of rafts we have available for the variable flow conditions the Hiwassee will offer us for the first five months of the year. This opens up float and wade options and the gorge section during spring hatches and lower flows.
We continue to explore and host fly fishing trips to many areas of Patagonia. In 2022 we were able to spend over 30 days from norte to sur in both Argentina and Chile. Most of it was almost unbelievable fishing. Some of it was not. One week in Coyhaique I was able to land over 50 brown trout, 20 inches or better on large foam attractors. Another day found us lake fishing from the shore in southern Argentina for very willing 15lb rainbows on streamers. The first trip down in January 2022 was still plagued with covid travel restrictions and we probably should have postponed this trip. As adventurous traveling anglers, we faced the storm and marched on. Some fished daily for two weeks, some did not. We all came home the wiser for it. This particular trip goes under the column with volcano eruptions, earthquakes, and civil disputes. Our early season 2023 Patagonia trips are full. We are in the process now of kicking around early December 2023 venues which will be early spring time in Patagonia, with easy travel, reduced airfares, and pleasant weather in the north. We are also starting plans for our January/ February 2024 summer Patagonia trips.
Give us a call. Thanks.
Dane (770) 655-9210
For February 11th - 18th, 2023 we will once again be hosting our annual fly fishing adventure to the Coyhaique area of the Aisen region in Chilean Patagonia. With the exception of 2021 (Covid year), we have made this annual expedition for over 15 years... and it just keeps getting better.
Last month was one of the best fishing experiences of them all and the travel both down and back was successful.
Check out our Paloma River 2022 video here: https://youtu.be/i09SEHmSRl0
Happy 2022 to all of the southeastern anglers out there. I just wanted to share a few recent pics of what we have been up to so far this year. We always get the question: When is the best time to fish. 
Well, the best time to fish is any time that you can get out there; but for our larger trout and especially the browns, now through the next 45 days may be the best time of year to target them. Conditions and flows are often sporadic, the weather can change on short notice, lots of overcast days. 
These are the conditions that put the big boys on the hunt. Afternoon trips meeting just after lunch are not a bad way to go. Many afternoons see highs pleasantly in the 50's and the fishing can be excellent. The Hiwassee and Clinch rivers are good ones to head out for right now. As always, give us a shout and let's go fishing. 
Hello, Dane here with a much needed July fly fishing update for all of the southeastern anglersout there. We have begun our 2021 Cumberland river fishing season. Check out these photos from last week.
Here are a few good facts to know about fishing with us here:
Happy Holidays to all of our southeastern anglers out there!
Just a short note of thanks for your business and to let you know that fishing on the HI has really turned on now.
Here are a couple of recent photos from our last few days on the river. Unlike the previous heavy rain winters, La Nina is now promising us a very fishable next few months. This is the time of year we catch more of our larger fish with a little dry fly action too!
Give us a shout and let's get on the water.
Call or email anytime.
Dane Law
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
770-655-9210.
Happy 4th of July to all of you southeastern anglers out there! We are pleased to announce that we are now opening up our Cumberland River trips. With just a little luck, we hope to be fishing the Cumberland through October. This is a very welcome change from the previous two years when our window for fishing the Cumberland was August and September. Although winter and spring have been wet seasons (like the last two), USACE has managed the Lake Cumberland reservoir differently for the past 9 months, giving us what appears to be an earlier, longer and more fishable summer season on the tailrace.
For over 15 years the Cumberland River has been a prime target for us this time of year. As many of our eastern streams and tailwaters may suffer from summer slump, the Cumberland River, due to the lake's size and depth, really shines through the summer and early fall, especially with a little dry weather to encourage the lower flows. After 10+ years of challenges from dam repair to historical rain events, it looks like the river is now starting to return to what we know and love it to be.
The Cumberland River has and always will be "the big fish river" for the southeast. When the river is at its peak, I feel it is the best trout fishery east of the Mississippi. Every day is usually a little different. The river can be a little tricky sometimes. I think because of its location, hydrology and topography, this river experiences subtle nuances with slight changes in barometric pressure, weather, and slight flow shifts. Some days can be high fish numbers; some not. But we always go out everyday with a shot at a 20+ inch fish. If you are traveling more than just an hour or two to fish with us here, we strongly recommend at least a two-day trip to increase your chances of hitting a sweet spot.
Give us a call and let's go fishing. Dane 770-655-9210
Hoping all of the southeastern anglers out there had a good Memorial Day as we honored our fallen on this important remembrance day. This day also marks the day TVA begins our guaranteed summer release schedule for the HIwassee river. Now through the summer we are assured of adequate non fluctuating flows to drift fish the upper river and the gorge. Due to adequate spring moisture levels the reservoirs in the area are at summer pool and in excellent condition. June and July will be our 2 peak months to fish the Hiwassee river especially for dry fly activity. We have also had more water in the river for the past 8 months than we usually do and for this reason the river has an unusually high fish population with plenty of larger than average trout available.
So if you have been a little over sheltered lately come and drift the river with us in the cool mountain breeze and see if you can catch that big one you have been after for a while now.
We Are Open Southeastern Style........
To all of the southeastern anglers out there - The Hiwassee river is going to be a shining star once again this year for April, May and June. For those of you that fished here with us last year during this time period, it is going to be much the same. The abundant winter rains have provided us with flow rates to fish the upper river for a lot of April and May which is not the norm. The entire river is full of fish that have seen very few flies since October. The fish are fat from the flush of baitfish from the reservoir over the winter and eating flies well.
The hatches are beginning now. Blue wings, caddis, hendricksons and a few giant stoneflies. The big stoneflies should increase this month as they did last year. This makes the big foam dry dropper rigs work like a champ.
The next couple of months are going to be a great time to get out and fish our local southeastern waters. The Hiwassee is going to be excellent as described and others are going to come into shape soon.
We are open for business. Gas is cheap, no air travel involved for most, and clean, fresh air in an uncrowded environment. Additionally, we have adopted a USFS approved protocol for our Hiwassee river trips. Let a fishing trip with us be a part of your plans this spring. Give me a call and let's go fishing.
