Fishing Reports

: 07 November 2023

Time flies when you are catching fishand the same goes for our seasons. We are lucky here in the southeast to have four distinct seasons each with their own personality. It is finally fall with crisp mornings and cooler days for some great fly fishing. We appear to be headed towards 2024 in a much drier pattern than the last fews years. And frankly, I am ready for it. Overall weather patterns do seem to be different now than the last 20 that I recall. Nowadays, our pleasant fall weather lasts right on into January and winter can be highly variable on a daily basis and last into May. Fall and winter are now proving to be some of our most productive times for quality trout fishing.

What this means:
For the next six months the Hiwassee River in Reliance will fish like a champ on most days. Our approach will be varied from day to day. Drift boats on the upper river at full flow and our new inflatables with possibly a little float and wade on the lower water days. Both will be excellent with opportunities for some dry fly fishing.

For the first time in several years we will be able to fish the Cumberland river in Burkesville, Ky. later into this year due to the drier fall and very attractive water flow schedules. The fish have experienced excellent growth rates during the last few months and quality fish continue to become more numerous. We are seeing some spawn activity and the brown trout are becoming more numerous.

We have good availability and flexibility over the next few months so get out your cool weather gear (or buy some new stuff, it is great!) and give us a call to get on the water. It could easily be your best trip of the year.

Thanks, Dane.
770-655-9210
danelaw@southeasternanglers.com

: 21 June 2023

Attachment 2 Hello to all of the Southeastern Anglers out there! 2023 is showing itself to be a great year for trout fishing in our area. With a little less rainfall and generally cooler temps so far, our mainstay fisheries are in great shape. The Hiwassee River in Reliance, TN has been a consistent producer and will fish well through July with excellent lake levels, good flows, and cool water temps. The Holston River below Cherokee dam fished very well for the spring trout season, with more nice browns coming to the net than previous years. It is now transitioning to a smallmouth fishery in the lower reaches. Attachment 3

Due mainly to the lower precipitation levels, we have been able to start on the Cumberland River in Burkesville, Ky. earlier this year than prior years. The catch rates are excellent with trout within the slot limit coming to the net daily. The sulphur hatch here has been strong as we move into the terrestrial season. Dry dropper fishing is among the best in the southeast. The Cumberland River will most likely be the most productive trout fishery in the southeast for the next 4 months.

As always, call or email to book your fly fishing adventure with us. Our rates have remained the same and will continue to do so through this season.

Craig Lincoln HI 060123 Havlak 1

: 07 February 2023

It is already February 2023; so hard to believe. We have come out of our fly fishing show season, straight into our patagonia trips, and our very own southeastern trout fishing season is already here upon us. If we missed you at the Atlanta Fly Fishing Show this past weekend, hang loose, we were at the Cincinnati Fly Fishing show and will see our Atlanta gang in ATL next year.

Our spring here in the southeast looks plenty promising. Conditions are favorable. March through June will be prime season on the Hiwassee river and it is time to book the dates now. April and May are just about always the best months for the Holston river below Cherokee dam. Lake Cumberland is currently at its lowest winter level that I can remember seeing. This tells me that we are going to see some good spring fishing windows below Wolf Creek dam on the Cumberland river coming up soon.

No need to ramble here. Just letting everyone know that we are looking forward to a very promising season and it is best to book dates soon especially for the early season. Rates remain the same! All we plan on inflating is your ego. We look forward to seeing you on the water soon.

Give us a call. 770-655-9210

: 02 January 2023

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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.

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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.

123 1 copy 2 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. 123 1 1

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

: 17 March 2022

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

Cost for the 2023 excursion is $5995 all inclusive. This includes 7 nights lodging, 6 days of guided fishing 2 anglers per guide, airport transfers, meals, fully stocked bar, laundry service, and fishing license. Not included is airfare and tips. The trip payment plan is scheduled with an approximate 50% deposit at time of booking, airfare purchase this spring or summer (as we monitor published airfares) and the remaining lodge balance due January 31st 2023. With your deposit amount, we can purchase your travel insurance and Global Rescue emergency evac coverage for a discounted rate. Travel insurance is required.

We have purchased airfares from $1500 - $2500 roundtrip throughout the years in the past. A good target is $2000. Through Delta we can book both international and the domestic flights with one booking. Typical travel itinerary is to fly Delta out of Atlanta around 10pm on Friday night, arrive at the lodge Saturday afternoon, Fish Sunday through Friday. Begin our return home trip on Saturday afternoon and arrive back in Atlanta early on Sunday morning. The trip can be accomplished by missing only one 5 day work week for the best brown trout dry fly fishing available. This is a great winter escape as February is midsummer in southern Patagonia.

For 2023 we have arranged the most diversified fly fishing program available in Patagonia. From the rainforest to the pampas. We will split the week between 2 lodges, Cinco Rios and Estancia Del Zorro. This opportunity provides us to see all of the differing water types Patagonia has to offer; from small streams and spring creeks, large river float trips, to high mountain and glacial lakes.

The lodges will be exclusive to our group for the week. Group size is 12. Call or email any time. We have additional pre-trip information ready to send and I love to just talk about Patagonia.

: 28 January 2022

123 1 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. Mathew HI 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. clinch brown march 1 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. clinch brown march 1

: 14 July 2021

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.

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The Cumberland river below Wolf Creek dam on Lake Cumberland in south central Kentucky is where we will be focusing our guiding efforts during the next few months through October. The guides have enjoyed the opportunity to prefish the river and are ready for daily trips there now. The water temps are a little cooler than this time last year. We had readings of 53F last week 30 miles below the dam. So fish activity should increase as temps reach the upper 50's. Water clarity is still slightly less than desired, but the bite is good and clarity is increasing rapidly as the frontal systems diminish. We seem to be catching more brown trout this year than last. We have good availability for the upcoming months. If you are interested in multi-boat days for more than 2 anglers, booking earlier is better than later.

Here are a few good facts to know about fishing with us here:

We base out of and fish the Burkesville, Ky. area. When conditions require, we can fish the area upstream directly below Wolf creek dam.
We have jet boat and drift boat flexibility.
We strongly encourage at least 2 day fishing trips here unless you live a short distance away. Fishing is usually good, but different every day.
The Cumberland river holds the largest average trout size of any of our southeastern rivers east of the Mississippi.
Drive times from Chattanooga, Knoxville, Nashville, Louisville are 2-2.5 hours.
Drive times from Atlanta and Birmingham are 4.5 hours.
Drive time from Cincinnati is 3.5 hours.

: 09 December 2020

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.