Will These Flies Work?

[xvigauge]

I'll be fishing in the GSMNP at the end of April. I know dries often work. Most of my experience has been with nymphs and streamers. I have trouble fishing most of the more common dries in keeping them floating and in just seeing them (66 years old)? So, would flies such as the Wulff flies, irresistibles, and humpies work in, lets say, sizes 12 to 16?
Joe

 

[JoJer]

Google up a hatch chart. See if your bugs look like their bugs.
I've started stripping my small dry flies and retying them with bright colored wing posts. Hard to get 18's and 20's with enough material to see without making them top heavy.

 

[nevadanstig]

You can also still use an indicator with dries. Tie it 2-3' above the dries. I have enough problems with anything around a size 14 or smaller, its what i do sometimes.

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[fishiowa]

You can also still use an indicator with dries. Tie it 2-3' above the dries. I have enough problems with anything around a size 14 or smaller, its what i do sometimes.

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And that indicator can be a larger dry fly

 

[wthorpe]

I have fished small streams (meaning bodies of water less than 20' wide and usually called creek instead of river as a VERY general frame of reference) in GSMNP and in the larger NC/TN/GA neighborhood a fair amount. i have found the fish in those places typically are spooky but opportunistic, and will grab anything they see that looks like food, provided they did not first see or hear you and dive under a rock or root for two hours first. The upshot is that they will often eat size 12 dries including wulffs and likely humpies and so forth. i think that sometimes in those settings the plink of a little beadhead nymph will spook fish. It seems hard to believe but staying next to streamside cover and behind rocks, and sometimes kneeling and sitting can really, no kidding matter. As for the rivers in the park, i have tried them a few times, including the Oconoluftee and the Little, with only limited success. Dont recall the flies i failed and flailed with. I have found fishing in GSMNP to be harder than i would like for it to be but i have not put in the time needed to figure it out as well as i might, because it is a little bit outside up and back daytrip distance for me from Atlanta. I think there are some good fly shops in Townsend TN and on the NC side in Cherokee or Sylva or Byson City. You might consult one of them for info on places to fish and how to fish them in the park.

 

[jayr]

I have fished small streams (meaning bodies of water less than 20' wide and usually called creek instead of river as a VERY general frame of reference) in GSMNP and in the larger NC/TN/GA neighborhood a fair amount. i have found the fish in those places typically are spooky but opportunistic, and will grab anything they see that looks like food, provided they did not first see or hear you and dive under a rock or root for two hours first. The upshot is that they will often eat size 12 dries including wulffs and likely humpies and so forth. i think that sometimes in those settings the plink of a little beadhead nymph will spook fish. It seems hard to believe but staying next to streamside cover and behind rocks, and sometimes kneeling and sitting can really, no kidding matter. As for the rivers in the park, i have tried them a few times, including the Oconoluftee and the Little, with only limited success. Dont recall the flies i failed and flailed with. I have found fishing in GSMNP to be harder than i would like for it to be but i have not put in the time needed to figure it out as well as i might, because it is a little bit outside up and back daytrip distance for me from Atlanta. I think there are some good fly shops in Townsend TN and on the NC side in Cherokee or Sylva or Byson City. You might consult one of them for info on places to fish and how to fish them in the park.

Yes, yes, yes!!! Well said. Especially about stealth.

The water in the GSMNP is gin clear with the exception of a recent heavy rain. Also, when the water gets low, the trout get even more spooky. These trout are wild trout, the park doesn't stock it.

Wear muted earth tone clothing, nothing bright. Crouch, hide, kneel, etc. Use the natural surroundings to hide yourself as best you can.

I grew up learning in the park and still fish it 70 days a year or more as I live fairly close.

Get as far off the beaten path as you can. The closer to or next to the road you are, so have dozens of others.

There is a ton of info on the internet about fly patterns, reports, etc.

 

[diamond rush]

I'll be fishing in the GSMNP at the end of April. I know dries often work. Most of my experience has been with nymphs and streamers. I have trouble fishing most of the more common dries in keeping them floating and in just seeing them (66 years old)? So, would flies such as the Wulff flies, irresistibles, and humpies work in, lets say, sizes 12 to 16?
Joe

Royal Wulff size 14 is a staple for blue-lining in that area.

 

[0bie]

Fishing big attractor dries shouldn't be a problem- most small Appalachian streams are nutrient limited and relatively unproductive- they're not bug factories and the trout have evolved to take advantage of terrestrials falling into the water. Wulffs, Humpies, trude-style flies, ants, beetles- they all work. As mentioned the fish (especially the wild ones) aren't necessarily picky, just spooky. Stealth and the ability to manage line in tight quarters take precedence over hatch-matching.

Good luck!

 

[jayr]

Some more tips on fishing the Smokies.

As stated previously, get off the beaten path. Not only do other fishermen hit the easiest access water, but so do picnic'ers, tourists, tubers, etc. As spooky as the fish are, that will really hurt you trying to fish those areas that get the most traffic.

Look for footprints/bootprints/etc. when you first get to the area you want to fish. Especially wet prints on the rocks are a good indicator of a prior recent fishermen or just activity that will put the fish down.

There are many miles of fishing in the Smokies, but most want to fish the easiest water. Go to out of the way places and walk in.

As the season progresses through the summer, head to the higher elevations. Stream temps can get too warm especially in the lower elevations to the point the fish can die, but at the very least get way too stressed just from the catch and release and end up dying.

If at all possible, try fishing week days. Weekends are the most crowded as one can imagine.

 

[diamond rush]

Some more tips on fishing the Smokies.

As stated previously, get off the beaten path. Not only do other fishermen hit the easiest access water, but so do picnic'ers, tourists, tubers, etc. As spooky as the fish are, that will really hurt you trying to fish those areas that get the most traffic.

As an avid North Carolinian blue-liner (although much further east than GSNP), I can attest to this. 90% of people never leave sight of their car. And 99% never go more than a mile from their car. If you hike in a mile, you've already dropped 99% of other anglers. And the 1% that you meet are likely going to share your conservation ethic and desire for solitude.

 

[wthorpe]

I forgot to mention in my earlier post: if you want to get out of the park, think about the Tuckesegee DH (delayed harvest ) section near Webster NC. Lots and lots of stocked fish plus some holdovers and unfortunately lotsa fishers too. probably 30ish mins from Cherokee side of park. PM for more specific directions.

 

[JoJer]

You can also still use an indicator with dries. Tie it 2-3' above the dries. I have enough problems with anything around a size 14 or smaller, its what i do sometimes.

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I still have a box of Loon Biostrike indicator putty from when I was trying different stuff for nymphing. It's fluorescent orange. As an indicator, this stuff, not so hot; When it's big enough to see, it doesn't stay put, even with water loading or lob casts.
As a tiny dry fly indicator; Pretty good. Match-head sized bits formed on a knot plus or minus a foot above the fly can be a big help in properly fishing a dead drift.
You can also mash it into the tip of a wing or post to add some color.

 

[stoneflylama72]

Well I know this is too late for your April trip but....my favorite dry patterns for the GSMNP are a parachute Adams for smooth water and an irresistible for fast pocket water. Size 14 always seemed fine although rarely a size 16 parachute Adams was better for low water super spooky/pressured areas. I like fishing the pockets in fast water best. Doesn't seem to matter at all what dry pattern as long as it floats good. Deer hair bodies and foam bodies are nice for this. (Goddard Caddis is good but not as visible as an irresistible. A container of dry fly desiccant powder shaker stuff is extremely helpful.