oddball7465
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I'm wanting to start fly fishing in the Smokey Mountains, but I have no idea what size tippet and leader would be best used here. Any advice?
What size tippet and leader should I use to trout fish in the Smokies?
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gt05254
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You might have the tail wagging the dog on this one, oddball. First question is: what size flies will you be flinging? That determines leader/tippet answers.
oddball7465
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Mainly #14 with a couple #10
gt05254
Well-known member
9 foot, 3X or 4X will likely work, as I remember fishing the Smokies in grad school (UT Knoxville).
Gary
Gary
possessed
Well-known member
GSMNP and the surrounding area are my home waters. Personally, I fish 5x fluorocarbon tippet there and 5x 7.5 foot leaders. The trout in this area are opportunistic feeders as most of our streams are not very productive in regards to insect hatches. It is not technical fishing for the most part.
Most trout in this area are 7-8 inches or less, but there are plenty of larger ones there. I have had my 5x snapped twice there, once by a beastly brown and another time by a beastly rainbow.
Most trout in this area are 7-8 inches or less, but there are plenty of larger ones there. I have had my 5x snapped twice there, once by a beastly brown and another time by a beastly rainbow.
famill00
Well-known member
My inlaws live in Morristown TN. I really hope to make it down there for a fishing trip this summer/fall!
-Forrest
-Forrest
Jimmie
Well-known member
This really doesn't answer your tippet question, but I had to jump -in with info my friend gave me. He said that he always slayed the trout with Tellico Nymphs in the Smokies. The pattern was developed for the Smokies.
stimulator2
Well-known member
The Smokies are my home water as well and i use a 9' leader 4x, 5x,6x depending on how picky the fish and the size and clearity of the water..
I grew up fishing trout in East Tennessee but mainly spent time on the now-flooded Little T. I caught lots of trout on that river. I did get up into the Park and the Tellico area quite a bit and formed a few opinions about gear to use in those waters.
The question was asked about rod length for the Park.
I started with the 9 foot split bamboo fly rod I got for my third birthday. It was great for bluegills on the lakes but seemed to be a little long for the streams. I then tried a six foot rod, a nice little 5 weight Fenwick, and seemed to spend much of my time in trees. I finally started using a 7.5 foot 6 weight that was small enough to be handy but long enough and strong enough to do a lot of roll casting in the tight streams where backcasts are difficult. I would rather have a rod a little bit too long than a little bit too short. Your experience may differ.
edit: I read the OP again and saw that the question was about leader length and not rod length. I use shorter leaders in tight places than I use in large rivers. A six to seven foot leader will catch a lot of fish and make casting easier.
The question was asked about rod length for the Park.
I started with the 9 foot split bamboo fly rod I got for my third birthday. It was great for bluegills on the lakes but seemed to be a little long for the streams. I then tried a six foot rod, a nice little 5 weight Fenwick, and seemed to spend much of my time in trees. I finally started using a 7.5 foot 6 weight that was small enough to be handy but long enough and strong enough to do a lot of roll casting in the tight streams where backcasts are difficult. I would rather have a rod a little bit too long than a little bit too short. Your experience may differ.
edit: I read the OP again and saw that the question was about leader length and not rod length. I use shorter leaders in tight places than I use in large rivers. A six to seven foot leader will catch a lot of fish and make casting easier.
Last edited:
redyote
Well-known member
Anyone fish the Little River between PF and Gburg? I'm headed there labor day weekend and never fished it.
waterfordcreek
Well-known member
I know this is a bit late, but still good info.
The area road/stream that runs from Gatilburg and PF is called the Spur.
About a year ago the sewage treatment plane in Gburg collapsed and sent over a million gallons of the brown stuff downstream. It has cleaned up a little.
It was an area i fished in the dead cold of winter....for trout.
Closer to P/F and through sevierville..its also a great smallie fishery.
The area road/stream that runs from Gatilburg and PF is called the Spur.
About a year ago the sewage treatment plane in Gburg collapsed and sent over a million gallons of the brown stuff downstream. It has cleaned up a little.
It was an area i fished in the dead cold of winter....for trout.
Closer to P/F and through sevierville..its also a great smallie fishery.
As an all around "go to" I'd pick a tapered, knotless 9' 5x. I like Rio leaders a lot. A lot of trout books are written for quiet water wereas in the Smokies you'll be wading upstream in riffle or pocket water quite a bit and a small, dark fly can be hard to see in foamy, turbulent water. A #12 Thunderhead or any of the parachutte types with a tuft of white calf hair (or possum) will work. A tan elk hair caddis works great- floats like a cork and easy to see.
In the riffle/pocket areas- try to pick out the main channel and then look for a small chute or slick- about bathtub wide and a couple of bathtubs long and cast to the top of the seam- generally a good place.
BTW- a lot of folks think "possun" is sort of the "hillbilly" alternative to calf hair- not necessarily so; Englishman Frederic Halford- father of the dry fly- was listing it back around 1900 "ish".
In the riffle/pocket areas- try to pick out the main channel and then look for a small chute or slick- about bathtub wide and a couple of bathtubs long and cast to the top of the seam- generally a good place.
BTW- a lot of folks think "possun" is sort of the "hillbilly" alternative to calf hair- not necessarily so; Englishman Frederic Halford- father of the dry fly- was listing it back around 1900 "ish".