Skip to content
Home » Great Smoky Mountains Fly Fishing Report – April 18, 2023

Great Smoky Mountains Fly Fishing Report – April 18, 2023

All the streams in the park are flowing a little below normal level and clear. We didn’t receive any reports yesterday, and I assume it was because of the high wind gust. It is cold this morning and I would suggest you give it some time to warm the water up a little prior to fishing this morning.

Today will be sunny with a high in the upper seventies. Tomorrow will be sunny with a high in the low eighties. Thursday will be warm with a high in the low eighties.

Check out our sister websites: www.flyfishingyellowstonenationalpark.com & www.perfectflystore.com

Smoky Mountain Stream Conditions:
The streams with links that have nearby USGS Station Real-time stream data: Click the links to see updates:

Little River:  Rate 181 cfs at 2.00 ft
(Good wading up to 239 cfs and with extra caution up to 300 cfs)

West Prong Little Pigeon River (Gatlinburg): Rate 50.2 cfs at 3.07 ft (Good wading up
to 65 cfs and with extra caution up to 125 cfs)

Oconaluftee River:  Rate 538 cfs at 1.96 ft, (Good wading up to 550 cfs and with extra
caution up to 850 cfs)

Cataloochee Creek: Rate 133 cfs at 2.70 ft. (Good wading up to 250 cfs with extra caution up to 300 cfs.

Hazel Creek and the other larger NC streams flowing into Fontana Lake:
The streams are all near a normal level.

Weather Forecast: (click the boxes below for more detailed weather information)

https://forecast7.com/en/35d71n83d51/gatlinburg/?unit=us

https://forecast7.com/en/35d48n83d32/cherokee/?unit=us


Trout Flies Currently Needed or needed very soon;
Streamers:
Brown Sculpin: 6
White Belly Sculpin: 6
Articulated Sculpin and Leeches: 4

Blue-winged olives: 16/18
nymphs
emergers
duns
spinners

Blue Quills: 18

nymphs

emergers

duns

spinners

Quill Gordons: 12/14

nymphs

emerging duns

duns

spinners

Little Black Caddis: 18

larva

pupa

adults

LIttle Brown Stoneflies: 16/18

nymphs

adults

Hendricksons/Red Quills: 12/14

nymphs

emergers – males and females

Duns- males and females

Spinners – males and females


Recommended Fishing Strategy:
Keep in mind, the strategies I am recommending is for the maximum odds of catching numbers of fish. Many prefer or favor a dry fly and by all means there isn’t anything wrong with that. It’s just a fact that if nothing is hatching at the time, it reduces your odds of success. You can still probably hook some trout, just not as many as if you fish subsurface. Of course, this is also based on using good techniques and the right flies. Some guys don’t know how to fish below the surface.

Strategy:
Not all of the insects you see above will be hatching in the same location. It is usually only one or two. It varies with the elevation. Some are just starting in the low elevations and some about finished in the higher elevations. If you fished the day or two before and know where something is hatching, fish the nymph or larva stage of it. If you haven’t fished the day or two before, until I spotted something hatching, I would fish the BWO nymph. If you spot something hatching (coming off the water), change to the appropriate emerger, dun or adult imitations of the insect.

Tips for Beginners:
Don’t let anyone intimidate you by contending that fly fishing is more difficult to learn and master than other types of fishing. It isn’t.

Thank you for visiting our website

James Marsh