It is the time of the year when most anglers are not interested in fly fishing and they have put away their fly rods in favor of a rifle or to watch football. However, it may surprise you to know, that the Great Smoky Mountains National Park still presents great fly fishing opportunities for trout. At this time of the year, the GSMNP may still have some beautiful colors in the lower elevations and the leaf looker traffic is all but gone. In addition, it is still a good time to see the deer, elk and bears that abide in the park.
I am sure that there have been some mild snows in the upper elevations, but I have not been there to witness the beauty of the snow in the mountains this year yet. (I will change that soon as I will be there in less than 2 weeks.) The point that I am getting to is that winter fishing in the Smokies can be fun as well as rewarding.
Now the trout are cold blooded creatures and they do not get cold or warm, their bodies simply stay the same temperature of the water. Needless to say the trout could care less about the temperature of the water. They do not get in deep pools, or along the shore, or where the sun hits the water to stray warm.
However in cold water their metabolism is low and they tend to leave the faster waters where they need to expend more energy. So they will be found in areas of slower water as a matter of survival. They will naturally move slower and tend to not go as far for a morsel of food, all in the interest of conserving energy.
When the water cools down to the low fifties and even the forties, it is a good range of temperature for trout. However, if it gets to the thirties, I usually back off since the probability of catching trout is low, and the probability of cold fingers gets too high. I have had ice build up on the line guides and it was not a pleasant experience for me.
I said all this to say that I am looking forward to a good time in the Smokies just after Thanksgiving, because it has been a slightly warmer season this year. I expect to start with Blue Winged Olives or Little Yellow Stoneflies in the nymph and dry fly patterns and in hook size 18. If I do not see any hatches, I will go with streamers looking for the browns lurking in deep creek. One thing you can be sure, of all of tubers will have left!
More on the subject of winter trout fishing from Trout University:
Clsss 2052 Winter Trout Fishing by Dan -A Minnesota man's take on winter dress, survival, and stalking tactics.
Blog by Jerry “Fly Fishing in Winter” -Locating trout and affects of water temperature.
Blog by Steve “Cold Weather Trout Fishing” -Video of a winter trout fishing trip with Steve.
Blog by Jerry “Winter Fly Fishing Tips" -Gear, presentations and techniques for Midges.