Tennessee is flush with streams and rivers. This makes fly fishing spots plentiful, particularly in East Tennessee.

Almost every different part of the country and the World can make their case as a fly fishing paradise and the debate rages on unabated. East Tennessee fly fishing fans are right in the middle of this debate claiming their home waters as the best and most productive anywhere, and they have a very good case. East Tennessee is home to two of the most productive tail waters in the country, The Watauga River and the South Holston River. It is also a gateway to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.

The two rivers are considered top trout fisheries. In the Watauga, there is a small area that is open to wading and most of the fishing is done from drift boats. One stretch of the river, about 16 miles long, is so productive that it is regulated by special laws by the Tennessee gaming commission. Drift boat fishing is also the norm on the South Holston. The local East Tennessee fly fishing guides not only provide equipment and advice, but also provide the boats needed to put you on top of these trout producing fisheries.

Each year several trophy sized trout are taken from the two rivers. They are not the only fishing hot spots in East Tennessee. The area is full of fast moving streams and crystal clear lakes that offer fly fishing adventures for trout as well as other fly gobbling species. The hilly and virtually unspoiled countryside provides the scenic background that always rounds out a true fly fishing experience.

It is the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, however, where the setting is almost as important as the fishing. The Smokey Mountains is the home of the largest tract of unspoiled wilderness remaining in the Eastern United States. It is still very much how it was when the first European settlers ventured over the mountains from the coast to push into and explore this New World. It has not changed since Native American tribes roamed over its peaks and pulled fish from its pristine waters for thousands of years before these settlers ever crossed the ocean.

Almost 700 miles of streams drain the Smokey Mountains and provide an East Tennessee fly fishing paradise. Rainbow and Brown trout have been stocked in these waters and thrive here. In the upper and most remote reaches of the Mountains, you can find large native brook trout that have been living in these waters since the Ice Age. You may travel around the world in search of the ultimate fly fishing adventure, or you may simply travel to East Tennessee. There is a very good chance you will find it there.

Nomad Fly Fishing Journals make great fathers day gifts and are available at NomadJournals.com.
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