I just got back from a short four-day vacation to the mountains of East Tennessee. We fished with Judson Conway of Elk Creek Outfitters out of Boone. Judson has been guiding a long time, runs a first class operation, and really knows his fisheries. He and one of his other guides, Matt, took four flatlanders down the South Holston River for a two-day drift boat float trip. I can definitely say that the trip and the service exceeding all of my expectations. We learned 5 different ways of trout fishing: nymphing, dry fly fishing during a hatch, spinning rod fishing with crankbaits, throwing large streamers imitating smaller trout for big browns, and finally a short Sunday morning session of small stream wading for wild browns and rainbows. Our original intent was to go smallmouth fishing but because the smallmouth bite has been a bit slower than usual this summer, we defaulted to trout fishing. I received a great education that only makes me want to go back and learn more.
Nathan and Daniel caught over 40 fish in just the morning of the second day. Jordan had a nice 16 incher on a dry fly. I had the fish of the trip, which was a 22″ brown trout caught on a spinning rod and crankbait. We saw 2 other brown trout that day that were bigger than my 22 incher.
If anyone is interested in fishing the Southern Appalachians for trout, smallmouth, or musky, then I encourage you to contact Judson at Elk Creek Outfitters. I can guarantee you will have a wonderful time.
