Three fish worth driving for
Smallmouth bass
Plateau smallmouth live in fast, rocky, tannin stained water and they hit like they're mad about it. Most days we're throwing poppers and crawfish patterns into pocket water and current seams, wading or drifting depending on flow.
This is the most forgiving trip on the list. If you've never had a fly rod in your hand, start here, a decent day still means a lot of eats.
Musky
The fish of ten thousand casts, on a twelve weight, in cold water. We're covering water with big flies, watching for follows, and finishing every retrieve with a figure eight. I'll teach you the retrieve and the boatside work, that's where most fish are won or lost.
Go in with the right expectation: this is a low numbers, high payoff trip. Some days it's one shot. That shot is the whole reason people book it.
Trout
The plateau doesn't hold trout, so these are travel days. Most of them run east to the Clinch tailwater: cold water year round, heavy sulphur and midge hatches, and browns that make you earn a good drift. Technical water if you want to sharpen up.
The other option is the Smokies: small headwater creeks, wild rainbows and brookies, tight casting under rhododendron. Different trip entirely, and worth doing once.
