1 00:00:03,585 --> 00:00:06,685 Marvin: Hey folks, it's Marvin Cash, the host of the Articulate Fly, 2 00:00:06,785 --> 00:00:11,025 Marvin: and we're back with another East Tennessee Fishing Report with Ellis Ward. How are you, Ellis? 3 00:00:12,225 --> 00:00:13,765 Ellis: I'm doing well, Marv. How are you? 4 00:00:13,905 --> 00:00:18,705 Marvin: As always, I'm just trying to stay out of trouble and been watching the Instagram 5 00:00:18,705 --> 00:00:21,485 Marvin: feed and East Tennessee looks like the sulfurs have arrived, brother. 6 00:00:22,945 --> 00:00:29,705 Ellis: Yeah, man. It feels nice. It feels nice to see the yellow bugs flying around. 7 00:00:30,005 --> 00:00:37,785 Ellis: And as a guide, as an angler, partially as a tire, it feels nice to see fish eating them. 8 00:00:39,005 --> 00:00:42,285 Marvin: Yeah, it's kind of cool, right? Because doesn't the South Holston have one of 9 00:00:42,285 --> 00:00:44,105 Marvin: the longest sulfur hatches in the country? 10 00:00:46,865 --> 00:00:51,605 Ellis: You're out of my depth very quickly there. And I don't know. 11 00:00:51,665 --> 00:00:55,745 Ellis: That feels like something you hear. 12 00:00:56,845 --> 00:01:04,705 Ellis: And then there's part of me that says who's measuring that but it really I mean 13 00:01:04,705 --> 00:01:09,605 Ellis: just objectively I've only been on a handful of streams that have sulfur hatches and, 14 00:01:10,785 --> 00:01:22,225 Ellis: both the South Holston and the Watauga are you know kind of mid to late May through late June, 15 00:01:23,825 --> 00:01:30,105 Ellis: so it is It can be day-to-day, as with all fishing and dry fly hatches, 16 00:01:30,145 --> 00:01:35,265 Ellis: but it is really a good chunk of the summer. 17 00:01:35,865 --> 00:01:39,945 Ellis: And you get them through July, it's just not as prolific. 18 00:01:39,985 --> 00:01:48,785 Ellis: And there's blue wings and midges, and the whole time, it's an all-you-can-eat buffet. 19 00:01:48,785 --> 00:01:52,045 Ellis: Fey but those big you know big 20 00:01:52,045 --> 00:01:56,525 Ellis: for tail waters 14 16 and what's 21 00:01:56,525 --> 00:02:02,385 Ellis: fun about that is you can fish 12s and they're eating 12s um i i wouldn't necessarily 22 00:02:02,385 --> 00:02:10,865 Ellis: do that but um that that larger size bug lasting for the better part of a really 23 00:02:10,865 --> 00:02:16,045 Ellis: solid month and then and really tailing out through july it's pretty cool yeah. 24 00:02:16,045 --> 00:02:19,985 Marvin: And of course it sets up your favorite program right and dry fly to the risers 25 00:02:19,985 --> 00:02:21,425 Marvin: and pull streamers the rest of the time? 26 00:02:23,145 --> 00:02:24,825 Ellis: Yeah, it's just too fun. 27 00:02:27,205 --> 00:02:36,925 Ellis: And with the Watauga generating from 1 to 6 every afternoon outside of Sundays 28 00:02:36,925 --> 00:02:39,385 Ellis: through the summer from Memorial Day to Labor Day. 29 00:02:42,160 --> 00:02:45,280 Ellis: That we have water for four to five hours 30 00:02:45,280 --> 00:02:48,700 Ellis: and that big water 31 00:02:48,700 --> 00:02:52,520 Ellis: i think there's some misconceptions around you know 32 00:02:52,520 --> 00:02:55,280 Ellis: dry fly fishing and it being hot in the 33 00:02:55,280 --> 00:02:58,180 Ellis: low water look if it's low water all 34 00:02:58,180 --> 00:03:00,900 Ellis: summer i'm going to tell you the dry fly fishing's hot because i'm going 35 00:03:00,900 --> 00:03:04,600 Ellis: to figure it out figure out what to do high water 36 00:03:04,600 --> 00:03:07,380 Ellis: dry fly fishing uh yes on 37 00:03:07,380 --> 00:03:12,000 Ellis: the south holson yes definitely on the watauga um the 38 00:03:12,000 --> 00:03:16,920 Ellis: otaga has flows that are 39 00:03:16,920 --> 00:03:21,000 Ellis: are scheduled for six days a week um 40 00:03:21,000 --> 00:03:27,680 Ellis: and the whitewater rafting companies that bring a lot of people to this area 41 00:03:27,680 --> 00:03:35,040 Ellis: will say that um they depend on that and so that's not going anywhere and in 42 00:03:35,040 --> 00:03:39,000 Ellis: high water dry fly fishing it can it can be like low water they're They're a little more localized, 43 00:03:39,280 --> 00:03:43,280 Ellis: but man, when they find a place that they're having high water, 44 00:03:43,440 --> 00:03:46,500 Ellis: they're not going all the way back down to the bottom. They're hanging right there. 45 00:03:47,440 --> 00:03:51,340 Ellis: So it's sort of the same as that low water, you know, finding the shelves and 46 00:03:51,340 --> 00:03:53,060 Ellis: all that. Just a different game. 47 00:03:53,440 --> 00:03:56,500 Marvin: Yeah. And then, of course, you know that we're also, as it starts to warm up, 48 00:03:56,540 --> 00:03:59,380 Marvin: we start to really get into the thick of mouse season too, right? 49 00:04:00,580 --> 00:04:05,220 Ellis: Just about to talk through it, man, on that timeline. line starting you know meeting, 50 00:04:06,720 --> 00:04:15,900 Ellis: early to mid afternoon i mean i i was just talking with a client earlier today and, 51 00:04:17,760 --> 00:04:21,900 Ellis: uh first time fishing with me and kind of saying i'll meet in the morning it's 52 00:04:21,900 --> 00:04:27,520 Ellis: like well it's gonna be kind of late summer i said it again it depends some 53 00:04:27,520 --> 00:04:31,240 Ellis: days i do want to meet in the morning it depends on the weather but that evening hatch is, 54 00:04:32,840 --> 00:04:38,920 Ellis: It can be really, really good, and then it gives us the option to hang out in the house. 55 00:04:40,440 --> 00:04:43,160 Marvin: Yeah, there you go, and I've got a streamer question for you, too. 56 00:04:43,380 --> 00:04:47,240 Marvin: So Brenner wanted to get your thoughts. I know we've had a ton of rain in our 57 00:04:47,240 --> 00:04:48,320 Marvin: part of the world recently, 58 00:04:48,360 --> 00:04:51,700 Marvin: and I know that you're a little bit protected but less protected on the Watauga 59 00:04:51,700 --> 00:04:56,520 Marvin: because of the Doe River and wanted to get your thoughts on color combos for 60 00:04:56,520 --> 00:04:58,400 Marvin: streamers when you're fishing in stained water. 61 00:05:00,513 --> 00:05:06,953 Ellis: Yeah. I think I'm just going to start officially beating this drum publicly. 62 00:05:07,613 --> 00:05:09,133 Ellis: I don't care about color. 63 00:05:10,393 --> 00:05:19,753 Ellis: That's incorrect. I want something that is white, maybe like some sort of off-olive 64 00:05:19,753 --> 00:05:22,833 Ellis: yellow, something that I can really, really see. 65 00:05:22,833 --> 00:05:26,733 Ellis: And when I say that, it's something you can see, something clients can see. 66 00:05:27,713 --> 00:05:31,833 Ellis: And I'm probably fishing it pretty high in the water column. 67 00:05:33,573 --> 00:05:38,553 Ellis: And if I can get it to be bigger, I would appreciate that as well. 68 00:05:41,733 --> 00:05:46,253 Ellis: I would say it depends on how you're fishing. 69 00:05:46,253 --> 00:05:54,433 Ellis: So for a lot of my fishing as a guide and even when I'm out on my own on either 70 00:05:54,433 --> 00:06:01,153 Ellis: of the rivers, I am, it's hard to say fishing to fish. 71 00:06:01,293 --> 00:06:07,053 Ellis: It's not like I know exactly that cast is perfect, but man, some of them, yeah, at this point I do. 72 00:06:08,253 --> 00:06:12,073 Ellis: And so it's finding those spots and I want something they can see. 73 00:06:12,073 --> 00:06:17,873 Ellis: And I've just amassed enough data at this point to say that. 74 00:06:20,037 --> 00:06:25,317 Ellis: Something with opacity, something that is opaque, light does not penetrate it. 75 00:06:25,357 --> 00:06:26,517 Ellis: I don't care if it's white. 76 00:06:27,477 --> 00:06:31,917 Ellis: When something's coming from below it, there's no light down there. 77 00:06:32,557 --> 00:06:37,237 Ellis: And then if it's closer to the surface, aka closer to sunlight, 78 00:06:37,517 --> 00:06:43,617 Ellis: it projects more of a difference in light. 79 00:06:44,717 --> 00:06:50,057 Ellis: So if it's down low there's not as much light hitting the top of it to create 80 00:06:50,057 --> 00:06:56,477 Ellis: a profile below so it's really just putting a spotlight shining shining something 81 00:06:56,477 --> 00:06:58,117 Ellis: to give the fish the silhouette, 82 00:06:58,817 --> 00:07:04,397 Ellis: to say i'm going to eat that thing and i've i've 83 00:07:04,397 --> 00:07:08,297 Ellis: seen it happen now i know i've said this before but i will 84 00:07:08,297 --> 00:07:12,097 Ellis: continue to say it i've seen 85 00:07:12,097 --> 00:07:15,017 Ellis: brown trout blow through the water erupting on 86 00:07:15,017 --> 00:07:18,957 Ellis: a streamer taking it through the surface in 87 00:07:18,957 --> 00:07:26,777 Ellis: all but chocolate i mean all but like debris filled chocolate milk really i 88 00:07:26,777 --> 00:07:34,797 Ellis: would say unfishable water um relative to my understanding before Before doing 89 00:07:34,797 --> 00:07:36,417 Ellis: what I've been doing for the last four years. 90 00:07:36,737 --> 00:07:42,857 Ellis: So hiring the water column and something that really does block light, that's not feathers. 91 00:07:43,757 --> 00:07:47,597 Ellis: It's, you know, craft fur changers are two of my favorites. 92 00:07:47,657 --> 00:07:53,277 Ellis: And then I have a streamer that I have sort of jokingly called the Luff, 93 00:07:53,337 --> 00:08:01,777 Ellis: which is more like an articulated, just a two-section craft fur streamer. 94 00:08:05,317 --> 00:08:14,557 Ellis: And yeah, the rate of success there, and I've had days where we switch to that 95 00:08:14,557 --> 00:08:17,157 Ellis: and it's immediate. So, yeah. 96 00:08:18,446 --> 00:08:24,606 Ellis: More than a few of those days. And I think that folks should be willing to try 97 00:08:24,606 --> 00:08:27,646 Ellis: it at this point because, gosh, it's too fun. 98 00:08:29,566 --> 00:08:31,206 Ellis: Was I on that one? 99 00:08:31,406 --> 00:08:37,546 Marvin: No, you did. You did great. I literally just put the safety back on the trigger. 100 00:08:38,446 --> 00:08:44,006 Marvin: So you're good. But to follow up. Yeah, but to follow up on that. 101 00:08:44,006 --> 00:08:46,806 Marvin: See, this is how I'm going to get you your extra couple minutes. minutes so you. 102 00:08:46,806 --> 00:08:47,326 Ellis: Like you. 103 00:08:47,326 --> 00:08:51,646 Marvin: Like a lighter colored fly because if you're fishing high you want the predator 104 00:08:51,646 --> 00:08:54,566 Marvin: to see the belly right and so that's the color jam. 105 00:08:54,566 --> 00:09:04,706 Ellis: I'll clarify there the color jam is for human eyes i want something that i can 106 00:09:04,706 --> 00:09:06,686 Ellis: see i want something that the angler can see, 107 00:09:08,026 --> 00:09:14,286 Ellis: and as you go away from white um i've tried to convince myself that black is 108 00:09:14,286 --> 00:09:20,046 Ellis: really visible but it's it's just not um so there's just. 109 00:09:21,726 --> 00:09:24,686 Ellis: There isn't much light below the 110 00:09:24,686 --> 00:09:30,826 Ellis: streamer the sun's coming from the top of it shining directly down and then 111 00:09:30,826 --> 00:09:36,586 Ellis: um the trout normally are are sharking it if you're fishing higher in the water 112 00:09:36,586 --> 00:09:42,166 Ellis: column they're they're coming from below so there's really no thought process around color 113 00:09:42,446 --> 00:09:50,406 Ellis: outside of I want to track what's happening and in muddy water that can be more 114 00:09:50,406 --> 00:09:53,126 Ellis: challenging so the whiter and 115 00:09:53,126 --> 00:09:59,886 Ellis: really I just I mean if you if you want to do a lot of flash go nuts but. 116 00:10:00,946 --> 00:10:09,506 Ellis: I had this this Rolodex this montage of video clips in my head of watching Watching 117 00:10:09,506 --> 00:10:14,466 Ellis: these events, striper, brown trout, 118 00:10:14,746 --> 00:10:21,866 Ellis: eat big craft fur changers, and the swim bug fishing higher in the water column 119 00:10:21,866 --> 00:10:23,106 Ellis: to a certain extent the drunk. 120 00:10:23,926 --> 00:10:28,866 Ellis: One of the great things, and in this very specific instance, 121 00:10:29,206 --> 00:10:33,066 Ellis: one of the drawbacks is that the drunk finds depth pretty quickly. 122 00:10:33,066 --> 00:10:37,066 Ellis: So keeping something that rides higher in the water column, 123 00:10:38,106 --> 00:10:44,606 Ellis: is kind of where the swim bug comes in in this instance and then craft for a 124 00:10:44,606 --> 00:10:50,846 Ellis: changer is just for your retrieve speed trying to make sure you're deepening up where it should be, 125 00:10:51,786 --> 00:10:54,346 Ellis: and yeah at that point. 126 00:10:55,646 --> 00:11:00,726 Ellis: You know all these cliffs have a fly with very little flash involved. 127 00:11:02,506 --> 00:11:04,146 Marvin: Got it how about rattles. 128 00:11:06,514 --> 00:11:17,194 Ellis: Big fan now kind of tough because some of these you know i'm thinking of fishing the drunk and 129 00:11:17,494 --> 00:11:22,574 Ellis: having fish track it up to the boat and eating on that kill eating on that pump 130 00:11:22,574 --> 00:11:26,414 Ellis: fake just before you take it out don't pretend like you're gonna take it out 131 00:11:26,414 --> 00:11:31,174 Ellis: and then don't so when it hangs on the surface there for a second so i don't 132 00:11:31,174 --> 00:11:36,134 Ellis: know are they tracking it in because of the rattle and then they're finally eating it, 133 00:11:36,794 --> 00:11:41,934 Ellis: because of that boat side let's hang out at the surface for a second so do we 134 00:11:41,934 --> 00:11:47,834 Ellis: bypass that and just fish higher in the water column and not worry about flash or rattles but, 135 00:11:48,714 --> 00:11:58,034 Ellis: as a rule I like to add them in where I can you know last thing on that is, 136 00:11:59,014 --> 00:12:02,894 Ellis: a lot of these high water muddy water, 137 00:12:04,954 --> 00:12:12,574 Ellis: 40-inch strike, I mean, giant fish inhaling a fly at the surface and about four gallons of water. 138 00:12:13,574 --> 00:12:16,554 Ellis: Browns doing the same thing, not 40 inches. 139 00:12:18,614 --> 00:12:24,134 Ellis: Those are without rattles and very little flash. I don't think those two things hurt, though. 140 00:12:25,574 --> 00:12:29,174 Marvin: Yeah, well, there you go. And, you know, folks, we love questions at The Articulate Fly. 141 00:12:29,354 --> 00:12:33,274 Marvin: You can email them to us or DM us on social media, whatever is easiest for you. 142 00:12:33,274 --> 00:12:36,894 Marvin: And if we use your question, I will send you some articulate fly schwag. 143 00:12:37,194 --> 00:12:39,614 Marvin: We're going to enter a drawing for something cool from Ellis at the end of the 144 00:12:39,614 --> 00:12:44,074 Marvin: season. And, you know, Ellis, I know you're stacking days on your calendar. 145 00:12:44,174 --> 00:12:46,834 Marvin: You want to let folks know, you know, where they can find you, 146 00:12:46,854 --> 00:12:49,394 Marvin: what you have available, how they can talk fishing and book you. 147 00:12:49,434 --> 00:12:55,314 Marvin: But also, I suspect you might be hanging on to a few Easter pastel bucktails 148 00:12:55,314 --> 00:12:56,414 Marvin: you might want to share with folks. 149 00:12:58,276 --> 00:13:09,436 Ellis: Yeah, so the best way to contact me for anything really is my cell phone at 513-543-0019. 150 00:13:10,036 --> 00:13:12,916 Ellis: Instagram is at Ellis Ward Guides. 151 00:13:13,756 --> 00:13:19,156 Ellis: And website is EllisWardFlies.com. As for bucktail, 152 00:13:19,336 --> 00:13:28,996 Ellis: I will be moving nearby, and the new spot has a 30x40 workshop, 153 00:13:29,156 --> 00:13:32,496 Ellis: so things are going to get sporty next deer season. 154 00:13:34,116 --> 00:13:41,756 Ellis: And currently, yeah, I have a good number of tails left, and I'm pretty sure some twos and threes. 155 00:13:43,996 --> 00:13:50,076 Ellis: But yeah definitely continuing to continuing to develop that part of the business 156 00:13:50,076 --> 00:13:55,856 Ellis: as well and as for me and I'll kind of jump it all over the place, 157 00:13:57,476 --> 00:14:02,576 Ellis: if you are interested in the dry flying mousing, 158 00:14:03,696 --> 00:14:08,016 Ellis: give me a shout and let's get some good dates on the calendar if we can get 159 00:14:08,016 --> 00:14:13,476 Ellis: dates with the right moons and things like that It's better to plan around that one. 160 00:14:13,596 --> 00:14:18,476 Ellis: Some of this stuff can be day-to-day, but if you're planning a night fish, let's talk about it now. 161 00:14:18,896 --> 00:14:22,616 Marvin: There you go. And remember, folks, we've got two great opportunities in our community. 162 00:14:23,496 --> 00:14:27,956 Marvin: One of them is 100 off-guide credit with Ellis, and another is a 10% discount on Bucktail. 163 00:14:28,016 --> 00:14:32,776 Marvin: So check that out. That's hosted over on our Patreon site, and there's a link in the show notes. 164 00:14:33,016 --> 00:14:37,376 Marvin: And as I always say, you owe it to yourself to get out there and catch a few. 165 00:14:37,696 --> 00:14:39,876 Marvin: Tight lines, everybody. Tight lines, Ellis. 166 00:14:39,876 --> 00:14:41,976 Ellis: Appreciate it Marv.