92,
You are not alone, my friend Fishing the park in the Winter is a very lonely proposition, with generally very few fish (if any) to show for your efforts. But honestly....can you think of any more beautiful place to be miserably frozen, on the verge of hypothermia, looking at a box full of flies and a pocket full of leaders that you would love to use if you could feel anything below your lips? (This is PRECISELY the reason they invented flasks

I fished the Greenbrier area about 3 weeks ago, on a day that started out at 32 and rose all the way up to 38....and it rained all day. I *saw* 3 fish that day, one very large one. I had 2 strikes all day, and I would do it again today if I could get away! (Keep in mind that I am an obsessed, insane, lost fool

I assume you were talking to the boys at LRO? They're a wealth of info. Challenge them to put you on some fish with the right fly (make it a game) and I bet your next trip they certainly will.

Don't be afraid of the Little. I have caught a ton of fish on the Nantahala, even in the middle of Summer, having to cast in between the kayakers and tubers. The fish will follow those rafts and such hoping their wake kicks something up off the bottom. I guess we have been invading their space for so long that they finally realized we weren't going away so they're making the best of it in spite of us.

Don't give up! I ONLY fish in the Winter. There are tons of fish to be caught, but the park is VERY difficult fishing in any season. Those fish are worked harder than any fish in the world, and I am not exagerating. Catching a wild trout from a popular area of the GSMNP is worthy of note, and if you keep it up, you'll get it done sooner than you think! If you're nymphing in the Park, especially in Winter, lose any strike indicators and learn to high stick. It's your only hope Luke....use the force!

If you have time, slide on through the Park and head towards Robbinsville, NC. Big Snowbird Creek and the Nantahala are two very good waters in the Winter months, and the Nant also as a DH section if you get completely skunked and need a confidence builder

Tight lines, and warm hands,

1wt

I had to edit to add this:

If you've never fished the Nant, trust me here.....going alone isn't the smartest thing to do there. There is a reason it is such a popular river with the rafters and kayakers, and if you have any "adventurous, risk-taking" characteristics in your personality, going alone is not a good idea. The DH section is fine by yourself, but through the Gorge, you need to be a scared, stupid, dork who calulates every step and every possibility if you do fall (like me, but mostly the "scared, stupid, dork part ), or have a buddy nearby.

BEAUTIFUL river though, with a LOT of fish (NC State record brown was pulled from the Gorge)

[This message has been edited by 1wt (edited 17 December 2005).]