Fly of the Month 08.25 - Green Briar Caddis
Located close to Gatlinburg, but a world away, Green Briar Creek offers fantastic scenery and great fly fishing. The creek flows under Tennessee Highway 73 as a peaceful setting only 6 miles away from the shoulder-to-shoulder bustle of the nearby tourist town. Known locally as simply Greenbrier and typically shown on maps as the Middle Prong of the Little Pigeon River, Greenbrier Creek in the northwest section of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP) is a real find for those who revel in wild trout, the mixture of challenges and rewards presented by small streams, and breathtakingly rugged natural beauty. And, Greenbrier Creek offers room enough to cast.
The first mile or so runs parallel to Greenbrier Road, which turns off Highway 73 at the bridge over it. Here pull-offs afford parking where you can be at streamside in mere moments, and the same thing holds true for an additional 2.5-mile stretch of road beyond the ranger station. Beyond, there is access along the 1.7 miles of trail that leads to the confluence of Greenbrier Creek and Ramsay Prong. The trail gets a lot of foot traffic by hikers headed to Ramsay Cascades, but only a few are fishermen.
Rainbows and browns predominate in the lower reaches of Greenbrier, while native trout numbers increase the higher up you go. This is a drainage is a gem that can produce a Smokies slam in the form of a rainbow, brown, and brook trout (native “speck”) caught in a single day. For serious blue liners, the Greenbrier drainage is a small slice of an angler’s backside of heaven. Now one can readily understand where the name of the fly pattern originates.
Green Briar Caddis
The Green Briar Caddis is an original Southern Appalachian dry fly pattern, named for the area of the Pigeon River where it is considered most effective. The originator is unknown but the fly pattern is tied and utilized by Roger Lowe when guiding in the park on the Tennessee side.
As Roger says “Effective in Green Briar area of the Pigeon River in Tennessee side of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.” This local fly pattern is provided by Roger Lowe of Cashiers, North Carolina and is published in his book Roger Lowe’s Fly Pattern Guide to the Great Smoky Mountains, 2005..
Tom and I published this fly pattern in 2020 during the COVID-19 epidemic in our second fly tying book, Fly of the Month - Volume II - Southern Appalachian Flies
Green Briar Caddis
Fly of the Month 08.25
Green Briar Caddis
Hook: Mustad 94840 Dry Fly, Size 12, 14
Thread: Yellow
Body: Lime green floss
Wing: Bleached elk hair, tied down wing
Hackle: Medium ginger
Tying Directions:
- Tom Adams, Alen Baker
Located close to Gatlinburg, but a world away, Green Briar Creek offers fantastic scenery and great fly fishing. The creek flows under Tennessee Highway 73 as a peaceful setting only 6 miles away from the shoulder-to-shoulder bustle of the nearby tourist town. Known locally as simply Greenbrier and typically shown on maps as the Middle Prong of the Little Pigeon River, Greenbrier Creek in the northwest section of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP) is a real find for those who revel in wild trout, the mixture of challenges and rewards presented by small streams, and breathtakingly rugged natural beauty. And, Greenbrier Creek offers room enough to cast.
The first mile or so runs parallel to Greenbrier Road, which turns off Highway 73 at the bridge over it. Here pull-offs afford parking where you can be at streamside in mere moments, and the same thing holds true for an additional 2.5-mile stretch of road beyond the ranger station. Beyond, there is access along the 1.7 miles of trail that leads to the confluence of Greenbrier Creek and Ramsay Prong. The trail gets a lot of foot traffic by hikers headed to Ramsay Cascades, but only a few are fishermen.
Rainbows and browns predominate in the lower reaches of Greenbrier, while native trout numbers increase the higher up you go. This is a drainage is a gem that can produce a Smokies slam in the form of a rainbow, brown, and brook trout (native “speck”) caught in a single day. For serious blue liners, the Greenbrier drainage is a small slice of an angler’s backside of heaven. Now one can readily understand where the name of the fly pattern originates.
Green Briar Caddis
The Green Briar Caddis is an original Southern Appalachian dry fly pattern, named for the area of the Pigeon River where it is considered most effective. The originator is unknown but the fly pattern is tied and utilized by Roger Lowe when guiding in the park on the Tennessee side.
As Roger says “Effective in Green Briar area of the Pigeon River in Tennessee side of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.” This local fly pattern is provided by Roger Lowe of Cashiers, North Carolina and is published in his book Roger Lowe’s Fly Pattern Guide to the Great Smoky Mountains, 2005..
Tom and I published this fly pattern in 2020 during the COVID-19 epidemic in our second fly tying book, Fly of the Month - Volume II - Southern Appalachian Flies
Green Briar Caddis
Fly of the Month 08.25
Green Briar Caddis
Hook: Mustad 94840 Dry Fly, Size 12, 14
Thread: Yellow
Body: Lime green floss
Wing: Bleached elk hair, tied down wing
Hackle: Medium ginger
Tying Directions:
- Tom Adams, Alen Baker