Oct 10 2015 Guide Report

S. Holston and Watauga Tailwaters

We have been floating and wading all sections of the S. Holston, taking advantage of the brown trout prespawn bite. The browns are definitely on the move throughout the river, establishing their feeding lanes within their chosen spawning grounds. Blue wings and midges have replaced our big sulphur hatches. The mid morning and late evening midge hatches have been impressive, with the blue wings and slates are ramping up daily. The shad kill in South Holston Lake had the big browns gorging, as many are now bloated full with the bait. We have taken advantage of this by fishing shad streamer patterns during the initial high water release.

The Watauga Tailwater male brown trout have started staging on their redds preparing for the spawn. Slates, BWO’s, blonde caddis, and midges are  most prevalent bug wise. The streamer fishing is picking up, especially on the aggressive males near the redds, with sculpin, shad, and rainbow patterns fishing best. Nymphing caddis larva, midges, and blue wings has been the go to technique for most anglers.  The middle section float is producing the best numbers, however some hogs are being landed in the trophy section and downstream. The Watauga offers a very scenic float this time of year, a favorite of the leaf looker crowd.

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