South Holston Tailwater

Half of our trips have been focused on the S. Holston the past few weeks. The low water in Boone Lake has drawn the entire river down, but has pushed lots of fish up river sooner than normal. The TVA has given us consistent pulses and short generations. We have been targeting runs of big brown trout in every section of the river with good success. The usual suspects are prevalent on the river rocks… scuds, midges, and sulphurs. Some black and tan caddis, bwo’s, crane flies, and hendrickson’s have been popping up occasionally, mostly on the middle/lower stretches. The terrestrial bite is picking up and will continue to do so throughout the region.

Watauga Tailwater

The Watauga tailwater is continuing to produce good numbers in the upper and middle sections, with a big fish bite down low. Some caddis are still hanging around, however the game has switched to sulphurs, terrestrials, and midges.  Generation schedules have varied from 100 cfs to a 800 cfs, giving us nice moderate flows for all sections of the river. Low water in Boone Lake has pushed some stripers up river and we are taking advantage on fly and light artificial tackle. Shad and rainbow trout patterns are producing best. The Watauga is healthy with all the high to moderate water levels this spring, and will continue to provide a great float or wade through the summer months.

Freestone Streams

We have been fishing the region’s freestone streams small and large, targeting various bass and trout species. The Nolichucky has had better average sized smallmouth compared to years past. While our numbers are not what we saw five years ago, the river’s population is on a major rebound. With the baitfish populations exploding, it’s been match the hatch time. The topwater bite is picking up in the afternoon and evenings, and some bigger fish are being caught on large patterns during the right hour. The Boone, NC area small streams had a good spring and with the recent rains are pumped back up for early summer. We have sneaked around various creeks with good success, targeting secondary streams loaded with wild brook, brown, and rainbow trout. Golden and black stone fly nymphs, along with yellow sulphur patterns are working well.. The terrestrial bite is also happening, with ants producing best.

We have been fishing a various free stone streams along with the S. Holston tailwater. The upper sections of the S. Holston river are producing well with the run of spawning fish upstream. Hatches of midges and bluewings are coming off daily, with the peak times being mid to late afternoon. Random caddis, slates, and even some sulfurs will pop throughout the entire river.

Whether wade fishing the small streams or floating the big water, now is a good time to book a freestone fishing trip. Most of the freestone streams are fishing well with the right conditions and warmer weather. We have seen very little freeze up, and nice hatches of gray stones, caddis, slates, and midges are prevalent on certain days. Good water flows on the big rivers have allowed us to guide some remote places where fish seldom if ever see flies. The crowds fishing the NC DH sections have subsided and the fish have shifted to more wild feeding lanes… all the better.