On the South Holston, the conditions couldn't be any better. There are afternoon hatches of BWO's and Sulphers. The sulphers are waning but the BWO's are coming on strong. Fish a size 20 Comparadun BWO or a Thorax with the under hackle trimmed very slim. These fish are picky, but they're worth it. In high water, bring out the big sticks and the 4 inch streamers for a shot at some big brown trout. It's just before the spawn so they are aggressive.

The smallmouth fishing has been eractic lately, but we have them dialed in. With the recent cold front, stay sub-surface with a white/white clouser or a white/gray clouser. Fish an intermediate line and a medium size fly. Focus on the shoals and any minor change in water depth. There is plenty of grass and you'll usually find them stacked up on the edges waiting to ambush the baitfish. By 3pm, switch to a popper and focus on the cut banks. With the afternoon warmth, the bigger fish will congregate in these locations, particularly those with shade.

Fall fishing in the watauga has officially started and it's kicking off quite well. A decent amount of BWO's are showing up in the late afternoon, making for a good way to end the float. However, your best bet for success will be to stay in the nymph rigs. The water is very low and the obvious spots are getting hit hard. As a result, you need to focus on the less common spots. The fish are stacked in pretty thick though. Don't forget to rip a big streamer in the deeper holes. The big browns are hungry and aggressive before the spawn.

 

The Lower Holston is fishing quite well despite the recent warming. We do expect it to slow down tuesday and wednesday as a large frontal system drops in but by Friday it will have stabilized and will be back to good fishing conditions. The smallies are willing to move a good distance for a meal right now and the top water action has been pretty hot. Focus on medium body dark colored poppers and don't be afraid to use crawfish patterns subsurface also. There a good number of carp around and they are ready and willing to eat. It can be quite a rush...like a freshwater bonefish.

We spent the past weekend on the Watauga in low water but it is fishing pretty darn well. We were focusing on the nymph rigs and running a san juan worm up too with a pheasant tail or a copper john below it. We had a few good fish (18 inch +) and as many 14inchers as we wanted to catch. We're focusing on the seams and faster water because the fish are stacked in those locations with the water as low as it is right now. It's not uncommon to catch 5-10 fish in each location right now.