The smallmouth fishing is back on again after their normal hiatus for the spawn. I guess even the fish have to "get some" every now and again! We fished the Lower Holston this past weekend and in one day three boats had over 100 fish to hand. Not a lot of huge ones yet, but consistent numbers and plenty in the 1.5lb to 2.5lb class. The bigin's should start rolling out soon though and we're ready for them. Afternoon water temps are approaching 70 degrees on the surface so the top water action could start in as little as two weeks. The North Fork is running low due to the lack of rain but it's still very fishable. The Lower Holston is the place to be though right now. Our schedules are getting pretty full so give us a call quickly to book your June and July trips. We look forward to showing you a few things about catching record southern smallies!

Photo Courtesy of Richard Bernabe

The Watauga River underwent a short but scary situation with one of the generators having some unexpected trouble and the water was shut off for a little over a week. The good news is it's now back to good fishing as usual. The river is fishing well throughout it's different sections. The sulphers are coming off with some consistency down low and the fish are looking up. Your best bet is still nymphing or streamers, but you can mix in a little dry fly fishing if you so desire. It's always a great weekday float and you'll always catch fish. Give us a call to book your next trip!

Well folks the Jackson River continues to fish well. The river has dropped a good bit to the normal summer flows. Water temps are up some and the water is running gin clear again. The fishing has been quite successful with plenty of 50+ fish days. The bigger fish haven't been as active with all this bright sun, but we're still averaging 1 or more 20"+ fish a trip. The key to the game right now is swinging soft hackles. The Hendricksons are done and the sulphers haven't quite started yet in any abundance. Some fish are up but there aren't enough mayflies to get them all that excited. Regardless, so far....it's pretty tough to beat. Give us a call and we'll put together a trip for you with lodging at the Cliff View Inn, right on the river!

With the smallmouth spawn and the TVA issues on the watauga the S. Holston is the place to be right now. Even without those issues, it's probably still the place to be. Consistent and ever increasing sulphers are popping right now in the early afternoon thru about 5pm. Our favorite fly for this hatch is the size 16 CDC comparadun sulpher. It has a narrow profile which is really important. A standard "Lawson's" works fine in the riffles but when you're in the slick, braided water....you better have some of those CDC comparaduns. Regardless, your day will be filled with numerous fish and lots of fun. Don't be afraid to book us for a wade trip either. We know and have access to spots that are rarely fished by the ever increasing pressure of the fishermen. These spots hold nice browns and often times you won't see many other people. We'll also teach you a few tricks to having more success with tailwater trout!

Boy, last weekend was tough. We caught 65 or so fish on Friday and about a dozen the morning on Saturday but it all went down hill from there. The water has dropped to normal summer flows of about 350 cfs, resulting in clear water and temps in the mid 50's. It's stabilized by this past tuesday and the fishing is back on now. A smaller sub-species of Caddis and some hendricksons are coming off in the afternoon and evenings but your best to stay with the nymph rigs for right now. We're fishing a size 16 pheasant tail with a size 18 soft hackle hare's ear and having good success. By afternoon were switching to the dry fly and taking some nice trout. Now that the water temps, clarity and levels have stabilized, the fishing should be excellent well into the summer. Give us a call to book a trip...it's a memorable experience!