November Fishing Update
South Holston River Fly Fishing - November Update
A quick update for fly fishing on the South Holston River in November! As temperatures drop and fall foliage flows down the river, the South Holston continues to offer solid fishing opportunities.
Weather and Water Conditions
10 Day Forecast
Lots of solid fishing days ahead. Lows will be mid-30’s, highs will be mid 60’s. Be prepared for colder conditions in the morning and take advantage of this manageable weather before things get really nasty. Not much rain ahead, but we could use it. We got some over this past weekend but could use more. Our mountain stream levels have been very low.
South Holston and Watauga Generation Schedule
For boat anglers, the flows on the South Holston have been great. The Time Period has been 1 generator from 7AM or 8AM - 8PM or 9PM. The Average CFS has been around 1300-1400 and the Average Outflow has stayed around 733. At this time, the next few days look to hold this 733 Average Outflow.
Don’t forget our spawning sections are closed until February 1.
This means that the full day generation is likely to hold. Boat anglers rejoice. Wade anglers head over to the Watauga.
The Watauga River has been maintaining 240CFS throughout most days. With the South Holston generation, this is your best bet for sure. Check out Hunter Bridge and Lover’s Lane Bridge for decent access.
Fly Recommendations
Nymphing remains productive. Midges are the hot ticket as of late and this should continue until the spawn really gets going. With plenty of BWOs out, definitely give your favorite Baetis patterns a try. Just know, the midge nymph bite has been better for us. #18-20s. Copper bead!
For dry flies, most BWO patterns have been effective in size #18-20. Puffdaddy. Comparadun’s. CDC Thorax Emerger.
The Morgan’s Midge has been a great fly to add behind the larger dry. It imitates the small black caddis we are seeing very well.
For streamers, keep it simple with Wooly Buggers and small Dungeons. We like white and olive.
South Holston River Hatches:
Cloudy days. We’ve seen some epic hatches in the last week when the conditions are right. Typically it’s starting on the upper end around 11AM. We are seeing rising fish all the way down to Weaver Pike. On the best days, we see some Sulphurs, plenty of small black Caddis, and many BWOs!
South Holston Fly Fishing Guided Trips
Consider booking a guided fly fishing trip with our experienced guides. We can get you down the river, very safe and super fun! All levels of experience are welcome. This is a great time of year to do a half day trip in the heat of the day, especially with part of the river being closed for spawning.