We refer to our shallow water in-line fly fishing rigs for the South Holston and Watauga quite a bit, and that's a little different than our high water rigs. In this video, Forrest goes over what factors to consider.
LEADER
For the leader set up, typically we are going to use a Scientific Angler Nylon Trout, 9FT 5X or 9FT 6X. There's some people that will fish a 7.5FT leader, especially if it’s windy. We like to get our flies as far from the fly line as possible if there is no wind.
FLOWS
Our flows, typically when we were fishing this rig on the South Holston, are 0-400 CFS generation. If a generation pulse comes through, we can still fish this shallow water rig. This rig works equally well on the Watauga River on the minimum recreation 240 CFS flow.
RIGGING
Tie 18-20 inches of 5.5-6.5X tippet to the end of your leader of choice.
Cut that tippet in half and tie a Triple Surgeon’s knot.
Leave a tag piece from your Triple Surgeon’s knot and tie a fly on that.
Tie a fly on the bottom of your tippet as a point fly.
In the video, Forrest ties on an unweighted Pheasant Tail and Stripper Midge onto the rig. These are a few of our favorite flies for low-water fishing on both rivers.
INDICATORS
On this rig we use three different types of indicators.
Yarn: 90% of the time we are using yarn as an indicator. It’s more stealthy and sensitive to strikes.
Oros: Anglers that struggle casting yarn, heavier flies, adding split shot, windy conditions
Airlock: Same use cases as Oros, some folks just like Airlocks better.
DEPTH
Typically, we run this rig about 35in deep. If you touch your right shoulder with your right hand, then extend your left hand, that should give you a good idea. It's different for all the various water depths that we are fishing, but that's a good depth to start at when wade fishing or floating the South Holston and Watauga.
FLOATANT
We always apply High-N-Dry Liquid Floatant or Gel to keep the yarn floating for longer.
When you dip the yarn in the liquid, before letting that yarn indicator hit the water, we like to give it a few false casts. This helps dry off the indicator so it does not get over-saturated.
Always keep a brush for your yarn indicators. We sell some now at the store for a few bucks! It helps fluff up the fibers and dry off the indicator when soggy.
CONCLUSION
If you guys want to see a video on how to build this Dorsey system, click here! Please reach out to us with any questions you have.
Guided Trips on the South Holston and Watauga are still rolling! We are always willing to spend some time “in the classroom” on guided trips if you are looking to jump up the learning curve on both rivers.
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