December River Report 2021 - South Holston & Watagua
The TVA is still following the pattern of releasing water early in the morning and shutting off for the afternoon, this allows great floats in the mornings from the drift boat and awesome wade fishing in the afternoon.
With the chilly temps in the morning, deep nymphing is very effective with patterns that mimic small Baetis nymphs in sizes #18-20. It’s important to keep flies slim and dark-colored with the water clarity and aquatic life this time of year. Using a larger point fly such as a pheasant-tail Frenchie, with purple dubbing collar and 2.5mm or larger tungsten beads will help the smaller trailing nymphs get low to the fish.
Midges always work on the SOHO, but fish are keying on darker colors such as purple, olive, and black. Bead colors vary, so just keep trying different colors until you find one that works well. Midges in sizes #18-22 have been very effective running the larger #18 as your lead fly. Trout Hunter 6.5X fluorocarbon tippet has been our go-to for nymphing this past week.
With the temps getting into the 40’s and 50’s in the afternoon, the SOHO is getting some great BWO hatches. Fish are super picky, long light leaders and tippet in the 5-7x range have been working well. Slow stalking the fish works on the clear and low water conditions that we have right now, so walking slowly toward rising fish is key. It’s tough but very rewarding to pick off a fish you have been watching.
Using 9-10ft leaders with a12-18”of nylon on the dropper has worked well for us. Make sure you have some small BWO emergers to run behind your duns. Duns have been fishing well in sizes #18-20.
The SOHO still has spawning fish so MIND THE REDS and allow fish to “do their thing.” If you see clear clean gravel, avoid walking through it! Come by the shop, and let’s talk about setups for this time of year.
We are here to help and want you to have a successful day on the water!
Suggested Patterns:
#18-22 Black, Purple, and Olive Zebra Midges
#16-18 Pheasant-tail Frenchies
#18-20 BWO Comparadun
#18-20 BWO Sparkle Dun
Check out the daily flows at the links below: