December River Report - South Holston & Watauga Rivers
South HolstoN RIVER
The last River Report of 2023! It’s been a great year, with some fantastic fishing. We are pumped to continue bringing the latest river reports and updates in 2024.
The South Holston fished solid throughout December and we are forecasting the same for January.
This December we had 3.21 inches of rain which led to a good balance of floating and wading opportunities. In the beginning of the month, the boat anglers had the advantage but that switched at the end of the month with wade anglers getting their time to shine. The beginning of December, our high water flows were longer 1300CFS generations, now we are seeing shorter high water flows at ~2100CFS.
Both high water and low water is fishing solid given the winter conditions. Things are pretty standard for this time of year, lots of midge and Baetis patterns working on top and sub-surface.
DRY FLY FISHING
Winter is BWO dry fly season here on the South Holston. Lately, it seems that fish are extra willing to rise on dries even when there are none hatching. Find seams and edges that look fishy. If you are a dry fly nut, stick to your guns!
There is a chance this time of year to find some killer hatches on high water and low water flows. When the opportunity arises, make sure you have long leaders (9ft+) and light tippet (5-6.5X). It’s not a bad idea to keep a few midge patterns around to put behind your lead dry fly. If you have trouble seeing BWO dries, fish have still been eating a well-placed, drag-free Sulphur pattern.
LOOKING AHEAD
If the weather is anything like last January, we can expect that this upcoming month is going to be very wet. In 2023, the South Holston Rainfall Gauge recorded 4.54” of precipitation for January. The TVA Operating Guide is currently showing the Headwater Elevation is at 1708’, with this being at the top of the expected elevation range, it is possible that we will see more generation in January depending on the rainfall we truly get. Only time will tell.
In regards to the fishing, last January we saw really solid dry fly fishing around mid-day on warm, sunny conditions. Based on how hatches have been lately, some cloudy days have been excellent as well. Our deep in-line rig fished better on high water than bottom-bounce last year, and anglers should definitely try egg patterns if they fancy that sort of thing.
Spawning Areas
The South Holston is closed in the two sections above for the season as of November 1 and will remain closed through February 1st.
Click here for the South Holston Dam generation schedule!
Suggested Patterns
Nymphs
Purple Thread Frenchie #18-20
American Pheasant Tail #18
Olive Midge #18
Olive Micro Bullet #18-20
Dry Flies
BWO CDC Comparadun #18
Morgan’s Midge #18
Adam’s Dry Fly #18-20
Weiss’ CDC Baetis #18
WATAUGA RIVER
For our wade fisherman, the Watauga had been a good bet through December when the South Holston was generating. Throughout the month, anglers had steady fishing with the usual spots producing well. Similar to the South Holston, midges and Blue-Winged Olives have been the name of the game. Fishing either a yarn indicator rig or a dry-dropper rig is the way that most anglers find success. You can expect to find fish rising on BWOs or potentially a Sulphur here as well. Small, dark, low-profile is usually the way to go when choosing flies.
This week we are seeing more generation on the Watauga however, so the South Holston is going to be your best bet for wading. January and February always seem to be great streamer months on the Watauga so boat anglers definitely keep that in mind as we turn into a new year with high water flows on the Watauga.
Click here for the Wilbur Dam generation schedule!
Suggested Patterns
Nymphs
Stripper Midge #18-20
Purple Midge #18-20
Black and Copper Midge #18-22
Olive Micro Bullet #18-20
Dry Flies
Birchell’s Hatch Midge #20
Morgan’s Midge #20
Parachute Adams #16-18
BWO Comparadun #18
PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT
The Fly Box Hats!
You can now order Fly Box hats online! Maybe you forgot to get a Christmas present for your fishing buddy? Rope hats, visors, and truckers. We got you covered!
SMALLMOUTH
We are lucky to have an amazing winter-time smallmouth fishery. If you know, you know. If you don’t know, and you’d like to know, then definitely consider a guided trip to break your cabin fever blues. Big, fat smallies, crushing top-water and shad patterns. What’s not to love? The colder it is, the better it gets. Layer up and let’s go!
Shuttle Service Contacts
Both guys will be solid shuttles on the South Holston and Watauga! Tell them we sent you.
Ronny - 423-737-7767
Jeff - 423-741-4884