November River Report - South Holston & Watauga Rivers
South HolstoN RIVER
Winter is here in Tennessee and the fishing has been solid. We are starting to experience the nymph bite slow down at times with big pressure systems moving in and out of the area. However when the weather does cooperate the fishing has been nothing short of amazing. With the Spawning Sections closed and the sun setting early, we are enjoying the half day program and letting things warm up a bit before getting out on the water.
Spawning Areas
The South Holston is closed in many sections for the season as of November 1 and will remain closed through February 1st. There are sections of the river that are not closed for spawning but still have many spawning fish. It can be tempting to anchor and target these fish. We personally don’t participate in this and encourage other anglers not to. Why take the risk of decreasing our long-term fish populations? This applies to the Watuaga as well.
Hatches
The BWOs and even Sulphurs have been ripping strong the last couple weeks. On cloudy days, we are seeing some better hatches than even during the summer! Fish are still picky however, requiring anglers to have drag free drifts. As always, long leaders and light tippet will get you in the game. Fishing 5.5X tippet and smaller + 9ft leaders or longer. When fishing an emerger try using fluorocarbon as tippet instead of nylon to help increase stealth.
Flows
We are still seeing 1300CFS flows with the times of relaease varying so keep an eye on that as you are planning your fishing trips.
Wade fishing as of late has been tough on the South Holston but there are some opportunities most days. Not every day, but most days at least for a couple of hours will have low flows.
Click here for the South Holston Dam generation schedule!
Suggested Patterns
Nymphs
Micro Olive Bullet #18-20
Bullet Quill #18
Weiss Dark #18
Copper and Black Midge #20
Dry Flies
Morgan’s Midge #20
Sulphur Puffdaddy #18
Jakes Fluffer #18
BWO CDC Comparadun #18
WATAUGA RIVER
The Watauga has been fishing a bit slower for us in November. We are still catching fish both floating and wading but not seeing as many numbers as we had earlier in the year. But that’s okay! Fishing is more than numbers and there are still plenty of fish to be caught. For our wade fisherman, the Watauga has the most consistent access around flows. We are seeing some rising fish on Baetis here as well, but not as many as the South Holston.
Click here for the Wilbur Dam generation schedule!
Suggested Patterns
Nymphs
Master Baetis #18
Olive Quill #18
Olive Zebra Midge #18-20
Purple Zebra Midge #18-20
Dry Flies
Birchell’s Hatch Midge #20
Morgan’s Midge #20
Stimulator #12
BWO Comparadun #18
PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT
New Ross Reels!
We have recently picked up Ross Reels! In stock we have a Colorado, San Miguel, and Animas. These are great reels at fair prices. The craftsmanship and drag system is legit. Come check them out!
MOUNTAIN streams
Our small streams in East Tennessee have been very low over the past month. This makes fishing tough and fish become increasingly spooky. If you elect to head to the small stream, try fishing as far away from the stream as possible and increasing your casting distance. Hopefully this rain today will get our flows up!
SMALLMOUTH
Our winter smallmouth program is starting to heat up! We are seeing fish start to stack up more and this can be great fun when the proper conditions align! This is an ideal time to catch some large fish and try something different! If you are interested in coming with us to check it out, give us a call!
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
Guided Trips
Looking to wade fish or float the Watauga or South Holston? We love to focus on education and helping accelerate your fly fishing learning curve.