September River Report 2022 - South Holston & Watauga

South Holston

September was a great month here on the SOHO. Midge & Sulphur activity throughout the month made great fishing for both boat and wade anglers. Blue-Winged Olives (BWOs) are starting to make a strong appearance as well. On recent wade fishing trips, we’ve seen Sulphurs, BWO’s, and Midges all hatching at the same time. 

The scud bite really picked up at the beginning of the month. We are still catching fish on rainbow scuds using our bottom bounce rigs. Using the scud as your bottom fly can make a big difference.

We’ve seen a lot of quality browns caught this month as we approach the spawn. Just a friendly reminder - some sections of the SOHO will be closing Nov. 1 for spawning.

Dry Fly Fishing

The best dry fly fishing in September was on low-water. When the generation schedule lined up, wade fishing was on fire. You can expect dry-fly fishing to remain strong as we head into October. This time of year, being prepared with a variety of flies will be important for taking full advantage of your time on the water. Learning to identify the type and size of bugs that are hatching is key for dry fly success. Match the hatch!

On high water, there are good opportunities to find rising fish if you commit to it. We’ve seen a lot of fish feeding on midges in back eddies. Birchell’s Hatch Midge and the Morgan’s Midge are great patterns for targeting these fish. Try fishing a Sulphur or BWO for your lead fly with the midge dry fly tied on behind it.

Check out our video on “How to Set Up Your SOHO Dry Fly Rig”.

Release schedules for the upcoming day are typically available by 6 p.m the day before.

Click here for the South Holston generation schedule!

Suggested Patterns

Nymphs:

Rainbow Scud #16-18

Purple Midge #18-22

Olive Midge #18-22

Classic Purple Frenchie #16-18

Dry Flies:

Birchell’s Hatch Midge #20-22

Morgan’s Midge #20-22

BWO CDC Comparadun #16-18

BWO Puff Daddy #18-19

Watauga

We’ve been back on the Watauga throughout September when the South Holston isn’t generating. 

There have been solid midge bites both nymphing and dry fly fishing. There has been extremely low and clear water on the Watauga lately, this can make for some difficult fishing. Fishing a midge dry-dropper rig, can be very effective on these fish in low, clear water. Quite a few fish ate Chubby Chernobyl’s as well which is always fun, don’t be afraid to give it a try!

Click here for the Wilbur Dam generation schedule!

Suggested Patterns

Olive Midge #18

Purple Midge #18

Stripper Midge #18-20

Chubby Chernobyl #16-18

Looking for additional river info? Shoot us an email. info@theflyboxtn.com