September River Report - South Holston & Watauga Rivers
South HolstoN RIVER
Cool weather and happy fish! September has been a fantastic month here in East Tennessee.
On the South Holston River for the majority of September the generation schedule was 0/10 CFS in the mornings and then 2000 CFS in the afternoon. On Saturday September 23, the South Holston moved to a 1300 CFS outflow. It looks like this should hold for a bit. Definitely keep checking the schedule as this is always subject to change.
For 1300 CFS we like fishing our deeper In-Line Rig or a light Bottom Bounce rig. Try using 2-3 pieces of split shot to get that indicator ticking. If you don’t see a steady tick, then move your indicator up or add more weight.
Pheasant tails and midges. Bring primarily black nickel and copper beads. We don’t fish many flies above a #16 but regularly go down to a #20. Lately we’ve found many fish are keying in on a hot spot collar. Bullet Quill, Olive Quill, and Olive Hot Spot are all strong perdigons to choose from.
We don’t recommend wading over 500CFS, so for now wade fisherman should head to the Watauga or Mountain Streams which are both fishing well.
If we do get flows for wade fishing in October on the South Holston River, we recommend fishing dry droppers or light in-line rigs. Midges, small pheasant tails, and perdigons will do the trick subsurface. Try the Master Baetis, Weiss’ Dark, and #20 Olive Quill for deadly low-water options. Odds are that you will see fish rising on Sulphurs, BWOs, and midges. Have Puffdaddy’s, Birchell’s Hatch Midges, CDC Thorax BWOs ready to roll. Don’t forget about the fishing near Big Springs and Old Weaver Pike.
Dry Fly Fishing
Throughout the last few weeks, we have seen some great afternoon Sulphur hatches on the South Holston. The peak hatch time can vary but we recommend being out and ready from 2-4pm if possible. We are also seeing Blue Winged Olives hatching as well. It’s definitely worth having a few of your favorite BWO patterns in your box this time of year.
When there is no hatch occuring, fish can still be fed on midge dry patterns like the Morgan’s Midge and Hatch Birchell’s Midge. Definitely keep your leaders long and your tippet light. With this lower 1300 CFS flow, make sure to not get right on top of the fish. Give them some room to breathe and be stealthy.
Looking Ahead
We forecast that October will be another killer month of fishing. Fall will hit its peak and both the South Holston and Watauga Rivers will be absolutely beautiful.
It’s likely that generation will continue as the lake levels are being lowered to reach winter pool. Currently the lake is at 1722ft, winter pool is around 1705ft so we have about 12ft to go until then. We also expect there to be great hatches throughout the next 4 weeks so get on it while you can.
This time of year, you never know if the next fish you hook will be the fish of a lifetime!
Don’t forget sections of the South Holston will close for spawning beginning on November 1. With old man winter around the corner, get in the fishing while you can!
Click here for the South Holston Dam generation schedule!
Suggested Patterns
Dries
CDC Thorax BWO #18
Birchell’s Hatch Midge #20
Sulphur Comparadun CDC and Deer hair #16-18
Sulphur Sparkle Dun #16
Nymphs
Stripper Midge #18-20
Olive Quill #16-20
Tungsten Pheasant Tail #16-18
Olive Midge with Black Nickel and Copper Bead #18-20
WATAUGA RIVER
For our boat anglers, know that the Watauga has had very low flows. We may not be getting 220-250 CFS as advertised. Not a bad idea to go to sections of the river you know getting your boat through will be easy. You may have to get out to push your boat a little bit more than usual.
However, for wade fisherman this is a good time to fish the Watauga. Especially since the South Holston is generating 1300CFS continuously at the moment. We’ve been fishing dry-droppers with chubby’s and other smaller dries. Try stimulators, sulphurs, small midges. For nymphs under your dry, small pheasant tails, perdigons, and midges are the move. Olive Hot Spot, Weiss Dark, Master Baetis, are producing to name a few.
Recently, a 4pm-8pm “2 or more” generation schedule has started. This will be solid for streamer anglers looking to do evening floats near the upper section.
Looking Ahead
As the weather cools off, there likely won’t be as many fish eating the Chubby Chernobyls. When this happens, you can keep it on and fish it as a stealthy indicator or move to a shallow in-line rig. Swinging soft-hackle flies can be really productive throughout the fall as well on both rivers.
Click here for the Wilbur Dam generation schedule!
Suggested Patterns
Nymphs
Olive Midge w/ Copper Bead #18
Weiss Dark #20
American Pheasant Tail No Bead #18
Duracell w/ Copper Bead #18
Dry Flies
Sulphur Puffdaddy #18
Micro Chubby #14
Hatch Birchell’s Midge #20
Morgan’s Midge #20
Mountain Streams
September and October are great months to fish East Tennessee backcountry mountain streams. With cooler temps and changing leaves, it’s no doubt one of the best times of year to get out before winter hits.
Make sure to check delayed harvest regulations for your stream of choice.
For our rig, we have been fishing a 7.5ft 4x, and sometimes trim that down if the canopy gets tight for casting. When water is clear, fishing 6x has been key for us. If the water is stained after rain, 5x will do just fine.
For the knot attaching the dry fly, we like to tie a non-slip mono loop knot. This enables the fly to have more articulation in the water with micro-currents. Use a Chubby Chernobyl as top fly or large Parachute Adams.
We like Roan Mtn State Park, Tennessee Laurel, Whitetop Laurel, and Beaverdam Creek. Just to name a few! All within an hour of our shop.
One point to note is that once the leaves fall off the trees, getting a clean drift can be tricky. So therefore, go fish asap!
Suggested Fly Patterns
Nymphs
#16 RC Leggy
#18 Hare’s Ear Natural Gold Bead
#16 Tungsten Soft Hackle Pheasant Tail
#20 Olive Quill
Dry Flies
#14 Micro Chubby
#14 Stimulator
#14 Parachute Adams
#16 Elkhair Caddis
PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT
New Fishpond Thunderhead Lumbar Small Submersible!
While we have been fishing small streams we have really been digging the new Fishpond Lumbar Small. One of the best aspects of this pack is its detachable lumbar strap, which allows you to easily switch between a standalone lumbar pack and a fully integrated pack on our Switchback Wading Systems.
Key Features
Able to put on other belt systems.
Keeps your kit minimal so you can focus on necessities
Waterproof just in case you take a spill
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? We love to focus on education and helping accelerate your learning curve.
Lots of great programs are rolling now. South Holston, Watauga, Smallmouth, Mountain Streams. Now is the time of year to pull the trigger and go! We have guides available for you and your crew. See you on the water soon!