TENNESSEE TROUT FISHING

South Holston & Watauga Rivers

Tennessee trout fishing on these rivers is unique by any standards.

If you have been thinking of taking a vacation soon, and you like fly fishing, let me introduce you to Tennessee trout fishing on the Watauga and South Holston Rivers. Thanks to the work of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and Trout Unlimited (TU) these rivers are considered to be among the best tailwater fisheries in the eastern United States.

The Watauga river, located just below Elizabethton, Tennessee, and only an hour from Asheville, is the home of many trophy trout. Although there is an abundance of streams in the upper sections at Wilber Dam for wading, most of the trophy trout have to be reached by boat. The sections that have all the trophy trout are strictly enforced by the Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency, which require the proper fishing license and trout stamp. The river offers approximately 5,000 to 6,000 trout per mile. The Watauga is so full of trout, you can see why there are many vacationers wanting to catch the fish of a lifetime.

The local hatches on this section of the river have a great number of Caddis, Midges, Sulphurs, and Blue Winged Olives that keep the trout very active almost any time of the year. The North Carolina Wildlife Resource Commission has regular stocking schedules for the release of certain amounts of trout into each stream according to the stream's holding capacity. This is because trout are a territorial fish and they need a certain amount of space to spawn properly. Stocking the streams occurs generally the first week of each month.

Near Bluff City, Tennessee the South Holston river begins, and this Tennessee trout fishing site is a nationally known fish hatchery for rainbow, and brown trout. These areas around the rivers have many creeks and streams which also breed wild trout. The river itself begins from a deep mountain lake where the water is cold all year round. Fly fishing is more than exciting from the time you start casting to the end of the day.

The upper section of the Wilber Dam has its best Tennessee trout fishing during the early spring and in the late fall. There have been fish caught in the upper section of the Dam that have weighed as much as 4 pounds.

With multiple hatches of several different types of insects, the middle section is always a good place to fish. By using a dropper rig you can place your flies below the strike indicator and reel in some great trout.

The trophy section can be fished all year round using nymph and streamer rigs because the water is deeper. Catch and Release laws are in effect for trout between 16 - 22 inches long.

Some of the local guide services supply lunch, snacks, and drinks, and even have full equipment rental or freebies. Some guide services even offer the approved fishing license and stamp.

For dry fly fishing use long leaders (12' would be wise) and tippets from 5x to 7x. You’ll need to be in stealth mode whether wading on or floating down the South Holston.

The local guide websites can offer such things as; fishing tips for rivers and streams, classes for beginners, reports about the local streams, and information on lodging and dining. Some guided fly fishing trips always practice Catch and Release to ensure that vast amounts of rainbow and brown trout will always be abundant.

With the abundance of trout streams in the surrounding areas of the Blue Ridge Mountains, you can choose from easy fly fishing, or fishing from a native wild trout stream. The backwoods streams may require some hiking to reach.

Whether you decide to wade or float for the trout of your life, your Tennessee trout fishing vacation on East Tennessee’s Watauga and South Holston Rivers will be worth the trip. Be sure to take along your best camera, because people aren’t going to believe the size of the trout you caught.

Here is the HATCH CHART for Eastern Tennessee trout fishing