Smoky Mountain Flyfishing And East Tennessee Tailwaters Reports

I have spent the last week looking at new areas of the Holston River to wade fish and guide on. I have found 3 new ones and today, I fished one of them. It is an exceptional stretch of water and it seems to provide a lot of solitude and an abundance of fish that are eager to take the right fly. If you are looking for new wade fishing water and you want to try one of these new offerings, just call me at 423-586-6198. The fly that the fish were looking at today was the Little Dark Olive Caddis.

Dave Reistenberg is a friend and a person I have guided in the past. Today he wanted to try the Holston River for big trout. He put in a long hard day and he caught many , many fish. The big fish were laying low and we enjoyed a record breaking, hot day in early May. We fished dry flies and caught fish. We fished Emergers and caught fish. We fished tandem nymph rigs and caught fish. Dave caught fish until he was tired. We had a great time on the river together and hopefully, we'll run into each other again. Good fishing to Dave.

Hugh

I have been trying to make this trip with Casey since last year and we finally got to complete it today. We made our way to the Holston River early this morning and we were into fish right away. Our biggest problem for most of the day was keeping trash off of the flies. You could not make two consecutive cast without stopping to clean the junk off that was covering the flies and the line. We carried two rods and when the fish did not want to feed on dry flies we would present them with nymphs. This kept fish on the line all day. It was great to be on the river with Casey and we hope to meet again.

Hugh

Bill Bolinger fished the Holston River, below Cherokee Dam today. He captured this scene by an elderly gentleman when he was leaving the river. Bill estimated this brown trout to be at least 24 inches long. I love placing these pictures that I receive from time to time, to show what can be caught in this great river. I'll be on the river tomorrow and I hope to have more good results to show all of our followers. If you are in Little River Outfitters be sure to thank Bill for sharing his trips with you.

Hugh

The best fishing of the year has arrived on the Holston River! I have been seeing a few bugs flying around during the last 2 trips that I made to the river, but they showed up in all their glory this morning. I was fishing a tandem nymph rig setup for about an hour this morning and I began to see hard slashing, water throwing strikes, taking place around me; and in just a few minutes a heavy hatch and feeding frenzy was under way. It seemed like every fish in the river was turned on. I removed my tandem rig setup and tied on a #22 Little Dark Olive Caddis and the fun began. I could hardly throw anywhere in the river without getting a strike. I had my camera but I did not take pictures and you can just mentally envision what the fish were doing. If it's dry fly action that you have been looking for, just give me a call at 423-586-6198.

Hugh

Cody and Conner are both Captains in the United States Army. They have been on a training program and been in Alaska for awhile. Cody had his own Clacka Craft and we had planned to do a float trip on the Holston River. The weather turned sour and we decided to just do a wade trip for as long as the weather allowed. We got a break during the morning and had nice weather for about 5 hours, but our good fortunes went downhill after that. It did not dissuade these guys and they fished in the rain for about 3 more hours. The fish kept on feeding and the guys seemed to enjoy the time spent outdoors. It was great to be with them and to know that we are being protected by great young men. I wish them a great career and good fishing.

Hugh

John and Eddie are Father in law and Son in law. They brought their families up to the Smokies to enjoy all the natural beauty. They wanted to do a guided flyfishing trip for their first experience on the water. We started on the West Prong of Little River and they were getting strikes in the first hole that they fished. They had only gone upstream about 20 yards and they began catching their first fish. They both had fish on in just minutes because the fish were feeding heavily. They got lots of practice on this small stream and we then moved to the Middle Prong. The feeding was even heavier on the Middle Prong than on the West Prong. This continued through the rest of the evening and both fellows caught numbers of fish. We all had a great afternoon and I know they will want to come back real soon.

Hugh

Charles Anderson, from Russellville, Tn. sent me this picture of a very nice brown that he caught recently in the Holston River. A big hand to him. There are more of these for the discerning angler.

Hugh

There comes a time each year when all the good positive things come together for the best fishing conditions that any river can offer. We are just about there on the Holston River, below Cherokee Dam. The water temperatures are great, the food is very abundant. The Caddis will start hatching any time this week. The water is turned off at the dam and will be for several weeks to come. We have newly stocked fish, 1 year old holdovers, 2 year old holdovers, 3 year old holdovers and on and on. Expect to see some very large fish if you are a real good angler. The older holdovers are just as smart as wild fish and they can really put a bend in your rod. Look at these fish and imagine your self behind the flyrod catching some just like this.

If I can help with a guided trip to a great tailwater, or to a mountain stream, just call 423-586-6198.

Hugh

IT HAS BEEN ALMOST A YEAR SINCE i HAVE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO FISH WITH MY WIFE! We went to Shoney's and had breakfast this morning and shortly after that we were on the river. One of the first things that we saw as we left home was a nice frost. It didn't take long until the temperature started rising and the fish were feeding like they were pretty hungry too. Since she had not cast a flyrod in months, Carolyn said, "do you think that I will still remember how to do this?" She was doing 60foot cast in just minutes and the fish were cooperating as well. I was really pleased with how fast she started catching fish and I certainly enjoyed a few hours on the river with her.

Hugh

Frank Smith lives in West Knoxville and he decided to meet with his friend David Anderson inside the Park to do some flyfishing. They had both done some float fishing on a tailwater and this time they wanted to learn about Nymph fishing inside the Park. We began at Metcalf Bottoms Picnic Area and worked on casting and mending skills. We them moved to another nearby section and actually put these new skills to the test for awhile. With one small fish caught here we then moved to the section of Little River above the Crusher Hole. The fish were feeding better here and both fellows caught browns and missed some strikes. After eating lunch we moved to the West Prong of Little River where the strikes came much faster. Several fish were caught here and finally we moved to the Middle Prong of Little River. After both men catching a few more we called it a day. It was a good day to be in the Park with two nice gentlemen. They learned well and I know they will be back at it soon. Good luck to them.

Hugh

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