Fishing Reports for Smoky Mountains and East Tennessee Tailwaters

I finally had a day off from guiding and tying flies so I drove up to the South Holston River and started at a very low spot on the river at about 8:30 this morning. There were just no fish feeding and no rises or takes on my dry fly or emerger. I managed to get hung up in a tree and did the unthinkable. While trying to pull the limb down to free the fly, I broke my rod. I ran up to Rod Champion's new fly shop, and he let me borrow his St. Croix Legend Elite. The rod that I normally use is a Legend Ultra and they felt somewhat similar. We had a conversation about what flies to use when there are no Sulfurs coming off and nothing seems to be feeding on the surface. I explained to him that I have become a real big fan of the Beadhead Rubberlegged Prince Nymph tied in sizes #18-20, when they are used as a dropper. Getting the fly down on the bottom seems to be the only thing that will make fish move in these conditions. He helped me tie on this rig before I left to go back downstream, so he would know just how to rig it. Above in the pictures is the results of fishing about 1-1/2 hours. The first four casts produced fish and it seemed to continue this way up the stream. After catching about 5 fish, I set the hook on a fish that felt real solid. This one took quite a few minutes to wear down and I realized that I had a real nice fish on. He measured out at 18in. and made a great day for me. I continued on until about 1:00 PM and the wind started blowing hard. By 1:15, I was off the water. The middle part of the day had been fantastic. I hope this report serves as some kind of a useful tool, to some of you, when the fish just don't seem to be feeding on top. Here is a picture of the fly.

flyfisherman1@charter.net beeboflyfishingguide@hotmail.com

Today, I had the pleasure of guiding Rick and Evan Alexander, from Knoxville. Evan was the youngest client that I have ever given training to. He is 9 years old and he sure poured his heart into learning to fish for the wary trout. He and his Dad were both beginners and we worked hard on skills all day. The morning began in Metcalf Bottoms and ended just below Elkmont. Both family members worked very hard to learn as much as they could for their first time out. We covered fishing with dry flies as well as nymphs and emergers. They have promised me to continue working at home and at every occasion they get to make it to the mountains. Good luck to both of them.

Hugh

Please remember that float trips are getting underway on the South Holston and Watauga Rivers. If you would like to book a trip, please contact me at:

flyfisherman1@charter.net

Today I met with Gary Jackson and this grandson, Travis from Virginia. This was Travis's first fishing trip on a mountain stream, and we decided to try the Oconaluftee River on the North Carolina side of the Park.

Hugh and I had checked the Oconaluftee out last week as we were going over to Deep Creek. The water levels looked better than most of the streams on the Tennessee side of the Park.

We found a good stretch of water down below Smokemont and began practicing casting and mending skills. Gary was an experienced flyfisherman, and Travis had practiced flyfishing on a pond near his home in Virginia. We moved on up the stream. The Thunderhead didn't get any strikes. We tied a Stimulator on Travis's line and Gary used a Caddis. After a while, we tied on droppers of a #18 Bead Head Prince Nymph for Gary and a Green Weenie for Travis. Neither had ever fished with droppers, so this type of fishing took some getting used to. Travis missed a big fish. Gary and I both saw the big splash. I don't know if the fish was after the Green Weenie or the Stimulator, as the fish surprised all of us. Being greatly disappointed, we headed to Cherokee for lunch.

After lunch, we went to Smokemont. I did some instruction on nymphing, and how Hugh and I tie the nymphing setup. I tied on our Biot Bodied Cahill and Smoky Mountain Blackbird Softhackle combo. This combo got several strikes, but no connections. Gary and Travis both preferred the single dry flies, because this is what they had been used to fishing with. I tied on a Snow Shoe Sulfur Comparadun for Travis, and almost immediately he missed a big fish. We were all greatly disappointed. Before the day was finished, there were more strikes but no connections.

Today, Saturday, Gary and Travis were planning on fishing in and around Gatlinburg. They were both great clients and very, very nice people. I wish them both the best.

If Hugh or I can help you with a trip, just call or email us.

Thanks,

Carolyn

Hugh is flyfisherman1@charter.net ,and Carolyn is beeboflyfishingguide@hotmail.com

I met with Joe today and we decided to run across the mountain to fish the Oconaluftee River. It seems to have a little more water in it and the water seems to be cooler. We started down low on the river and worked upstream for about 3hours. The fish just didn't seem to be feeding on nymphs or dries. We took a lunch break and came back to a spot a little higher up on the river. The fish had begun feeding but they seemed to be small in size. Joe fished this stretch of water with a Stimulator and had quite a few strikes. He only hooked a few small fish but he really increased his knowledge of handling a flyrod. He seemed to really enjoy himself and we had a great time fishing together. The sound of thunder finally sent us back to the Tennessee side of the mountain. I hope to see Joe again for a TAILWATER TRIP AT ANOTHER TIME THIS YEAR.

If Carolyn or I can help with a guided trip, please contact us at:

flyfisherman1@charter.net beeboflyfishingguide@hotmail'com

Carolyn and I received a little different request for guidance and instruction for today and what the individuals wanted, was to have us come to the Deep Creek Picnic Area and Campground and just watch us fish the stream as their day of instruction. They would walk along beside the stream and watch as we fished upstream. We didn't mind doing this type of instruction, but, the thought of trying to fish with tubers coming downstream in waves was enough to chill the blood. When we got there, we weren't disappointed by the numbers of tubers and swimmers. My first thought was --What have we gotten ourselves into?? When we walked out into the water, Carolyn gave me the look of -- Lord, please help us! Well, help us he did, and we were all in for a pleasant surprise.
The first hole that I threw my flies into had swimmers just 30feet from where I was casting. I had a fish on in less than 2 minutes. I couldn't believe it! I walked upstream about 12-15 feet and had another one on. This couldn't be happening?? I looked upstream and a whole line of tubers was about 50-75 feet above me. I stepped back and right on by me they slid. I silently said to myself, this is the last of the fish. I turned to the people on the bank and they said: "keep going". Inside, I was shaking my head, but I moved a few feet farther up stream
and cast again into a fast riffle. To my disbelief, I had two more fish on in less than 4 minutes. It had not been 2 minutes since the tubers came thru and the fish were feeding like crazy. I saw another line of tubers coming toward us and I got out of the water and walked up about 20 yards to where Carolyn was fishing. She had a tangle in her line so I handed my rod to her. Our friends were saying," let's see her do that now". In just a couple of casts she had a small one on. She released this fish and I saw tubers just up above her. I told her to take a few steps farther upstream and cast. She did, and hooked a very large fish. She had hooked a very large brown and played it for several minutes while everyone looked on. The friends on the bank were applauding and the tubers had stopped and gotten out of the water to watch the battle. It took about 12min. to subdue the fish and when we measured it, the fish was 15 inches long. She got some big smiles from everyone and a handshake. This turned out to be her biggest fish from Deep Creek. We fished on up the creek with our friends and onlookers watching. Finally, after everyone was getting tired, we felt some sprinkles and decided to call it a day. The clients seemed pleased to have this type of instruction and said they felt like they had learned by just watching how we cast and mend. We hope this helps, as they begin fishing on their own and we thank them for asking us over to instruct. It was an unusual experience and we were not expecting such good results.
If Carolyn or I can help with a guided trip, please contact us at:
flyfisherman1@charter.net beeboflyfishingguide@charter.net

Smoky Mountain Blackbird Softhackle.jpg (49825 bytes)

Carolyn and I met with Robbie and Brenda Brantley, from Dallas, Texas yesterday and we made our way to the South Holston River. The Brantley's did not have any flyfishing experience and we knew that it would be a full day of instruction. We arrived at the Weir Dam and spent the first 1/2 day doing casting and mending instructions. It seemed like just about the time that we began, the wind started getting up and it only got harder as the day went on. To say the least, it was a struggle for the two beginners. Trying to learn to cast in a strong wind is a near impossibility. The couple were as determined as anyone could be and stayed right with it. At lunch time, the pulse came down and we went to Webb's Store for lunch. No fish had been caught but lots of techniques had been passed on. If it ever seems like guiding is an easy job, you should just try it on a day like this one. The Brantley's were not discouraged and they got right back in the river and started on round two for the day. There was a small Sulfur hatch that began and fish were feeding pretty heavily for awhile. I worked with Robbie during this section and he struggled so hard to make proper presentations to these feeding fish, even with the wind giving him fits. They just would not take his fly.

On the last section that we fished, I worked with Brenda and she gave it all that she had to the last feeding fish of the day. There were times that the wind was blowing so hard that I was tangled around her while trying to show her how to cast to a rising fish. I wanted so much for her to get at least one fish before we stopped. It just would not happen. We got off the water when we knew that it was time for the generation to reach us. The Brantley's had tried like true champs in very difficult conditions. We left the river and drove back home and wished them the best. We also urged them to seek more casting instruction in the Dallas area as soon as they could. We knew that another time or two of instruction would get them to where they need to be as beginners. Our thanks to them for seeking guidance with us.

If Carolyn or I can be of help with a guided trip, please contact us at:
flyfisherman1@charter.net beeboflyfishingguide@hotmail.com

I met with Ron Bradford this morning at Webb's Store and we went straight to the river and began fishing. It was pretty foggy on the river for a few minutes, but this cleared up real fast. Ron caught about 4 fish and we went to lunch. There did not seem to be any insects hatching and we decided on a new stretch of the river. We spent a lot of time working on casting and mending during the morning since Ron was not familiar with fishing a dropper. He picked up on landing fish the proper way real fast and later in the day it became real important, as he hooked several nice fish. We moved after lunch to a new spot and still did not connect with some feeding fish. It was almost 4:30PM when a Sulfur hatch started and Ron was into some very nice fish. As you can see from the pictures, he caught several that took lots of line off before he could get them slowed down. This day turned into one of the better ones this year. I really enjoyed the day with Ron and I hope he is back on the river again soon. The fly of the day was the Sulfur ComPara Dun

If Carolyn or I can help with a guided trip, email or call us at: 423-586-6198.

Hugh

Today, I met with Justin Church and his friend Mark, from the Durham, North Carolina area. We fished below the Weir Dam until lunch and there was not too much feeding activity going on. Justin is a new Father and Mark is a soon to be new Father. They both worked hard on their casting and mending skills all day. Being off the water for a few months can cause you to become rusty. Part of the skills that I teach everyone is the art of playing a large fish after you have hooked it and then how to land a fish without the use of a net. I hooked a very nice 15 in. rainbow while I was teaching some casting and mending skills to Mark. This was a great opportunity for him to see all the best skills used to play and bring into your feet, a large fish. I then showed him how to land the fish properly. This was all done while he was controlling the fish. He did a great job as you can see in the pictures of going thru the whole process, from start to finish. We continued to fish after lunch, but the river was covered with fishermen, where ever we went. We finally had to call it a day when the thunder and lightning started. It was great to see some needed rain as I drove home. I sure enjoyed the day with both guys and I hope they take the skills and put them into practice later in the weekend.

If Carolyn or I can help with a guided trip, please contact us at:

flyfisherman1@charter.net beeboflyfishingguide@hotmail.com

I met with Bob Merriman today and we fished Little River all day. The fishing was slow and I took a lot of time going over Nymphing techniques and just mastering the art of handling a flyrod. Bob caught two or three fish and missed quite a few strikes while nymphing with the Blackbird. The water levels are getting very low and the fishing will just get tougher as the days go by without rain.

If you do feel like you would like to take a guided trip, we recommend that you choose a trip to a Tennessee Tailwater until the water levels and temperatures get in better shape.

Hugh

I met today, with Wayne Gregory and Jim Cox, along with their wives, Kathy and Sharon.
We drove to the South Holston and fished part of the morning below the Weir Dam. We only took 1 good fish there and we worked mostly on instruction for casting and mending techniques. After 3:00 PM we moved to the Big Springs Road area. We got in an area where we could see down in the water and we counted so many large browns that we lost count. Some of these fish looked like they would have weighed upwards of 10-12 pounds. Many looked to be in the 16-20 inch range. Sharon managed to have one of the big fish come up and take a Sulfur Compara Dun, but was not able to hook it. It was great fun fishing with this awesome foursome. We look forward to seeing them back in East Tennessee soon.

If Carolyn or I can help with a guided trip, please contact us at:
flyfisherman1@charter.net beeboflyfishingguide@hotmail.com

I met with Gene and Kevin Cain from Jackson, Tenn. on Monday and we fished all day on Little River. The day started off pretty good in the Metcalf Bottoms area with Kevin taking a 10 inch brown right away. We moved on up stream after about one hour and caught a few small trout. Gene worked a dry fly and Kevin used a Smoky Mountain Blackbird Softhackle to take a couple of fish. Later in the day the fish just turned off and we felt like low pressure was moving in and by the end of the evening, it was raining. We sure do need it. We said our goodbyes and I wished them well when they come to the Park again. I enjoyed the day with a great Father and Son team. I hope they have many more outing together.

Hugh

Dave Lash of the Atlanta Flyfishing Club was up to the Smokies with a group of fellow anglers. He also brought his best buddy, who happens to be his son with him. We spent the whole day on the OCONALUFTEE River and practiced Nymphing techniques with the tandem rig set up. The bottom fly was the Smoky Mountain Blackbird Softhackle, and it did well today. Both guys were excellent students and they both caught numbers of fish. Kevin wanted to fish the Stimulator some so we switched him back to a dry set up. He caught fish all through the day, while Dave just nymphed away.

The seemed to be a little more water on the North Carolina side of the Park and the water temps were good. Not very many insects were hatching off so the guys just worked the water to whatever trout might be hungry. We had a great day together the guys will get to fish a couple of more days before returning home. Good luck to them and hurry back soon.

If Carolyn or I can be of help with a guided trip, please contact us at:

flyfisherman1@charter.net beeboflyfishingguide@hotmail.com

Wayne Register, from near New Bern, N.C. met with me and we fished the South Holston and Watauga Rivers. When we arrived at the South Holston, the water had been turned off and it was running the lowest that I have ever seen it. We managed to fish for awhile and caught a few fish, but it was getting so skinny that we decided to move over to the Watauga. We first went to Webb's Store and had some fantastic lasagna with garlic bread that was out of this world. We drove over to the Hunters Bridge area on the Watauga River and fished downstream. There were some good hatches taking place when we arrived and they got a little heavier as the evening went on. Sulfurs were the biggest item that we saw, as well as Golden Drakes. Wayne managed to catch, or get strikes from numbers of fish. They seemed to be more interested in the little Beadhead Rubberlegged Prince Nymph than any other fly that we fished. It was a great day on the water with Wayne and I hope to see him in the East Tenn. area again.
If Carolyn or I can help with a guided trip, please contact us at:
flyfisherman1@charter.net beeboflyfishingguide@hotmail.com

David and Kim Stapleton are friends and members in the church that Carolyn and I attend. He has talked to me about wanting to learn to flyfish a little better and he and Kim own a beautiful piece of property right on the Holston River. We made a breakfast date at their place, and after eating like I was famished, we hit the river. The pulse was coming down at the time we got into the water and you could barely tell that the river had risen at all. We worked for sometime on casting and mending skills and started up toward a set of shoals. There were a few fish feeding, but the wind was blowing somewhat and it made casting a little tough for David. Carolyn was back in the yard working with Kim. After a couple of other fishermen left, we moved up into the shoals. The fish were feeding some here and we began to connect with a few nice rainbows. I tried to cover all the aspects with David while we were catching some and he was casting well enough to hook some fish on his own by the early afternoon. It was great to get to visit with friends and have some easy casual time to set down and relax and talk. I look forward to spending time with them again and hope to get them on a float trip sometime soon.

The fishing is great on the Holston River right now. You can float or wade and catch some very nice trout. Fish of 15-20 in. are common and a few may run up to 24in. If Carolyn or I can help, just contact us at:

flyfisherman1@charter.net beeboflyfishingguide@hotmail.com

Pete Gornohas and I met today and fished on Little River. Pete had a small amount of experience and we just added all that we could to it by fishing dry flies and tandem rigged nymphs as we passed thru the different types of water. One type required dry flies and the other required nymphs. This gave Pete a well rounded day and much experience at fishing both methods. He caught many more fish on the tandem rigged nymphs setup and I believe he will become a converted nymph fisherman. He was a great student and tried to do every skill that I showed to him. He was working the nymph setup very well by the end of the day.

I look forward to seeing Pete on the stream again soon and I hope that he gets a lot of time on the water.

If Carolyn or I can help with a guided trip, just contact us at:

flyfisherman1@charter.net beeboflyfishingguide@hotmail.com

John Gibson and I met at LROs for 1/2 day of flyfishing on Abrams Creek. John had taken a beginners class at Little River Outfitters several weeks ago and was following it up with some actual time on the stream. It was a hot day in the mountains and wet wading felt good.
We started out with a single Smoky Mountain Blackbird and worked on casting and mending skills for about 1/2 hour. We then began to move upstream and John had a couple of fish on in the second run that he fished. We moved to the third hole and he continued to hook fish, but he was having a little trouble getting them all the way to his hand. We went right on up the stream and he was hooking fish as we went. After about 3 hours, we took a break and walked back to the car for a rest and some snacks. We talked about many of the things that he had worked on and what to do, to get some of those hookups all the way to the point of landing.

After about a 30- 45 minute break, we were back on the stream. This time he took my flyrod, which was rigged with a tandem rig setup. They had been hitting the SMBSH, so it was the bottom fly on this setup. He was immediately catching fish and he did so for the rest of the time we were in the stream. He wound up hooking or catching at least 1 dozen fish, which was pretty good for his first time out. I hope that John can get back on the stream real soon to practice his new found skills.

If Carolyn or I can help with your desires to become a true flyfisherman, just contact us at:

flyfisherman1@charter.net beeboflyfishingguide@hotmail.com

Greg Williams , from Lexington Kentucky, is the luckiest man that I have fished with this year. We met at LROs and made our way to the Metcalf Bottoms Picnic Area early this morning. We worked on my usual casting and mending techniques, that always come at the beginning of the class for about 20 minutes. We had on a Stimulator so that we would be able to see just where the fly was and how his cast were developing. I decided to move him just downstream to some good dryfly water, and he started working upstream just as I had showed him while practicing. He had only moved about twenty feet upstream and I pointed to a seam that had a dark spot of water underneath a rock that was partially submerged. I told him to cast upstream of that section and to bring his fly back down through the seam, which he did. On his second pass thru the run, a very large brown trout rolled out from underneath the rock and took the Stimulator. I yelled jerk and he instantly set the hook. As soon as the fish felt the hook he was airborne and turned a cartwheel in the air. There right before our eyes was a gorgeous 18-20 in. brown that was as big around as my forearm and as long as it is from my fingertips to my elbow. We were as stunned as the fish and our eyes were bugged out and our mouths were wide open, in awe. When the big boy did the cartwheel in the air it came back down and landed on the leader, popping it. The fish was gone in a flash but it came back out of the water a little farther upstream, trying to throw the fly in it's mouth.

It is a rarity for a new beginner to hook into such a nice fish and I told Greg, "what a lucky person he was".

We continued to fish thru the afternoon with nymphs and Greg caught several more fish. I think it was a great first experience. I hope the class causes him to continue on in his quest for the beautiful fish that we love so much. I hope to see him in the Park again.

Hugh

If Carolyn or I can help with a guided trip, please contact us at:
flyfisherman1@charter.net beeboflyfishingguide@hotmail.com

Ed Mcintire got in touch with me a few weeks ago and he and his friend Mitch wanted to try a wade trip or float trip on the South Holston River. Since there has been no generation, we had to wade yesterday. Both guys really looked good with their casting and mending techniques. We started on Big Springs Road and they were into fish pretty fast. We moved upstream in a couple of hours and the bright sun on the water really put the fish down. We decided to have lunch at Webb's Store and then we were back on the river again above the Hickory Tree Bridge. The Sulfurs started hatching off while we were fishing upstream and we did not seem to do as well with dries as we did with the new Beadhead Rubberlegged Prince Nymph. The fish seemed to be feeding heavily on the emerger stage. This was the spot that Ed seemed to catch the most fish. Mitch said that he had taught Ed everything that he knows??? BOTH GUYS REALLY DID THEMSELVES PROUD ON THIS RIVER AND I REALLY ENJOYED GUIDING THEM. I HOPE TO SEE THEM BACK ON THIS RIVER WHILE THE SULFUR HATCH IS TAKING PLACE.

If you have been wanting to fish the South Holston River while this great hatch is taking place, the time has arrived. It will continue to take place thru October and we would love to show you first hand just what beautiful fish can be caught. Now is the time to get in touch with us to take a fantastic wade trip. If water levels improve, there will be float trips also.

Our fly for this trip was the Beadhead Rubberlegged Prince Nymph tied in a size #18.

I have said at times before, fishing can be tough, even for professionals. Yesterday was one of those days. I spent the whole day on two different streams with Host Spielman and we were not able to get a single fish. There were thousands of insects hatching off all day, but no fish were feeding. We used two different set ups of tandems rigged nymphs, but the fish were totally hunkered down on the bottom and would not take anything. We did managed to work on lots of the skills needed to fish the tandem rig setup and Horst stayed right with it all through the day. Since the insect activity was very heavy yesterday, I was able to devote a lot of time to insect identification and how to match the insects that we were seeing. I think he will be able to take his new found skills and use them a little later on when the fish are feeding a little more. As I said at the beginning, sometimes fishing can be tough and I want to be honest when we have one of those days. There will be better ones in the days to come.

Hugh

This was our final day with Mike and Marci, and since the water was still high in the Park we went back to the Holston River. I spent most of the day with Mike on our second day, and boy, did he start catching fish right away. It seemed like the fish had moved up into the upper part of the shoals and they were feeding like crazy. One after another, Mike was hauling them in. Every fish was a small to medium sized brown. Carolyn and Marci were on the other side of the run and they were getting some fish , but Mike was really having a great day. We ended the day kind of early so that Marci could rest her back and on the way back to their car, we took them by Cherokee Dam and showed them where we used to live. in Jefferson City. We had a lot of great conversation with Mike and Marci over the last couple of days and it was a little sad to see them leaving for Texas this afternoon. We hope to see them again sometime.

Again, the hot fly of the day was the Green Caddis Emerger.
If Carolyn or I can be of help to you in fishing this great tailwater, please contact us at:
flyfisherman1@charter.net beeboflyfishingguide@hotmail.com

MIKE AND MARCI DAMERON, from CRAWFORD, Texas met Carolyn and I this morning and we fished the Holston River all day. We had intended to fish in the Park but the water was high and the Holston was a logical choice. They had taken a beginners flyfishing class with Little River Outfitters and gone over quite a few of the steps to prepare them to be on the stream. Rains had made the Park waters high so it was not the best choice for the moment. We started with casting and mending techniques and worked for a few minutes on this. It wasn't long until Marci had her first fish. In just a few minutes, Mike had one also. This kept going for awhile and Marci started having problems with her cast. We kept working on this until she was tired. At about 1:00PM, we broke for lunch and while we were eating, I outlined some things that we needed to work on when we got back into the water. We moved higher up the river when we returned and Marci practiced these skills and caught 2 fish in the process. We moved a little higher upstream and this is where we really started seeing numbers of strikes and Marci was pulling ahead real fast. We fished for a few more hours and called it a day at about 6:00PM. It turned out to be a fine day on the river and tomorrow we will try to have an even better one. The Elk Hair Caddis and the Green Caddis Emerger were the flies of the day. If Carolyn or I can help with GUIDED TRIP, JUST LET US KNOW.

flyfisherman1@charter.net beeboflyfishingguide@hotmail.com

Today, Carolyn and I visited the Nances Ferry section of the Holston River. We had to wait for a break in the rain which took until the afternoon. There were quite a few people already there when we arrived so we moved out into the first run and there was already a boat with a spin fisherman there. I caught several fish pretty quickly and we moved on up the river to a more open area. We probably had about 300 yards of distance between us and anyone else, when we got back into the river, and as soon as I caught the first fish, a young man came downriver and got right in beside me within casting distance. After catching one or two we moved on upstream and started fishing again. We began catching fish again right away and they were all taking the Green Caddis Emerger. I caught my first brown at Nances Ferry this year at this spot.

After catching 5 fish, I got out and let Carolyn have it to herself. I watched over Boomer and tried to keep him on the bank and let her not be distracted by him. That did not last very long and as soon as she started catching fish, right out into the river he swam to chase the fish down. He has become a pure fish retriever. He would not listen to me or her, and went right after the fish, with us scolding him as strongly as we could. I know that everyone on the river heard us and we were embarrassed so badly that we wanted to hide. He got tangled up in the fish and the tandem set of flies so badly that he broke them completely off her rod and when we got him to the bank, he had one in his upper lip. We managed to get that out and we left immediately with red faces. Boomer, the water dog!

It seems like it has been forever since Carolyn and I had a day to spend on the river with each other, and out Golden Labrador, Boomer. Today was the day, and we all enjoyed it immensely. The fish were feeding on small Tan Caddis when we arrived and this went on for at least three hours. We both seemed to be missing a lot of strikes and it was on the 9th attempt that I managed to hook and hold onto my first one. We had a tough time keeping Boomer from getting to the fish as I landed it. It seemed to be about a 12-13in. fish.

Carolyn found a pod of fish feeding above where we had been fishing and really got into some nice ones. We both caught or hooked several nice fish and it was great to get back on the stream together. We haven't made too many trips to the Holston, below Cherokee Dam this year, but it is fishing great and we would like to invite you to take a guided trip in the next few weeks on this fine tailwater. The Caddis are hatching, and the fish are actively feeding. Contact us to get into a prime float or wade trip or this great water.

flyfisherman1@charter.net beeboflyfishingguide@hotmail.com

Little Dark Olive Caddisfly 3.jpg (151213 bytes)

Today, I had the pleasure of fishing with and teaching an Advanced Nymphing Class with one of the nicest gentlemen that I have had the opportunity to meet. Kevin Thomas serves our country and teaches as well so I have great appreciation for him. He is so talented with the flyrod that he made the class look like a piece of cake. We started at the Metcalf Bottoms Picnic Area and the flies were really hatching off when we got into the water. Little Yellow Sallies were everywhere. The fish were taking Kevin's flies from the start. Within two to three minutes, he had had a couple of fish on. The only problem that Kevin was having was timing on his hook sets. I told him that this was the last thing to overcome when fishing the tandem rig without an indicator. We fished for several hours and the feeding slowed down as the strong sun got up high overhead. I enjoyed watching Kevin's enthusiasm and his expertise on the water. If you have the opportunity to fish with him, take it. You will certainly enjoy the day. I'm sure that I 'll see Kevin again soon and I wish him the best as he pursues this sport through the coming years. I'm sure that I'll see him out teaching on the stream in years to come.

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I had talked last year with Jonathon Hata about doing a trip with his Father in Law John Lawrence and himself on the Holston River. We finally got to work it in today. John had not had too much time on the river so we worked with him almost exclusively to help with his casting and mending techniques. We worked thru many tangles and twists as the day wore on and John hooked several fish and lost some of them, We were at three different places during the course of the day and he was very brave and determined to give it his best shot even with the wind giving us trouble. We finally managed to get into some feeding fish toward the end of the day. It was great fun.
Jonathon had a little more experience with a flyrod and hooked a few fish also. They both made a great team together and the last part of the day was the best for them. I told them that I wanted John to get back on the water real soon to keep his experience level up and I believe they will. It was great to be on the water with them and I look forward to seeing them again sometime.

If Carolyn or I can be of help, please contact us at:
flyfisherman1@charter.net beeboflyfishingguide@hotmail.com

As I mentioned in the last report, I fished with Chuck Neidhart and Terry Ragsdale for three days. During these 3 days, they continued to tell me of the success they had in different areas they had fished while using the Beadhead Rubberlegged Prince Nymph, tied on a # 18 hook. I have fished with the Prince Nymph for many years, but I did not consider it to be a great tailwater fly. I did not tie it for my Tailwater fly Page in a size #18 either. They continued to use it on two different rivers and consistently caught fish on the #18 and #16. I felt that it was necessary to provide this fly for sell after seeing just how effective it was. All credit for the success goes to each of them because they caught fish consistently for 3 days on it. My thanks to them for showing it to me and how great a fly it really is.

The fly is now available to the public and it will be tied in several versions as the days go by. Look for newer selections during the coming days.

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I really had three fun filled days on the water with Chuck and Terry from Huntsville Alabama. We spread our time out on the Holston below Cherokee Dam and the South Holston Rivers. These guys were a blast to be with and the fun never stopped. They were great fishermen and they both had some great fish on and really showed their skills. The second day was a rain event and it did not slow them down one bit. We arrived at Nances Ferry and got into some of the wildest feeding that I've seen this year. The rain cooled that down almost as fast as it started. Our next day on the South Holston was the best of the three days. Some beautiful fish were caught and photographed, but a certain guide had left the memory card out of his camera and lost all of those images??? The last day saw some nice fish being caught and lost. Five nice fish were hooked by Terry and all got away. One big brown was hooked by Chuck and it broke the line. It was one of those days.

Anyway, it was a great three day fishing adventure and I hope the guys enjoyed it as much as I did.

If Carolyn or I can help with a guided trip, please contact us at:

flyfisherman1@charter.net beeboflyfishingguide@hotmail.com

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