The fishing is awesome. The past week has been spent working with and teaching folks some new ways to fish the tailwaters and rivers of East Tennessee. From custom built bamboo to lengthy low line weight all the way to Tenkara rods, the South Holston and Watauga Tailwaters are giving us many options. The Holston Proper is in a post spawn feeding frenzy and the big boys are HUNGRY!!!!.

The sulphurs and blackfly adults are coming off heavy on the South Holston, we are using parachute sulphurs when the hatch is in full swing and when you see the bulging rises add a size 22 Rainbow Warrior hung about ten inches off the bend of the hook. The Watauga has had the cicadas singing their mating song along the river and the browns really seem to like them when they fall out of the trees, a few pig rainbows also wanted to gorge themselves on them as well.

The post-spawn feeding frenzy is in full swing on the Holston Proper. They spent a couple of weeks recuperating and now they are hungry. The bite has been on minnow and crawdad imitating streamers, we are getting them all throughout the water column. Mr. Bill “Nick” Boyd of the “Dubbing Teasers”, you can watch him tie at Troutfest as well as during the Fly Tiers Weekends at Little River Outfitters Fly Shop. Here he is holding is TWRA Angler Recognition 22″ smallmouth bass.

Nick said the big ones are nice, but it doesn’t matter the size its the tug that matters. The other member of the “Dubbing Teasers” that was along on the trip, Wendy, was enjoying fishing with her Walter Babb custom built bamboo rod as well as what she called “Tourist Mode”

Tourist Mode

Be sure to tune in again when we will be covering some leader techniques and fly selections for Tenkara fishing in East Tennessee.

Heres to tightlines and heavy nets!!!!!