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October 23, 2012
until the snow is flying. The browns on the Watauga and South Holston are making redds and beginning their spawning ritual. The colors on the browns have been spectacular this year.
Soon it will be time for our Winter Float Trip Specials and you can go sling some streamers for the big trophy trout these tow tailwaters are noted for. Keep an eye on this blog for the Winter Trip Special pricing announcement.
Mark your calendars for November 3rd and 4th, 2012 and be sure to attend the WNC Fly Fishing Expo at the Ag Center in Asheville, NC. It is located across the street from the Asheville Airport. If you want to learn more about Tenkara casting and fishing techniques then be sure to come to the show. I will be giving casting and fishing technique demos on the casting pond throughout the weekend. When I am note giving casting demos, look for me in the A & S Outfitters Fly Shop booth, you may also find me in the TFO, Chota and Flymen Fishing Company booths as well. I hope to see you there.
May 14, 2012
The past week has been a bunch of smallie and trout doubles for my clients. The trout on the Watauga have been on fire for zebra midges most of the day. Jim and Susan were constantly hooking up on doubles as the fished the Upper Watauga near Wilbur Dam and Bee Cliff Cabins. Casting accuracy was needed as we work the midges in tight places to get the bite, their patience and excellent casting skills helped them throughout the day.
Then it was on to smallmouth bass on the Holston Proper and they excelled at teasing those stubborn smallies into biting in some tight cover. The barometric pressure was all over the map that day making the fish very lethargic, but their ability to hit small targets and making their flies look so life like helped them get the bigger smallies to bite. The Double G was the best topwater fly and the Tequeelly was the best streamer for the day.
A father and daughter duo from Cincinnati, Ohio had another great day on the Holston Proper. They had never fly fished for smallmouth bass or thrown streamers and big popper flies, so we had a little casting lesson first thing that morning and then off to fishing. Hillary picked up on how to fish for them quickly. She really got a nice smallie as her first about a hour into the float. After landing this hard fighting smallie she said, “this is absolutely awesome and I will be back to do this again SOON”. She became very good at sight fishing, seeing the bass in the shallows and casting her fly to the best spot and enticing the bass to eat. Dad was just happy to clean up any fish that she left in the spots.
Well this coming weekend is Troutfest. I will be in the Temple Fork Outfitters booth with my good friends, Rick Pope, Bob Clouser and Lefty Kreh. Be sure to stop by and register for a float trip with me. There will be an old wicker creel with sign up slips on one of the tables in the booth. Hope to see you there.
October 24, 2011
Well the fall colors are absolutely spectacular this year. The rain systems we have been getting are hleping with river flows but they add the needed moisture to make for great colors as the leaves change. We are seeing lots of great colors in the rainbows and browns we are catching as they get fired up for the spawning season so upon us.
 
The South Holston is seeing a good migration of the browns moving to the spawning zones and they are feeding heavily as they travel. The colors on these fish are amazing. They are deep nymphing techniques are working very well in the deep seams, some of the better fish came on “big uglies” this past week. The sulphurs are still coming off sporadically, but the BWO’s are now becoming the predominant hatch.
 
The Watauga is fishing varied throughout the week. Some days the upper section is the best and then the Quality Zone is the best on others. The Craneflies, BWO’s and cream Midges are the main hatches each day. Long leaders in the 6x and 7x sizes are what it is taking to get these spooky fish to bite. But if you get it right there are plenty of nice fish to catch as Mr. Noah can attest to. He caught is personal best brown and rainbow on a recent trip with his dad. He has turned into quite a fisherman and just enjoys the days on the water with his dad.
The Holston Proper is slowing down on the bite with all these cold fronts coming through, but if we get several nice 70 degree days the bite gets active again. On the most recent trip we were getting them on small white streamers representing all the minnows in the waters. You had to work it slow and get it down to the mid levels of the water column but the rewards were great.
We will have a booth at the upcoming WNC Fly Fishing Expo in Asheville North Carolina on November 5th and 6th. Be sure to mark you calendars and stop by to see us. For more info and directions go here WNC Expo
Give us a call or email to get your fall fishing trip in before its to late.
May 23, 2011
Another great week of fishing on the South Holston, Watauga, and now Holston Proper. We are having great success for trout with a new nymphing technique using the new TFO BVK rods and throwing some new design flies from Bob Clouser on Clouser rods. Give me a call and let us get you out there learning to catch above average fish with these new techniques.
 
 
 
May 6, 2011
The Watuaga and South Holston Tailwaters are fishing out of sight. The trips this week have been just awesome, great clients and great fishing make for some big grins. The Watauga has cranflies, sulphurs, BWO’s and midges coming off all over the river. The South Holston is seeing the start of the sulphur season and the fish are feeding very well on them.
There are a few openings remaining in the months of May and June, give me a call or email to get out there and experience the East Tennessee Tailwaters at their finest.
 
 
 
 
March 22, 2011
The TVA is still pushing water on both the Watauga and South Holston. We floated the Watauga today and it was top shelf fishing. Plenty of great browns and rainbows. There was a little BWO hatch in the morning, but they didn’t stick around very long. The wind played some havoc on trying to cast dries when we saw fish rising. The best technique was nymphing without strike indicators.
March 5, 2011
This week has been absolutely excellent on the South Hoslton. There are BWO’s coming off, midges as well, so dries can get some. The nymphing techniques are bring plenty of fish to the net. Then there is the streamer “Chuck & Duck” method, which ahs been top shelf, lots of really nice browns coming in for the obligatory “Grip and Grin” shots. It looks like we will have plenty of generation the next week due to the rains this weekend, so give me a call and lets go wear out your arm slinging streamers.
January 24, 2011
This year I am offering a couple of new trip options for you. The first is a fly fishing-fly tying day for one or two persons. We will start the day fishing and then after lunch we will get out the vises and have a personal tying session, then go back to fishing mid afternoon into the evening. Think how great it will be to catch fish on the flies you have tied. The cost for these trips is $300 for one angler and $350 for two.
 
 
The other new fishing trip will be fishing for long nose gar. These are the nastiest prehistoric looking fish we have in Tennessee. Using custom tied flies and lures you will watch them rise to the surface to feed and breath, make the cast, let them take the fly and then enjoy the fight. Come fish for one of these extremely toothy critters.
Give us a call and get yourself booked for one of our new trips for 2011.
January 9, 2011
 
 
Hello everyone from Troutfishers Guide Sevice
I want to take this opportunity to thank each of you for fishing with me this past year. It was a good year. The South Holston gave us great Sulphur hatches and the Watauga was productive with the Caddis and Crane Flies.
I have been blessed to have such a dedicated group of customers. I greatly appreciate each of you for choosing me as your guide.
I will be doing four shows this year:
Fly Fishing Show in Raleigh NC, January 29th & 30th
Great Southern Fishing Show in Atlanta GA, February 19th & 20th
Kentuckiana Fly Fishing Show in Louisville KY, February 26th
Troutfest in Townsend TN, May 14th & 15th
I hope you can attend one in your area. Be sure to stop by and visit me.
I am currently booking trips so don’t delay to make sure you get the days you want. The Caddis Hatch occurs on the Watauga in April. Sulphurs on the South Holston are best from mid May thru October and Smallies on the Holston Proper from early April to November.
I am offering special pricing of three separate (3) full day float trips for the price of two (2). Full payment for this offer is required by February 28, 2011. Trips can be scheduled on available dates of your choice any time during 2011. This offer does not apply to multi-boat or corporate trips.
The Winter Float Trip Discount of $235 for a 6 hour float trip is still in effect for trips taken before March 13, 2011.
We also have special rates in effect for 2011 for the Trophy Trout trips on our private waters, call or email for details.
With Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, and Father’s Day all coming soon, my gift certificates are a great way to tell them how much you love them.
I look forward to seeing you again in 2011.
Thanks
Randy Ratliff
Troutfishers Guide Service
Kingsport, Tennessee
423-360-1468
November 21, 2010
The Watauga is fishing at both ends of the extremes as far as fly sizes. Those drive you crazy itty bitty midges, size 26 to 30 are working very well. Small midge dries and emergers can be tough to fish, but the rewards can be excellent. Grey and black are the best. Then you can also have a great day swinging and stripping big bad to the bone wooly buggers. Seeing those fish come up behind the fly as you strip it and them, WHAM!!!, the fight is on.
The South Holston is fishing good with Sulphurs stil coming off in the mid-afternoon. The weather this coming week will probably bring out more of the BWO’s. The big browns are staging up for the spawn and some nice big colored up browns are being caught. Now is the time that those big browns will be the most accessible during wade fishing. Give me a call and lets get you on the water.
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