So with all the excess rain we have had in East Tennessee on the South Holston and Watauga Tailwaters the rivers are high and TVA is puching lots of water through the dams. Most folks think that with all the water it is streamer time, we are seeing some great BWO hatches on the Watauga and BWO and Blackfly hatches on the South Holston. When the BWO’s are coming off the clients are hooking up best with a loop wing biot bodied emerger pattern that our guides have been working on. The fly sets deep in the film giving that “stuck in the shuck” look that turns on that predatory instinct of the trout. Here are a couple of these fly, one is a BWO and the other is a Sulphur imitation. When putting floatant on the fly, hide the body and tail in between your fingers and only apply the floatant to the loop wing. This really makes this fly ride low in the water, don’t pick it up at the end of the drift, let it sink and twitch it a couple of times before picking up to cast back up in the run. I hope this information helps you have a better day on the water.
When you are fishing a tailwater like the South Holston or Watauga and the surface is covered with midges and you want to have a successful day. Here are a few of my best producing midge patterns during the winter. I hope this information will help you have a more productive day on the water.
Happy New Year to everyone. Hope you have a great 2013
Here is the first newsletter for the year, it contains all our trip specials and what shows and fly shops we will be at. Check it out and let us know your thoughts.
As you gather with your family and friends I wish you a joyous holiday season. Thank you for being part of my life and making it so rich and rewarding.
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.
The lower Watauga Quality Zone float has become home to some big stripers, the fishing is tough as the smaller fish are very weary of these mighty preditors. Today while floating at the start of the ledges, Bill was saying we need a twenty incher today and BAM!!!. As he was working and fighting this rainbow a big hungry striper cm charging after it and was only inches away from attacking when Bill lifted the fish away from him and worked it to the net, It was great fight and Bill and his brother John were very excited. I promised them to put them on my blog with the “Hero Shot”
The Springtime fishing is great this year. The trout on the Watauga and South Holston are giving the clients great catches. The smallmouth bass have been awesome, The topwater bite was good until this week. The fishing this week has been medium weight streamers on sink tips giving the best results.
To view and sign up for our monthly newsletter be sure to click the link: May Newsletter
To get to Troutfest from your location put this address into your GPS or any driving direction software to get there: 7906 East Lamar Alexander Parkway, Townsend, TN.
Troutfest is a Fly Fishing Exposition and Fundraiser held in Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. Proceeds from this event are donated to Great Smoky Mountains National Park Fisheries Department, Friends of the Smokies Fisheries Scholarship Fund or other youth educational conservation projects. The Little River Chapter of Trout Unlimited sponsors this event as our major fundraiser and annual festival. This year the event will be one of the largest venues for fly anglers in the Southeast United States.
Some of the best fly tyers from our area will be demonstrating throughout the two day event. As many as 8 tyers will perform at one time all weekend. It’s free and the tyers are specialized in many different types of fly tying such as trout, bass, panfish and saltwater.
Lefty Kreh, Bob Clouser and other notable fly fishermen will offer free seminars both days. Here’s your chance to meet and talk to some of the most famous legends in our sport.
National Fly Tackle Manufacturers will be on hand with their gear in the National Exhibition Tent. Meet the people who work for or own these companies and see all the new fishing gear.
Other exhibitors will include fly shops, artists, non-profit organizations and government fish and game agencies including Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Troutfest is a sanctioned annual event of the Little River Chapter of Trout Unlimited which is chartered by Trout Unlimited National as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. The Chapter secures permits and liability insurance for this event.
The Chapter entity provides funding with other sponsors to underwrite this event. The Chapter holds all funds and disperses profits to Great Smoky Mountains National Park Fisheries Department and Friends of Great Smokies National Park Fisheries Scholarship Fund. Profits will be also be used for youth education fishery programs. Some funds will be retained as seed money for next year’s Troutfest.
Many of the volunteers are LRCTU members but many more come from other non-profit organizations such as other TU Chapters, The Fly Fishing Federation and individuals who are not connected with non-profit organizations. You do not need to be a TU member to volunteer or participate. All donations are tax deductible.
Townsend and Great Smoky Mountains National Park offers you the most beautiful place on earth to fly fish for trout with 800 miles of streams holding rainbow, brook and brown trout. And of course, the Little River runs right through town. The month of May is prime time for fishing in the Smokies so you will want to set aside some time to be on the streams. Located in Tuckaleechee Cove, Townsend is known as the “Peaceful Side of the Smokies.”
Townsend offers motels, lodges, campgrounds and rental cabins for your lodging. Though not a huge tourist destination, the town does have some great restaurants and special accommodations.
Troutfest was created in 2004 by the Little River Chapter of Trout Unlimted to celebrate fly fishing and promote regionally the experience provided by this pursuit. Secondly, the chapter decided that any proceeds derived from the event would go directly to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park Fisheries Department to sustain and improve fish habitat within the Park.
Thanks to visitors like you, Troutfest has contributed more than $170,000 to this effort since 2004. In addition chapter members and friends annually volunteer between 1500 and 2000 hours to insure a successful, fun and educational experience.
In addition to Troutfest, the chapter also supports a variety of Park projects throughout the year.
When casting weighted flies, here are some things to keep your thoughts on. Are you casting the fly line and fly off the end of the rod to ensure not smacking the rod with a weighted fly and damaging your equipment. When landing your cast is your line and leader as straight as possible and are you instantly connected to the line? Being connected to a straight line and leader will let you feel that bite that usually happens as soon as your fly hits the water. Watching a recent underwater video of a fly caster landing his line with slack and then taking to much time to get the line into his fingers and begin stripping, the smallmouth hit is flies three times before he felt the first hit.
Just some food for thought as your practice your casting in the yard or on the river.
I will be in attendance at Troutfest coming up May 19th, and 20th. I will be in the Temple Fork Outfitters and Chota booths all weekend. Be sure to stop by and lets talk some fishing.
It has been a exceptional week of fishing here in East Tennessee. The weather has been up and down, cold rain and only in the fifties one day, then bright bluebird sunny days and near eighty the next. That hasn’t affected the fishing at all, the smallies on the Holston Proper as well as the trout on the Watauga and South Holston don’t seem to mind the big weather swings. They are hungry and the bugs are coming off good, so they have plenty of food source to feed up on. The Holston Proper was hatching caddis, white mayflies, and hendricksons. The smallies were in a feeding frenzy going after all those bugs. Poppers were the right fly when they were sipping bugs on the surface, they would put a good bend in the TFO Clouser Series 6wts. Here is Linda Heller with a good one taken on a chartreuse popper.
The wind picked up some as the weather was changing so we went to Clouser Minnows. The feeding activity was very good under the surface on the new style Clouser Minnows that Mr. Bob Clouser brought along on this trip. He spent three days floating with me testing some new designs that you will be able to purchase through his website. They are made with new synthetic materials with plenty of flash and movement to mimic dying minnows. Even the smaller fish were hitting it with a vengeance.
The fish were taking these new flies very well. The primary colors that Mr. Clouser was using were called Walleye and Baby Bass. Watching Bob and Linda work these flies was such a treat for me. It was all about keeping it moving and accuracy on casting the flies to the proper spot, no matter if it was on a backhand or forward cast.
Bob Clouser and Linda Heller also enjoyed a day floating the Watauga fishing streamers for the big ones, it was a fun day. The sun was little to bright for the big boys to come out and play, but it had been 7 seven or eight years since they both last fished the Watauga so it was a great day of remembering the fish stories from the past.
The week finished out on the Watauga with caddis popping off and getting some great fishing on dry and dropper rigs with a tan caddis and blood midge droppers. A couple of great guys from northern Georgia enjoyed a fun day floating the Watauga.
Now the weather folks are calling for snow tonight and Monday with heavy winds, so its off to the tying bench to get more Clouser Minnows and trout flies tied up to get ready for the busy next few weeks with clients.
Be sure to check out my Troutfishers videos on Youtube. I will be uploading some new ones this week showing Bob Clouser fighting some nice smallies on the Holston Proper.
The warmer than normal weather is bringing better than normal early spring fishing. The Holston River near Kingsport and Church Hill Tennessee is fishing good. The smallies are feeding hard on baitfish. Twitch stripping minnow imitating patterns is getting it done. Turkey hunting season kicks into gear this weekend, and the hens are moving about and the toms are strutting trying to get their attention.
The Watauga Tailwater is the only trout river we can float right now, the South Holston is only getting two one hour pulses each day. The Watauga Tailwater in Elizabethton is fishing better this week, we are seeing more of the tan Caddis, small black Caddis, small black Stoneflies, Craneflies, BWO’s and Midges. This means so shortage of things for the fish to eat. I had a really good float trip with a couple of brothers I took out about five years ago. They truly love to fly fish and this passion came from their Dad. They spoke about all day about the memories from trips with their Dad. Here is a copy of an email they sent to me and some of their friends.
Quote ”John and I had a float trip on the Watauga River with renown local guide Randy Ratliff. It was the greatest fly fishing day either of us have ever had! We both caught (and released) over 20 fish. John had a brown at 17″ and a rainbow trout at 18″, and I caught my biggest yet on a fly rod, a beautiful 19″, 3.5 lb Brown!”
Here are the pictures of their bigger fish for the day.
Give me a call 423-360-1468 or contact me through the website to get your day on any of these great rivers and tailwaters. Looking forward to taking you on your fishing trip and showing these great fishing waters.
