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.
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.
Well the mild winter weather has really got the springtime temperatures in high gear. This coming week we are going to be 20 degrees above average for daytime highs. The fishing has been just as good as the weather.
The South Holston is very wade friendly only two short daily one hour generations each day.There are lots of fish being caught on BWO emegers and dark Zebra Midges. The slow flow means you will need to fish the riffles to increase your chances. The Watauga went from good streamer fishing to nothing but size 20 and 22 Zebra Midges and BWO emergers as well, but the bigger fish are feeding on the small bugs. We did a sample on one rainbow and he was full of midges. We are also seeing some sporadic caddis as well as some size 14 black stoneflies.
If you haven’t gotten your date booked for the Caddis Hatch give me a call, there are a few dates open. The smallmouth action is getting good with the warmer weather. See you on the water!!!
Here is a 20′ brown on a size 20 midge, and some nice rainbows as well, from the Watauga.
This past week has been good on the South Holston Tailwater. The TVA turned the wheels on and left them running 24 hours a day for most of the week. This gets those bigger browns staged up in good feeding lanes and our float trips showed this. We were using various techniques from the deep triple nymphing rigs to the bog articulated streamers. If you want to go after one of these give me a call or email to set up a trip. The TVA will be doing some of this this week due to all the rain associated with all the storms from the weekend.
One final note, please continue to pray for all those affected by the many tornadoes and severe storm this past week, the towns of Henryville, Indiana as well as my fathers hometown of West Liberty Kentucky. I have family still living in West Liberty and all are safe. Thank you.
With the winter weather finally showing itself here in East Tennessee, my thoughts are turning to warm weather and chasing some “Golden Bones”. The Holston River in the Tri-Cities area of East Tennessee, has a very large concentration of carp. The river has all the right things to make fishing for them something very easy to learn. Water clarity, good flows for food sources, great feeding flats, and fish willing to eat. If you want to learn how to fish for and catch carp, give me a call. The carp when hooked make those hard reel screaming runs like saltwater bonefish, and they never give up, fighting all the way to the net. Here is a video we shot last year, enjoy.
We are being blessed with great weather this winter, temperatures in the 50’s and 60’s and the TVA is giving great flows on the Watuaga and South Holston Tailwaters. The closed spawning sections on the South Holston will re-open on Wednesday and with the weather calling for low 60’s it will be a great day to float and check out these sections.
When floating on high water and throwing streamers, you need to follow a few simple techniques that will give you better chances for success. Having the proper fly rod & reel matched to the appropriate fly lines and leaders for the situations you are fishing is step one. Have good casting accuracy is number two, step one helps you become a better caster when the rod system is balanced. Step three is where your memory comes into play. We use a series of depth counts and strips to see where the fish are in the water column. When a fish takes your presentation you will need to remember the depth and retrieve you were using and this usually will work for the majority of your fishing trip unless river or weather conditions change. The final part is enjoying the fight and landing the fish. Have a great drag on the reel, again back to step one, equipment, will make sure you have the best chance at landing your trophy. These are just a few helpful hints that will help you when going after trophy fish with streamers.
I will be giving a presentation on February 8th to the Atlanta Fly Fishing Club, this meeting is held at Manuel’s is located at 602 N. Highland Avenue, near the Carter Center. I look forward to seeing you there.
Then be sure to mark your calendars for “The Fly Fishing Show in Raleigh”, I will be splitting my time between the Temple Fork Outfitters and Chota Outdoor Gear booths. Be sure to stop by and say hey.
Hope you have a great week, get out there and get some tight lines and screaming reels.
Well the last float of 2011 was a Winter Trip Special on the South Holston. The weather was great and the brown trout were willing to play. The water was clear, lots of black midges and BWO’s hatching all day. There is nothing like the bull dog fight these browns give you. The Winter Trip Special price of $250 runs through March 9th. Here is a video of the days activity.
We are already booking trips for the springtime Mothers Day Caddis Hatch on the Watauga Tailwater. It usually starts on or around April 5th and continues through Mothers Day in May. Be sure to give me a call or email to get your trip set up. You can also use our new online booking system on the website, it allows us to take credit cards for deposits and trip payments.
Here is a video on the DepthCharge Caddis nymph we use during this hatch. It has a body full of lead making it the reason for the name. Using Czech style nymphing with our new TFO BVK 10 foot rods will make sure you get the fly in the right spots at the proper depth to get you hooked up on those fiesty Watauga Tailwater rainbows and browns.
Give me a call at 423-360-1468, or email me fishwithrandy@embarqmail.com to get your Caddis Hatch trip on the calendar before the dates are gone.
Well the folks at Chota Outdoor Gear Co. have hit a homerun with their new “Hippies”. During those days when you don’t want to wear those hot waders, but the river or stream is still a little to cold to wet wade these are perfect. So you are looking for that Christmas gift, something that your fisher-person doesn’t already have, look at the the Chota Hippies. Check out the video on them.
Today being CYBER MONDAY is the start of a very popular trip special pricing we did last year. Starting today and running through March 10th, you can float the South Holston or Watauga Tailwater going after those big trophy fish that these two tailwaters are known for. We use articulated streamers and a few other techniques that should put you on some nice fish. The pricing is $250 for one or two persons on a 6 hour float with a lite lunch (wife’s homemade soups), flies and equipment provided, you can use yours if you prefer.
Here are some from last year.
Don’t forget to get your gift certificates for the fisher-persons on your gift list. You can get one for a full trip or any amount needed that can be applied towards a trip.
Have a great week and enjoy all those turkey leftovers.
