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October/November 2007 Fishing
Report
South
Holston Tailrace
Now is the time to float fish the South Holston River. The
brown trout are eager to chase streamers making for exciting
floats. Sculpin patterns, white zonkers, black leeches, and big
articulated flies are all working well. We are using sink tip
lines in deep water and floating lines while beating the banks.
In low water midge and bluewing patterns are producing best.
Good dry flies are size 18-20 parachute blue wings and size 20
CDC midge patterns. Blue wing emerger patterns such tiny olive
soft hackles and little olive or gray zebra midges are producing
well subsurface. Don’t forget to always carry some size 16-20
scud patterns in gray or olive while on the South Holston
Tailwater.
Watauga
Tailrace
Higher water levels and fluctuating dam releases has made for
great float fishing. Now is the time of year to throw bigger
streamers in search of big brown trout. The browns are moving
onto the redds preparing for the spawn. Streamers stripped and
dead drifted through redds will often produce big fish. During
generation or higher water blond caddis size 16 are coming off
fairly consistent. The trout are keying in on the emerging
pupa. Midge hatches occur daily ranging from sizes 28 - 20.
Simple zebra midges have done the trick. The blue wings have
been showing up sporadically and hatches should continue to
increase into November. The middle stretch of the river has
produced exciting streamer fishing in high water. Bunny leaches
and sculpin patterns are producing best. Bluewings hatches have
been thick on the “middle fork” during generation providing good
dry fly fishing for smaller fish.
Watauga Delayed
Harvest
Regulations call for catch and release only in the delayed
harvest waters. Stocking will occurs the beginning of October
and November. Water levels have increased and the fish are
spreading out very nicely. Olive, black, and white buggers
trailed by wet flies will catch lots of fish on the Watauga
delayed harvest section. Remember to fish slowly as the weather
cools, and lets your flies sink into the strike zone. Use small
twitches and stripes upstream to get reaction strikes. Dry fly
dropper rigs will work nicely in the shallow riffles. Most
parachute or elk hair caddis patterns trailed by small copper
johns will do the trick. If you find fish that are unwilling to
bite your flies, use small nymphs (sizes 18-22) on 5x or 6x
tippet. Flies like the rainbow warrior and small soft hackles
will catch these fish.
Local
Small Streams
Colder nights have shifted the prime bite on small streams to
late morning. Once the sun hits the stream, small stoneflies,
mayflies, and midges are hatching nicely. Look for big brown
trout at the mouths of feeder creeks, as these fish are looking
to run up stream and spawn. Fish are concentrated in deeper
slots and pools with the decreasing water temperatures. Dry fly
fishing has been best from 10 am till 4 pm. In streams with
ultra clear water, remember to sneak up on the holes and work
your way up stream. Fish the tailouts first, working your way
into the prime feeding lanes. Don’t let your shadow spook fish
as you make your way up the stream. Now is a good time to catch
big fish on small streams. Look for small creeks feeding larger
pieces of water. Often the first few deep holes upstream from
the mouth of the feeder stream will hold some nice brown trout.
These fish should be quite aggressive while they protect their
redds.
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