Hello everyone, it’s been awhile since we wrote a fishing report for the Watauga. For that I apologize. First things first. The Watauga river still hasn’t cleared up from hurricane helene. The river still has a brown color. It’s a slight improvement over the last few weeks, but it’s not running clear yet. With that being said. JJ has been spending his time adapting to the river conditions. His efforts have been producing fish for his clients. Today was no different. They had a very successful trip on the Watauga River. Winter is some of the best fishing of the year. If you would like more information on fishing this winter please call (704) 773-4497. I could go on and on about winter fishing, instead I will leave you with a photo from today’s trip.
Watauga River Fly Fishing Report June 7 2024
Hello Everyone,
We’ve been staying busy on the Watauga river. The TVA has been running water most of the day. There has been windows of low water each day, but it has been random to say the least. That’s not what you want to hear if you’re a wade angler, but it has provided some great fishing from a drift boat. The most consistent rig has been a nymph rig. Getting flies down deep is the key. We have also been getting some fish in the slower edges with dry dropper rigs, but the nymph rig has still been the top producer. An attractor followed by a zebra midge or a frenchie has been working great on the nymph rig. For the dry dropper we’ve been using a terrestrial followed by a stripper midge. Give us a shout if you would like more information, or if you would like to book a trip. Email is wataugariverguides@gmail.com and phone number is 423-202-5184. If we don’t answer, please leave a message and we will call you back asap.
Tight Lines,
Huck
Watauga River Fly Fishing Report May 31st 2024
Hey Everyone, I apologize for the lack of fishing reports. The Watauga river has been fishing great. Most of the fishing is nymphing. We are having a few periods of dry fly fishing, it’s not been everyday, but there have been some sulphurs hatching. Sulphur nymphs, midge pupa, and attractor patterns have been working well. Give us a call if you would like more information, or if you would like to book a trip. 423-202-5184
Tight Lines,
Huck
Tight Line Fly Fishing
Hello everyone,
I’ve been getting quite a few questions on tight line fly fishing. There are several names and similar techniques, euro nymphing, Czech nymphing, mono rig, to name a few. Each of these techniques are similar in that you are casting and fishing with only the leader, not the fly line. I am calling what we are doing tight lining, or tight line fly fishing because we are not limiting this technique to one style of fishing. This is often thought of as a wading tactic. We have been working and tweaking this technique to be fished from a drift boat both from anchor and while drifting. Nymphing is the first thing that people think of with tight lining. You cast out and maintain contact with your nymphs as they drift. With this rig you have the ability to control the depth of the fly, which we want to be near the bottom. You feel the flies bouncing across the river bottom and make depth adjustments without changing the rig, but by moving your fly rod and tightening your line. The beauty of this system is the amount of control that you have over your presentation. It is this control that allows us to fish each water type, depth, and speed efficiently. This is not only a nymphing technique, streamers and even dry flies can be fished effectively using this method. We have been working with several proven leader formulas, tapers, and combinations to best suit our needs on the Watauga and South Holston. If this sounds like something that is interesting to you, please give us a shout at 423-202-5184, or wataugariverguides@gmail.com. We do lessons as well as guided fly fishing trips.
Tight Lines,
Huck
Watauga River Fly Fishing Report
Hello everyone,
Welcome to Watauga River Guides. We’ve had a good week on the Watauga river. We are seeing some blue winged olives hatching, not big hatches, but we have been able to have some periods of dry fly fishing. Nymphing has been the most productive. We’ve been fishing some attractors such as egg patterns along with bwo nymphs and midges on long, light tippet. We have also been using some tight line techniques that have proven to be very effective even on picky fish. We have been adapting these tight line tactics to be fished from a drift boat while drifting as well as from anchor, which makes this style unique.
If you are planing your own trip be sure to have plenty of small flies. The blue wings are an honest size 24, but the fish will take a 22 bwo puff daddy. The midge pupa that we are fishing range from size 18 to 22.
If you would like more information about our guide service, or if you would like to book a trip, please call us at 423-202-5184 or email us at wataugariverguides@gmail.com. Hope to see you on the water.
Tight Lines,
Huck
Watauga River Fly Fishing Report October 22, 2023
Hello everyone!
Thank you for stopping by. The leaves are changing, the weather is perfect, and the fishing is great here in northeast Tennessee. We have been fishing a traditional nymph rig with long leaders and light tippet. The flies have been tiny midges and bwo nymphs, attractors have been working well too. We are seeing some blue winged olives, some days more than others, but when they are hatching we have had some good dry fly fishing. We have also been fishing a tight line technique. I wouldn’t call this euro nymphing, but more of a combination of tight line tactics that have proven successful from a drift boat. If you are curious to try a different style of fly fishing, this would be a good option. If you have any questions about our services, if you would like to try your hand at tight lining, or if you would like to book a trip, please give us a call. I hope to see you on the water.
Tight Lines,
Huck
Watauga River Fly Fishing Report
Hello everyone,
Fall is in the air here in northeast Tennessee. The flows on the Watauga have been great and so has the fishing. Nymphs are the game right now. Blue winged olive nymphs and midge pupa patterns have been producing well. Long leaders, light tippet, and drag free drifts are the key. We have also been employing some tight line techniques that have been producing well. The long term forecasts show a mild winter. Which should be some outstanding wintertime fishing. If you would like more information about our guide service, or if you would like to book a trip, please contact us at wataugariverguides@gmail.com or give us a call at 423-202-5184. I hope to see you on the water.
Tight Lines,
Huck
Watauga River Fly Fishing Report
Hello everyone,
We are off to another great summer on the Watauga river. We’ve had great river conditions so far this year. Nymphing has been great with good numbers of fish coming to the boat. Midges are the fly of choice. Long leaders and light tippet are key. We have July dates available. Feel free to give us a call if you would like to get in on the action. (423)202-5184. Or email at wataugariverguides@gmail.com
Hope to see you on the river
Huck
Watauga River Fly Fishing
Hello everyone, hope you’ve been getting some time out on the water. I will cut right to the chase. The big news is, sulphurs are hatching! We’ve had some great dry fly fishing. The bugs are size 16 and 18. We’ve been fishing hair wing comparaduns, puff daddy’s, as well as cdc sparkle duns. If you are a wade angler, remember to check Wilbur dam for the TVA release. Wilbur controls the river. If you have any questions about our guide service, or if you would like to book a trip? Please don’t hesitate to drop us a line at wataugariverguides@gmail.com or 423-202-5184. If we don’t answer, it means we’re on the water. Please leave us a message and we will call you back. I hope to see y’all on the water.
Tight Lines,
Huck
Watauga River Fly Fishing Report
Hello everyone,
It doesn’t seem possible, but here we are and it’s almost May. Spring has been great on the Watauga. The flows have been consistent and the fishing has been good. The low clear water calls for good drifts, and light tippet. We’re still getting some fish on caddis, mostly on pupa. The fish are settling back in and taking mayfly nymphs and midges. I hope that everyone has had a great spring. If you have any questions about our guide service or would like to book a trip, please give us a call at 423-202-5184 or email at wataugariverguides@gmail.com
Tight lines,
Huck
Watauga River Fishing Report
Hello everyone,
I hope you’re well. We have enjoyed some mild temperatures and good flows on the Watauga river. Nymphs have been the game. We’ve been catching fish on midge pupa fished deep under an indicator. We are starting to see a few dries hatching, not enough to be predictable, but it’s a good sign of what’s to come in the next few weeks. If you have any questions about our guide service, feel free to email us at wataugariverguides@gmail.com or give us a call at 423-202-5184. We hope to see you on the river.
Tight Lines,
Huck
Watauga River Fly Fishing Report.
Hello everyone,
I hope that you all are doing well. We’ve been fishing the upper Watauga river on high water. The bite has been consistent. High water nymph rigs have been working well. We haven’t been seeing many rising fish yet. Midges have been the majority of the insects. Attractors are working well also at times. The weather has been better than average and the river hasn’t been crowded. Give us a call if you would like to get out on the water. 423-202-5184
Tight lines,
Huck