Fishing Report
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Hello everyone! We are excited for spring. Recent rains have had the water levels all over the place. We’ve been having varying flows from the TVA. Periods of high and low water each day. If you plan on wade fishing, please pay close attention to your surroundings. We’ve been floating the Watauga, planning our area based on the flow predictions. Nymphing and dry droppers have been productive. Midge pupa and bwo nymphs are on the menu. It won’t be long before we start to see black caddis, which is our favorite time of year. We hope that winter has been good to each of you and look forward to fishing with you in 2023. As always, if you have any questions please email us at wataugariverguides@gmail.com or call 423-202-5184.
Tight Lines,
Huck
You can feel fall in the air! I’m just a little excited for fall. It’s my favorite time of year. Fly fishing has been great on the Watauga river. Nymphing is where it’s at. With some occasional dry dropper fishing mixed in. For the most both size and numbers are coming on the nymph rig. Long leaders and light tippet are the secret. Our 10’ Syndicate 4wt rods protect the tippet like nobody’s business. It won’t be long until the blue winged olives get started and I am looking forward to it! Feel free to drop us a line if you have any questions or if you would like to book a trip. I hope to see you on the water.
Tight Lines,
Huck
Hello everyone, the weather has been nice last few days and the fishing has been great. We’ve had a good mix of low water and high water from the TVA. We have been catching fish primarily on nymph rigs with the occasional opportunity to fish dries to a few rising fish. Midges are working well under a strike indicator. As well as some attractor patters. I hope that everyone had a great winter and we are looking forward to fishing with you again this year. I do need to stress one point. We are a CATCH and RELEASE guide service. No trout will be kept by any of our guides. This has never been an issue until now and we are getting requests to keep fish. We simply will not do that. It is our responsibility to maintain the fishery to the best of our ability and we feel that catch and release is necessary. As always if you have any questions about our services, please feel free to give us a call or send an email.
Tight Lines,
Huck
The Watauga is fishing like a champ! Dry droppers and nymph rigs have been producing good numbers and great quality fish. Cicadas are hatching and we are seeing some activity on them. It’s not light out yet, but it won’t be long. May has been an outstanding month. I can’t wait to see what June holds. Please feel free to give us a call if you would like to book a trip.
Tight Lines,
Huck
The wether in February has been good to us. We had consistent flows on the South Holston river providing great fishing opportunities. The closed sections are back open and we can fish the entire river again.
Blue winged olives have been hatching. We’ve been having some opportunities for dry fly fishing. Blue winged olive nymphs and attractor patterns have been working great on a nymph rig.
Give us a call if you’d like to get out on the water.
Tight Lines,
Huck
We’ve been getting consistent flows from the TVA. Which is great for this time of year. Consistent flows of cold water keep the fish happy and healthy. Fishing has been good. If you’ve read the previous reports, you’ve noticed a trend. Long leaders, light tippet, and drag free drifts are key. Don’t forget that we take anglers of all skill levels. From first time fly fishers to veteran anglers. We have been fortunate to introduce many first time anglers to the sport over the last few weeks. So don’t be intimidated give us a call if you would like to learn to fly fish.
Tight Lines,
Huck
We’ve had high water for the last few days. The TVA has been generating Wilbur dam most of the day. Which is great for the fish. This time of year when temperatures get up into the 90s, high water provides more dissolved oxygen and cooler water temperatures. It keeps the fish healthy and active.
We’ve been doing well fishing midges on both dry/dropper and light nymph rigs. Small midges are the way to go. The hotter the weather, the smaller the fly.
We’re staying busy and still have some August dates available. Give us a call if you would like to get out on the water.
Tight Lines,
Huck
Fishing has been consistent on the Watauga river. The flows have been good. Which helps keep the water cold during these hot days. Midges are the main hatch right now. Light nymph rigs and dry dropper rigs are working well. Long leaders, light tippet, and long drifts equal success. We have had a great summer and we’re looking forward to fall. We do have some August dates available. If you would like to book a trip please feel free to contact us. Hope to see you on the water.
Tight lines,
Huck
It’s been hot for the last week. Thankfully the water temperature is cold. The Watauga river has been fishing good. It’s summertime rigs. Dry/droppers and light nymph rigs with long leaders with light tippet. Long drag free drifts are just as important as the flies you use. Midges are the name of the game right now.
Most of our guests have been booking half day trips in order to beat the heat. If you would like more information on our guide service, or if you would like to book at trip. Please give us a call or send us an email.
Tight Lines,
Huck
Summer has finally decided to show up in northeast TN. We are seeing temps get up into the 90’s. The good news is that our water temps stay cool year round. That keeps the fish healthy and happy. We’ve been doing well with dry/dropper rigs and light nymph rigs. Long drag free drifts and light tippet is key.
Half day trips are always more popular this time of year. A lot of our guests prefer to get out early and beat the heat. We have decided to add a half day with lunch to our trip options. The cost of the half day with lunch is $375 for two people.
The fishing has been great. Give us a call if you would like more information about our guide service, or if you would like to book a trip.
Tight Lines,
Huck
Summer is here in northeast TN. Fishing has been great! The Watauga has been fishing good on low water. Nymphs and dry dropper rigs have been the ticket. We’ve also been running a lot of half day dry fly trips on South Holston. Sulphurs have been coming off really good on high water. If you are interested in our guide service, or if you would like to book a trip? Please give us a call or send an email. We’d love to get you out on the water.
Tight Lines,
Huck
After months of rain. We are starting to see low water again. The Watauga is fishing well. Today they were a little spooky in the flat water, but were very willing to eat in the riffles. Midges and sulphur nymphs are working best.
As the weather gets hotter, we are having more requests for half day trips. This is a great option to beat the heat. If you have any questions about our services or if you would like to book a trip. Please give us a call.
Tight Lines,
Huck
