Weekend Trip to the South Holston River

     

           This past weekend I headed down to the South Holston River Lodge in Tennessee for a weekend fishing trip with my good friend Liam and our mothers'.  We arrived Friday night and settled into the riverside lodge and were quite impressed with the accommodations of the Mayfly cabin.  We spent Friday night getting our gear in order and were excited for our 6:30am wake up call.

          Morning water conditions were low and gin clear.  Despite the conditions our guide Blake thought the midge bite would be on in the morning.  Blake's experience and knowledge showed as Liam and I put many 8-12 inch browns and rainbows into the boat.  After landing over 35 feisty trout, the midge bite slowed around noon so Blake thought it would be best to take a lunch break and hit new water in the afternoon.  We continued to catch fish throughout the afternoon and ended the day with numerous 12-15 inch bows and browns.

       As the dam began to generate water, we fished deeper, faster moving water.  Soft hackles and sulphur nymphs produced in the afternoon.  We saw many fish rising to hatching sulphurs, but we had no luck dry fly fishing.

Liam brought a nice rainbow to the boat

Let them go so they can grow

             Sunday turned out to be a float on the South Holston River that I will never forget.  Our guide Teo took us to a stretch of the South Holston that was remote and more difficult to fish but insisted that we would have chances at two-foot browns.  Teo's exceptional knowledge showed as we anchored across from a rock shelf where we saw pods of large browns and rainbows feeding.  After numerous drifts through the shelf, a huge brown finally took my nymph.  After fighting the brown for nearly 15 minutes on 6x flourocarbon, we were able to net the beast.

We taped the brown trout at 28 inches.

              We ended our Sunday and our trip to the South Holston landing a few more browns and bows.  From the accommodations at the South Holston River Lodge to the two days out on the water with our guides Blake and Teo, our trip was spectacular.  Liam and I definitely became better trout fisherman as a result of the guides' expertise.

A great place to relax after a long, worthwhile day of fishing.

         If you are looking for your next fishing trip destination, the South Holston River Lodge in Tennessee  should be at the top of your list.  I definitely can not wait to return for another unforgettable fishing trip in the future.

Tight Lines,

James Heskett

       
Delamere & Hopkins
Hyde Park Square
2708 Erie Avenue
Cincinnati, OH  45208
513-871-FISH

Mon-Thurs  10-8
Fri-Sat  10-6
Sun  11-5