July Fishing Report
July started out dry and we were experiencing very low water conditions. The last few days we have received a healthy amount of rain that has cooled water temperatures and raised water levels. This rain is exactly what the streams in our area needed. If we can continue to get afternoon storms we should see the creeks stay in a nice spot for a few weeks and the fishing should remain good!
If you are planning on fishing in our area, keep an eye on our weather and where the afternoon storms are hitting as it is localized. Finding the areas that have just a little bit of extra water due to a storm the night before can lead to better fishing due to the slight increase in water flow. This time of year, a dry dropper setup is the name of the game. Fishing the high elevation small wild streams has been the most productive. Our larger rivers (Watauga and New) have gotten very warm and are not productive.
Wild Water (Western North Carolina)
It’s small stream season! Fishing the small headwater streams is where we have seen the best production. These streams stay cooler and typically have a lot of elevation change that keeps the water well oxygenated. If you’re interested in exploring and finding new wild streams, be sure to use the North Carolina Interactive Trout Map. This is a great resource to find new trout streams in our area.
Be sure to be using a dry dropper setup in these streams. We recommend keeping the flies on this rig small and light. In other words, try to be stealthy. Throwing a huge dry fly will spook the fish just like throwing an indicator would.
Wild Water Recommendations
Fly Recommendations
- Rubber Leg Stimulator (12–14)
- Elk Hair Caddis (12–14)
- Chernobyl (14–16)
- Cinnamon Ant
- Beetle (14–16)
- Frenchie (18)
- Zebra Midge (18)
- Perdigon (18–20)
- Blowtorch (18)
Pro TipSome of the best fishing this time of year occurs after rain events when the water is up and dingy. In the event of finding this perfect dingy water condition, be sure to have a few small Pat’s Rubber Legs (12–14) and squirmy worms. You may also need a slightly larger Chernobyl (12) to float these slightly heavier flies.
Watauga River (East Tennessee)
After 3 straight weeks of high water, the Watauga has finally returned to its normal summer flows — low water in the morning (including an hour-long pulse, typically from 6–7 AM) and high water in the afternoon. Generation starts at 1 PM Monday–Friday and noon on Saturday. There is no generation on Sunday other than the hour pulse in the morning from 6–7 AM.
The fishing has been excellent over the last few weeks. The cold pulse in the morning is making the fish very happy and eager to feed. We’ve been fishing light dry dropper setups and have been super successful most days. We are still seeing some sporadic sulphur hatches in the morning as well.
Watauga Recommendations
Fly Recommendations
- Chernobyl (12–14)
- Sulphur (18–20)
- Perdigon (18–20)
- Zebra Midge (18–22)
- Frenchie (18–20)
- Sulphur Nymph (18–20)
- Baetis Nymph (18–20)
South Holston (East Tennessee)
The water flows on the Holston have been low for the last few weeks. They are doing 3 pulses each day, typically an hour at a time. This is great for wade fishing. We recommend fishing a light dry dropper under these conditions. Also, don’t be afraid to lengthen your leader and use light tippet (6x–6.5x). The fish can be spooky under these low water conditions.
South Holston Recommendations
Fly Recommendations
- Chernobyl (14–16)
- Sulphur (16–20)
- Zebra Midge (18–22)
- Sulphur Nymph (18–20)
- Perdigon (18–20)
- Frenchie (18–20)
- Scud (16–20)
Live Tailwater Flows
Always check current dam release schedules from TVA before heading out — flows can change without notice.
We hope y'all find this fishing report helpful and look forward to fishing with you and seeing you in the fly shop this year. As always, if there is anything we can help you with whether it be fly recommendations, where to fish, etc, please give us a call. We're always happy to help!
