Best Flies for South Holston River (Tennessee)

What's hatching now

Month, insect, size, and pattern from the South Holston River hatch chart. August is highlighted when that month exists in the chart. We do not invent a hatch that is not on the chart.

Nymphs

Subsurface patterns matched to this river's chart and catalog. Fish them at the size the chart lists, not the size that looks good in the bin.

Midge

Zebra Midge

The Zebra Midge is the simplest and most effective midge pattern ever designed. A thread body with wire rib an

Size #16

Emerger

CDC Emerger

The CDC Emerger exploits the natural oil in CDC (cul de canard) feathers to hang a sparse mayfly emerger perfe

Size #16

Nymph

Beadhead Caddis Pupa

This simple caddis pupa imitation features a dubbed body with a contrasting thorax and a soft hackle collar su

Sizes #12–#18

Egan's GTi Caddis

A weighted Hydropsychidae (net-builder) caddis larva with a contrasting shellback, designed around Hare-Tron d

Sizes #10–#14

Nymph

Emerger

Emerging Caddis Pupa

This pattern captures the explosive moment when a caddis pupa ascends through the water column and breaks thro

Size #12

Midge

Midge Larva

A simple thread-body pattern imitating the larval stage of chironomid midges. Despite its simplicity, this pat

Size #18

Egan's Tungsten Surveyor

A dense, fast-sinking hybrid: the classic Hare's Ear silhouette built with the Rainbow Warrior's translucent s

Sizes #14–#18

Nymph

ZebraGon

A smooth-bodied mayfly/zebra-midge/perdigon hybrid with silver wire rib, black nail-polish wingcase, and UV re

Sizes #14–#18

Nymph

Dries

Dries and terrestrials for the South Holston River. If the chart says a size 18 PMD, do not start with a 12.

Dry

BWO Parachute

The BWO Parachute is a specific-color Adams variant tied to match the ubiquitous Blue-Winged Olive mayfly hatc

Size #16

Dry

Elk Hair Caddis

Al Troth's Elk Hair Caddis is the definitive adult caddis imitation. The palmered hackle body and tent-shaped

Sizes #12–#18

Dry

X-Caddis

Craig Mathews' X-Caddis omits the hackle of an Elk Hair Caddis, creating a lower-riding fly that hangs in the

Size #14

Terrestrial

Foam Beetle

The Foam Beetle is a simple but devastatingly effective terrestrial pattern. A piece of black foam folded over

Size #12

Terrestrial

Dave's Hopper

Dave Whitlock's Hopper is the original modern grasshopper imitation, featuring a spun deer hair head, knotted

Size #6

Dry

Trico Spinner

The Trico Spinner imitates the spent Tricorythodes spinner fall — one of the most technical and rewarding dry

Size #20

Dry

Goddard Caddis

John Goddard and Cliff Henry's spun deer hair caddis is the most buoyant caddis imitation ever conceived. The

Size #10

Egan's Corn-Fed Caddis

A heavy-winged CDC caddis dry with a Super Fine dubbed body, Antron shuck, Trigger Point overwing, and a CDC h

Size #12

Dry

Front End Loader Caddis

A hackle-stacker elk hair caddis with a Callibaetis Super Fine body, Glo Brite tag, and grizzly hackle wrapped

Size #10

Dry

Streamers

Streamers and wets for stained water, banks, and low light. This is not a claim that streamers are "on" today.

Wet

Black Spider

W.C. Stewart popularized this minimalist spider pattern in the 1850s, and it remains one of the most effective

Size #12

Setup

5X and 6X fluorocarbon on nymphs, 5X on dries unless the fish are on Tricos, then 6X or 7X. Start lighter than your home river. One small tungsten and a long tag often beats a 3.5mm bead in clear water. Tight-line the near bank and the heads of pockets. Use an indicator only when you need to search water you cannot euro.

FAQ

What flies work on the South Holston River?

Start with Zebra Midge and BWO Parachute, then match size to the hatch chart for the month you are standing in. The South Holston River does not need a 40-pattern box. It needs the right size on the insect that is actually in the drift.

When is the best time to fly fish the South Holston River?

The editorial window we list is April, May, June, September, October, November. That is a planning month range, not a guarantee. Shoulder months can fish well if flows and water temperature cooperate.

Do I need a guide on the South Holston River?

Tennessee has walk-up wade water and, on some sections, float water. A guide is worth it for a first float or a technical tailwater. A hatch chart and a gauge are enough for a first wade if you already nymph. We list local guides and shops on this page when we have them.

Where can I see live flow for the South Holston River?

Open the South Holston River river page for the USGS gauge, access notes, and the same hatch chart this fly list is built from. We do not publish other people's spots or fish counts.

Is this a report of what's working now on the South Holston River?

No. Executive Angler does not publish other anglers' catches, GPS, or a crowdsourced hot fly. This page is hatch-chart patterns plus catalog flies. Presence on the river page is gauge and weather only.

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