[Red Hot] Fishing Report – South Holston River, TN

South Holston River Access Points

The fishing is hot on the South Holston River in Tennessee and now is the time to pick up that trophy brown trout. Catching a fish over 8 pounds now is not uncommon, but you better hurry as parts of the river are being closed for spawning.

River Map

Before you pack up the truck and head out you might want to know where to fish, right? Well, we've got a map for that, two actually. One is a map prepared by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency that shows public access and stocking locations.

The second is a Google Map we've created that you can use to get an up close look at the river and even get driving directions right to the river.

If you have not seen it or just need a refresher, check out our video How To Use Google Maps where we show you how to use Google Maps navigation features so you can get the most out of this map.

To Fish or Not To Fish

Fishing for brown trout this time of year is always a dilemma as they are getting ready to spawn. As of November 1st there are two sections of the South Holston River closed for spawning to let the wild brown trout do their thing, after all everybody likes a little privacy, right? The first is from the Hickory Tree Bridge to the cul-de-sac at Riverbend Road and the second from the upper end of the island at Webb Bridge to the lower end of the island below Weaver Pike Bridge. Spawning areas closed to fishing are well marked on the river and we have noted them on the map.

Fly Fishing Tips

Patrick Fulkrod at Mountain Sports, Ltd. reports that the big browns are in pre spawn mode now and are feeding aggressively. Now is the time to catch that fish of a lifetime. While approaching and wading the river, be alert, step softly and look for fish. Sight fishing to a big brown might be more rewarding than ever.

As for flies and rigs, dry dropper combos are excellent this time of year on the South Holston. Fishing a nymph and weighted midge combo (English pheasant tail with Zebra midge dropper) on 6x fluorocarbon can be deadly.