29 Jan 2012
Basketball tournaments have been taking place the past couple of weeks, not to mention they have been generating 24 hours a day for at least the past few days that I have checked. If I were smart, please no comments if you have read previous post, I would have gone with the deals that we have here. Sorry for the shameless plug, however in all seriousness Randy and Jason do an outstanding job for their clients on the South Holston and Watauga River. They have also made special offers through this site, so call them.
Well after church today, it was a little cool out, the generators were running, I have been dealing with sinus stuff, so hi ho hi ho, its off the SOHO I go. Knowing that a person should not ever wade the river while they are generating. This is a very dangerous river to be in during the generating so do not ever wade. Well I go up there and figure I can roll cast from the bank edge and at least get out to the river. I knew that there were multitudes of folks just waiting on the edge of their seat for another January journal entry, and I don’t want to let down those two fans.
I start off and it is so swift that I don’t think I can get much action there. I am using a hot pink strike indicator that is similar to play-dough and I saw one little trout come up near it, thinking it was trying to hammer my light pink egg. Nothing there so I head down stream, just looking for places to roll cast and enjoying the solitude of the river (yep, not many there during generating).
As I get to the third spot, my strike indicator gets a bite, so I quickly replaced my egg with a hot pink one. Not a few cast later and I get one. It is about 12 long, really a nice fish, I lean over to net the rascal and it gets away, thus no pic. Sorry about that, but the fact I caught one tickled me pink, kinda like the egg. I fish my way back up the river, I get about three more hits but no success in setting the hook. I had removed my strike indicator to help my casting.
I figure this was my last opportunity in the month of January and I had a good time. Just getting out around the river, tossing out a fly (egg), and just enjoying all that the Lord has provided us. Hoping to get some opportunities in February, but if you have been out fishing in Tennessee, email us a report and some pics. We are going to attempt to set-up an angler report page. This will give you a chance to participate in the website. Our email is tfr@tnfishingreport.com send us something and help this site to become a place that all anglers of all fish in Tennessee can be as prepared as possible.
14 Jan. 2012
I am so thankful that my wife understands. Yesterday was a fantastic day on the South Holston River (SOHO) and today we had no plans. Now if I were smart, I would have gone downstairs and organized the back room so that I could do some rod building, however, again, yesterday was so good. So with no plans and my inability to stay indoors for an entire day I get into Michelin Man mode and head to the SOHO.
The parking lot was only about half full, if that much and I head down stream. I fish a lot of water for about an hour and 15 minutes. During this time I miss about two fish. I am using the light yellow egg with a zebra midge dropper. Please excuse me if I use the wrong lingo, I am still trying to talk right. I decide to head back up stream and when I get to the bridge, I wet the line. I get a couple of hits and decide to go with two eggs. I remove the midge and go with a pink egg.
I get a couple of hits off of this and one of them had a nice fish that jump, laughed, then let me have my egg back, uncertain which one it had hit. I fish a bit longer and realize at some point I was down to one egg. Not sure what happened, but I am going with a trout broke my line and no one has any proof to the contrary. So I tie on a light pink, because I have one and I haven’t had a great many hits with what I am using. I throw it out and I miss another nice one, he used the same method as the other trout with more of a snicker as opposed to a laugh.
I get about 10 – 12 hits in total and having trouble getting them. Wondering if I am pulling early with the strike indicator attached. Well it’s getting later, I am being skunked and I am hot. You may say, it was 34 degrees and you were hot, well yes. I had put on my Cabela’s goose down long underwear (can I say that on this site) which I have had for 10 years. Let me say that if you wear a thin layer, the goose down, and then something else, the temperature just isn’t that important, its comfy.
So I throw a couple more and I get this nice brown you see above you. It was a good fight in the current with my 6x line and so that you know, it was on the light pink egg pattern. Not sure in the change of color, however, glad I got one and hope you had a chance to go this weekend. Have a great day and God bless.
13 January 2012
As I am most certain that everyone read yesterday’s journal entry, I had tied a few flies so I had to test them. The weather outside if frightful and that is not a joke. It was in the low 20′s and the wind was blowing, there was a little snow on the ground and still flying around. I dress up as my daughter says, like the Michelin man and head out to the South Holston River. I had just told my daughter earlier she could use my gloves, they were in the truck, but she didn’t go get them. I get to the river and to my amazement there was only one other vehicle there, one more pulled in right after me. I had already had on a light yellow egg pattern and one of my brand new #18 zebra midges, in the photo below.
I go to the metal grates just to test the weather, withing about 5 minutes I get one. A rainbow had hit the midge, and as I was getting to net it, it got away. I fish there a bit more then head to the other side of the bridge. I cast a few out and bang, I get a brown. I think that is the first pic above, he had hit the egg pattern. The I begin to struggle, my hands are about frozen and the midge was tangled in my net. So I wrestle the midge loose and begin again. I have been having to put the rod in the water to remove the ice from the guides so that I could cast my line. Did I tell you that it was cold.
Well a fly fisherman asked, great etiquette if he could fish there below me, I said sure. First or second cast he gets one. He is Alex, he is in the video under South Holston River videos, and let me tell you that he did extremely well today. I then got bit again, it was a nice one, let me say that this was probably the nicest trout I have caught, I am guessing, but thinking that about 15″ or a little better.
While removing one of the trout, my rod fell in the water, slipped, I got it, released the trout, then about 5 min. later when I tried to reel in some line, it would not turn, did I mention that it was cold. The day ended up catching about 6, did not get pics of all, my hands were losing feeling. I think my phone was losing feeling as well. I have no idea how many trout I missed, they were hitting well, but I did make a discovery. I should have used a strike indicator, I think it would have helped. My last trout was small, but when I went to net it for the photo, it bounced off of the net, for the net was frozen flat, it was a great day.
But to wrap things up I am going to post another pic, just to let you know, the force is not strong with me. I do not have any idea how to make things levitate and if I didn’t mention it before, it was very cold, good luck and good fishing. Yep the net is froze.
12 Jan. 2012
We have had our share of rain the past couple of days but the temperature has been great for January. Today on the other hand my phone has received multiple text warning me about going to work tomorrow, black ice, snow, just plum cold, and as I begin to list things I think of Bill Murray in Ghost Busters and wonder when they will text “cats and dogs living together”.
I digress, anyway tomorrow morning I will be sleeping in the warm, no work and temp in the teens. So I figure, I had better whip up a few flies. Now you are probably thinking, why are they not in the fly tying area, well, two of them are my version of a zebra midge. Now I say my version because they don’t look much like the one that I was going by. There are some similarities and if they work, I shall add this to the fly tying department. If it does not, I shall probably add it to a near by tree.
I just wanted to share my plan, since this is kinda like a blog. Tomorrow the generators stop at 2pm, even if there is snow, I am going to try to go. If the wind is howling, I will probably stay at the house and blame having to work on the website so I don’t appear so soft. But I am going to make an effort to get out there and do a little fishing. The website was created to help with fishing, so I can’t let it keep me from going too much.
We have added a few things. Davis Marina on Boone Lake is going to be joining us soon. They are making some changes to the ramp, should be able to launch two at a time this spring. Going to be able to do some tournament weigh-ins for photo-ops at Davis Marina and Hidden Cove Marina. Shoot me an email if you can do this for a tournament or two, we will set-up a gallery for you. We have added an affiliate and seeking a one more right now. I don’t want to make this site a bunch of ads, however, I am going to try to allow this to offset the cost that we have done. Here is a sneaky plug, if you going to shop, use our link for the affiliates. We want this site to become something for all Tennessee Anglers.
This one may not have been what is to be expected, but I learned in the Marines that you change your patterns, that way the snipers will have a difficult time establishing a pattern for you. Hope to bring you some pics and humor with a lot of lessons on what not to do tomorrow, if you go fishing tell us about it. Good luck to you and God bless.
08 January 2012 
High and Dry
You will notice that I have provided a title to this particular entry, well let me tell you why. I got a phone call yesterday from my pappy in law yesterday. He asked if I had gotten a package, I was confused but decided to play along, nope sure haven’t. He said you should have gotten one a couple of days ago, go check. So I head out to the patio, we never use that except to grill out, to my suprise there is a box. It is a new pair of waders with the label reading Happy New Year, God loves you and I do to. I did not know what to say, I told him thank you and it tickled me to no end, the Lord sure is good to us when we don’t deserve it and it was a great suprise. We run up and check out some boots, I break down and buy a pair.
Call pappy in law and plan on going to do a wader test after church. Wake up and make my famous omelete for the family and we head out to church. Great service challenging us to be more concerned about the lost of this world, taking the time to tell them Jesus loves them. After the service, we come home and eat some chili, remove some tags, and make a phone call. Father-in-law is unable to go due to his knee acting up, but I hate to cancel plans so hi ho hi ho its to the river I go.
The crowd is there and I headed down stream to the place I would like to make a honey hole, but I can’t figure those trout out. Anyway, I talk to a gentleman on the path, he says they are hitting, he said an egg pattern, I forgot the color, but said it was similar to chartruesse, I used a yellow egg and nada. Met a couple of gentlemen on the river bank having some lunch, talked to them a bit, fine gentlemen and good conversation, I head to the other side.
Well I throw everything in my arsenal and finally I put on a #22 black midge and first cast I miss one. I throw right back to the spot and whooo hoooo, fish on the line. I begin to pull it in, grab the phone and video a few seconds, then try to put up phone. New waders means things are different and I can’t seem to get phone back in pocket. Thought about laying it down, but we did not get the warranty upgrade. I put it in the pole hand, hope I don’t drop it and net the beauty. You can check on the video on the video link, but the photo above was left in the net due to last fish getting away. Take photo and I never got another bite.
There was a bit of irony today, if I am using that terminology correctly, the rain came and the only thing that was dry on me was in my waders. On the trips that I had in 2011, that which was in the waders got wet every time. Hope you enjoyed the story and keep on fishing, good luck to you and may God bless you.
06 Jan. 2012
It is Friday and I am only working a half a day, the temperature is suppose to reac about 54 F and I just tied the new egg pattern this week so off I go to the SOHO. They shut off the generators at 11am but I don’t get there till a bit after 1:00. About a month ago a friend of mine from Georgia asked when our trout season opened, I thought at the time, ever since I can remember, but I told him only section closed, not the season. I bring this up because I have heard of opening day of trout season and how the anglers are packed together. I thought for a moment that perhaps today was opening day, anglers were everywhere, I thought I would have to walk a mile to find a spot to fish.
I head down the path and low and behold a nice spot wide open. I head into the water with my light yellow egg (McFly Foam) and began to fish. During this time I could help but consider the name of the foam and thought in just a couple of hours, I am going to make like a tree and get out of here (reference to back to the future). Anyway, I get one hit with the light yellow egg and begin the search for what will work. I go with a midge dropper after trying light pink egg, one bite on this.
I finally just commit to my new pattern and go with yellow egg and pink egg and make a cast. In the first or second cast, out of nowhere a the brown in the above photo nails the pink egg. The battle begins and I remember I am using a 6x tippet. I play it a little and then grab the phone, going to attempt to get some video. I get a whopping 10 seconds and let me tell you that doing you own video work while pulling in a nice trout and just hoping that you don’t drop anything, well, 10 seconds felt like a long time.
After releasing, I begin to move around some, I get one more hit, but missed him, pulled a little late. I head up stream and my fall honey hole is open, gotta stop. I cast around and I get bit, at least I thought I got bit. I lift the rod, and pull in a 7″ brown trout. I am getting my phone ready for the photo and the little rascal flips out of my net/hand and I get no photo. But I have caught two, foot is soaked and I notice a few more leaks in the waders so I head on back.
When I get to the grates I decide that I would hand out a few cards for the site. I run into some real nice folks and the one above caught the small trout after just handing him a business card. I took the card back so he could reel in the fish and he was kind enough to let me get this photo. His friend Phil had caught a nice one and Chuck held it for another photo, I will add them to the South Holston Gallery.
It was a beautiful day, caught a couple of fish and had a great time. Get out and do some fishing during this warm winter weather, my guess is the cold will be here soon enough. Good fishing to you and God bless.
New Year’s Eve 2011
I understand that this is the January fishing journal and the date of fish caught was December, however, being unsure when I could add another trip I felt that you would forgive me. New Year’s Eve is my birthday and the present I wanted was to simply go fishing. I checked the generating schedule using my TVA app on my phone and the was will subside at 11:00 am. So I get up and tie a few flies which I choose not to put on the website. One was my first attempt at a parachute midge and it was not very impressive. The other was a couple of sulfurs, I figure they may come off again.
We head up to the South Holston River and we are not alone. It is packed out with anglers loving to fish the SOHO. I head down to the spot I fished last time and it is on like Donkey Kong. I start off with my black parachute midge, knowing good and well that it was not going to get anything, but what the heck. I fish a while and I got one hit, missed him, but feeling good. I begin my pattern of changing flies when the gentleman 50 yards away pulls in his third that I see that were nice. I go with colorful, with nymphs, with dry flies, with nymphs that don’t have enough weight to be nymphs so they act like dry flies, and through all of this, one more hit. I can’t even remember what it was on but I am certain it was a sympathy strike from the trout.
Well I see a sulfure come off so I quickly tie on on the line. This is it, this is my moment, last time I did not have this fly so now is my time to shine. I figure that folks are going to start just gathering around and watching me pull in these babies with what I am about to do. I ever so gently cast my fly upon the water and sure enough, bam a strike, but I missed it, just hope no one saw that. I launch many more times, and finally there it was, the monster rainbow trout you see in the above photos. I put it in the net, the hook gets caught in the net, I wrestle out the hook, get phone take photo, trout lives, success.
I fish a while more and realize that my fly does not appear nearly as tasty as the real deal. There is a nice trout right above me that hits a sulfur. I wait a minute, see another land on the water, and cast my fly beside it. My hope is that since one is real, they will assume mine is just lazy and not jumping around everywhere. My plan is effective, the live one goes down, then one nails mine. I gently lift the tip of the rod and it snaps like my old fishing pole when the tire fell against it. Fortunately I am prepared with another sulfur. I tie it up and continue to fish.
If you have read the past journals, I say this with much laughter knowing that it is close to being on the New York Times bestseller list, you know that my waders leak. Fortunately after a while all the cold feeling leaves. We had been there for about 3.5 hours, I had pulled in one rainbow, missed about 4-5, 5 sounds better, but I am not sure, and it is time to go. As I begin to walk I think, the cold feeling would be nice, because walking in this water is similar to eating after going to the dentist. I can no longer feel my feet and walking is difficult. So I get across the water Zombie style in my walking effort and head back to the truck.
I see Johnny Woods over on the grates doing a little fishing. I think about getting his photograph for the site, but then think, he probably wants to be left alone. I get out of my waders, pour the water out of the leg, get in the truck and head to the house. It was a great day of fishing, I got to practice casting, practice undoing knots that happened during the casting. I was blessed with a trout and it was a beautiful day. Hope 2012 is a great year of fishing for everyone, have a great day and God bless.
