south holston

The South Holston is regarded as one of the South’s most prestigious trout streams.

Cold, clean water flows out of the bottom of South Holston Lake creating prime trout habitat below. A rich population of bugs and an estimated fish density around 8,000 brown trout and rainbow trout per mile make the South Holston a must fish river.

Sulfurs, Midges and Blue Winged Olives can be found on the river any day of the year and serve as key fly offerings. While Sulfurs are always around, they show up in force around mid April. These yellow bodied mayflies and the trout that chase them are what draws anglers back to the South Holston trip after trip.

Summer days on the South Holston continue with Sulfurs and PMDs with terrestrial fishing mixed in. Each summer, the South Holston receives a Japanese Beetle hatch that allows anglers to present big foam dry flies to eager brown trout. This is one of our favorite events on the tailwaters!