Fishing Reports

This Week's Report
Oct. 8-14, 2007

Here is my fishing report for the week of October 8th through the 14th. We have had another good week.

I started off Monday fishing with Captain Jack Brown of Beaufort South Carolina. Jack is a well known saltwater guide in the Charleston area, and was up here in East Tennessee for some much needed R&R. We floated the Holston Proper for smallies. Jack really enjoys fishing for smallmouth bass and he had a great day. He started off throwing a Todd’s Wiggle Minnow and on the fifth cast caught a nice 18” smallmouth. As the midday sun started beating down on us, I had him switch to a black woolly bugger. As we worked down the bank of overhanging trees he pulled a nice 16” smallie up from the depths. As the day went on we changed over to one of the flies that Jack uses in his guiding for redfish, a Gartside Gurgler. Many average Holston proper smallmouth attacked his fly with abandon and then when we got near the Christian Bend TWRA boat ramp he hooked into the best fish of the day, only to loose it as the hook broke right at the bend while fighting the fish to the boat. As we floated the last couple hundred yards toward the ramp Jack said he had fished many rivers and streams for smallmouth bass and said that the Holston Proper had more quality fish in it than any others he had been on.

On Thursday I had the privilege to fish with Bill Bartee, owner of Jesse Browns in Charlotte, North Carolina and Alan Shultz. We waded the South Holston and got on the water as a good sulphur hatch was in progress. We caught many rainbows and browns using a sulphur comparadun and emerger. We fished until the sunset and talked on the way back to the South Holston Cabins about a great afternoon. I really enjoyed the afternoon with Bill and Alan, great guys and great fisherman. If you are in the Charlotte area and have some time, stop by either of the two Jesse Brown’s stores and be sure to tell them I sent you.

On Friday we floated the Holston Proper with Mr. West and Mr. Maxwell. They had a great time throwing shallow running crankbaits and flukes for some Holston Proper smallmouth. They caught many average smallies and had a couple of nice ones thrown in.

Saturday was a wade trip on the Delayed Harvest waters around the Boone and Banner Elk area. Many nice fish were brought to the net, with a nice 15” brown for the young mans first ever brown trout.

Sunday was a wade trip with Darcy and Todd using the trip to celebrate their wedding anniversary. After some time with casting lessons we began to fish in the headwaters of the Watauga. Soon Darcy was fighting a nice brown that attacked her dry fly. She had a great smile on her face as she showed her husband her first ever trout caught. As they fished throughout the day we worked on many different techniques for fishing smaller water. To finish off the day Todd was working a fish in a run that had refused many different flies we presented to him. I tied on my “Quick and Dirty” fly and on the fourth cast the brown sipped it from the surface and the fight was on. As Todd slid the brown into the net he yelled downstream to his wife, that is the way to end a great day in the outdoors. We thanked this beautiful Watauga River brown as he swam back off to the depths.

I hope everyone is enjoying the cooler weather we have had this week, and I am looking forward to some nice big fish fishing throughout the next couple of months. If I can be of assistance to you for a float or wade trip, let me know.

Past Reports

Oct. 7, 2007
Sept. 29, 2007