Fly Fishing the Holston River
The Holston River is a very beautiful and very diverse fishery. The upper nineteen miles of the Holston fishes best for Trout in the months of March thru June. This river has some of the most prolific Caddis and Sulphur Hatches to be found in East Tennessee. Due to these hatches, the Holston River lends itself particularly well to dry fly fishing and trust me, if you have never done a ton of dry fly fishing, this river will give you ample opportunities. As the hatches fade by the end of June, I normally turn my focus to the Smallmouth fishery on the lower thirty five miles of the river. The Smallmouth population on the lower Holston is also truly prolific and the quality of some of these fish are absolutely amazing. I primarily float this river in the Hyde Drift Boat. Both the Trout and the Smallmouth Sections have extremely shallow sholas and are separated by long slow pools of flat water so I run a six HP Tohatsu Kicker motor to cover the stretches of dead water. If you want a chance at some spectacular dry fly fishing for the Rainbows and Browns or you have interest in learning more about the Fly Fishing for Smallmouth, please CONTACT ME.
Cherokee Dam on the Holston River
The Holston River is a 136 mile long river that flows from Kingsport TN to Knoxville TN where it meets the French Broad River to form the main Tennessee River. The head waters of the Holston are the North Fork, Middle Fork and South Fork and they drain much of Northeastern Tennessee, Southwest Virginia and Western North Carolina. Cherokee Lake is impounded by Cherokee Dam. The lake has a surface area of 28,780 Acres and nearly four hundred miles of shoreline. The dam is 175 feet tall and has a generating capacity of 136 megawatts. As of 2022, TWRA stocks the upper nineteen miles with forty to fifty thousand Rainbow Trout and twenty to twenty five thousand sub adult Brown Trout annually. The lower thirty five miles are home to some incredible smallmouth fishing.
Access Areas, Lodging and Dining
The Holston River below Cherokee dam is convenient to Knoxville, Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and Sevierville. If you are visiting the Great Smokey Mountains National Park or coming to Knoxville to catch a ball game, the Holston River should be on your radar. It is very easy to incorporate a guided fly fishing trip on the Holston River if you are planning to visit any of these areas and there is really no better way to see this incredible fishery than from the front seat of my drift boat. The location of the river itself is mostly farm land, private homes and neighborhoods. This makes walk in access difficult and the result is happy hungry fish. There is not a lot of good options for lodging directly on the river itself. I suggest folks stay in Knoxville or just outside of Knoxville in the Strawberry Palins area. Both locations are close to the fly fishing meeting spots and will give you a better option for food and lodging. Below are a few of my favorites.
Hilton Inn Downtown Knoxville
Located in downtown Knoxville, this hotel puts you in the middle of great restaurants and shops in Market Square.
The Tennessean Hotel Downtown Knoxville
Great food, great lodging and super convenient to downtown Knoxville.
Hyatt Place Downtown Knoxville
This is a three star hotel located across the street from the Tennessee Theater. You are literally in the middle of the heart of downtown.
Emillia Italian Downtown Knoxville
"Handmade Italian" is their claim to fame and they do it right. Great food, great service and great atmosphere.
Lonesome Dove Western Bistro
Located in the Old City area of Knoxville this is a great casual eatery.
Downtown Grill & Brewery
Craft Brewed Beers and Mesquite Grilled Steaks and Seafood.