Our two fishing bases experienced drastically different weather in April. Pennsylvania saw good rainfall and normal spring temperatures, while Tennessee had unseasonably hot weather and very little rain.
PA reservoirs on the Clarion and Allegheny are full, and we have stable, good water levels on both rivers for the foreseeable future. The South Holston and Watauga still need more rain to refill their reservoirs. It will be interesting to see how the rest of the spring plays out.
Despite the variability, we’ve had great days at both locations using streamers, nymphs, and dries—though some days were certainly better than others.
I spent most of April fishing nearly every day on the lower half of the Watauga. We started the month with a strong caddis hatch and are finishing with the beginning of the sulphur hatch. My routine was nearly the same every day: fish from noon until dark to target the evening hatch. Some days this paid off better than others, but for the most part we had dry-fly action every evening.
Nymphing was challenging during the caddis hatch, with fish taking larva, pupa, and emergers throughout the column. Success also depended on focusing on blue-winged olive and sulphur nymphs, depending on which section of the river we fished.
As the month closed, fishing became consistently easier as fish focused on sulphurs and the caddis hatch wrapped up.
Steelhead season officially ended with a weak and sporadic spring run. We’re hoping for a better season next fall.
I spent time fishing the Clarion and Allegheny rivers for trout and had excellent success. Water temperatures, flows, and weather couldn’t have been better; I wish I had spent more time there because the days I had were epic.
The Allegheny has been running high, with the reservoir already above summer pool. That produced some excellent streamer fishing.
The Clarion has been picture-perfect all spring, with daily hatches and conditions that let you choose your preferred approach—streamers, dries, or nymphs—all putting fish in the net.
As we move into May, lake-run brown trout will migrate upriver into their summer holding water, opening opportunities to sight-fish for large fish.
May will also bring daily evening sulphur hatches on both the South Holston and Watauga, likely lasting through late June.
Smallmouth bass fishing will begin to pick up on other rivers in the area.
May means sulphurs on the Clarion—one of my favorite times to fish it. It’s a consistent hatch and brings some large slurpers to the surface. EB Dam has started releasing 220 cfs, which should help maintain good water temperatures for trout fishing into late June.
Smallmouth fishing will be strong in the lower sections of the river in the coming weeks.
