Story of the Month:
I spent two of the best days of the year with Fred and Bernie. We planned a couple of bass-focused days with a little bit of musky fishing sprinkled in. These two guys are world-class anglers and did a phenomenal job of putting my vision into play. Long, accurate casts and proper presentations can create success even if conditions are challenging. We spent two days together on two different Pennsylvania rivers. The first day was completely bass-focused; our first river was low, but I had dialed in the winning tactic the day prior with my friend Jerry: small baitfish patterns on long, light leaders with a rapid, erratic retrieve. The fish switched into this mode after about six days of heavily feeding on crayfish. These guys put on a clinic, hitting every nook and cranny that I could point out. It seemed as if we had pulled a fish off of every rock for ten miles.
After an amazing day, we weighed our options for the next day and decided to see if we could fool a musky. I told them we could fish another river that had both bass and musky and see if we could have a mixed bag day. The bass fishing was on fire from start to finish, with nearly every fish being taken on the surface. After striking out on nearly all of my musky spots, a summer thunderstorm rolled in and ushered in the bite window we needed. In the last spot of the day, we spent 20 minutes covering the hole in the rain from top to bottom with different sink counts on the fly. As I was rowing back out of the hole to take us to the ramp, Bernie was retrieving his last cast off of a log jam when this 40-inch musky appeared out of nowhere and absolutely annihilated his fly 15 feet from the boat. It made for an incredible end to two perfect days of fishing.
“Christian with his personal best wild brown trout caught on the SoHo”
July Fishing Update
July Fishing is off to a hot start. We started the month off fishing the South Holston with great success sight fishing for big browns on low water. We have since transitioned into smallmouth season in PA where we will spend the majority of the summer. The fishing has been stellar with quality bass in good numbers daily. We have been doing best on crayfish flies and poppers depending on the river we are fishing and the flow. We have continued to have weekly rains and stable fishing conditions and I foresee this to be the trend the rest of summer.
“Zander with a monster trout sight fished on the soho”
“Tom with a solid smallie caught in Pennsylvania”
“Gearing up for a foggy morning on the soho”
Flies:
– Zebra midge (olive, black, brown) 18-24
– Black Pheasant tail 18-22
– Walt’s worm 18
– Sulfur CDC comparadun 16-18
– Puff Daddy 18-20
– Squirmy worm 12-14
“Kim with her first smallie on the fly!”
Watauga:
The Watauga is in recreational summer flow mode until Labor Day. This gives you a good mix of fishing conditions depending on the time of day or stretch of river.
Summer Water Schedule (Estimated):
– Monday-Friday: 1-6 pm – 1 generator
– Saturday: 12-8 – 2 generators
– Sunday: Off
Low Water:
During periods of low water on the Taug, the dry dropper is best. Check the water temps! If you’re fishing a few miles from the dam, warmer water tribs can influence the water temps. If you’re fishing in water that is 60+ degrees, be sure to fish the fast, skinny water. The fish will move into this water at the warmer temps due to increased oxygen levels and a high metabolic rate. If you’re closer to the dam and the water is in the 50s, be sure to cover all the water; fish will be spread in all water types.
Generation:
During generation, the best way to fish is nymphing tight to the soft edges or streamer fishing. The Watauga has a steeper gradient and more bank structure than the SoHo, and its fish tend to push to the edges in search of slower water during periods of high water. Inline nymphing works best to keep you off the bottom and out of snags on the Taug.
Flies:
– Pheasant tail 16-22
– Midge (olive) 18-26
– Perdigons 18-22
– Squirmy worm 12
– Streamers (olive, yellow, white)
“Daniel enjoying the smallie game”
Pennsylvania
Warm Water Fisheries:
This is the highlight of summer fishing! Smallmouth bass, pike, and musky on fly! We have so much versatility in PA with these species and plenty of water that holds them. There is no better way to spend a hot summer afternoon than catching big bass on topwater flies!
The rivers are all in amazing shape with all of the spring/summer rain! We’ve got plenty of options to target the warm water trophy of your choice!
I’ve been having a ton of success fishing crayfish patterns on the bottom as well as poppers on top.
Flies:
– Boogle bugs
– Clouser minnows
– GD spark plug
– Buford
– Deceiver
-crayfish
Trout Rivers:
With rising temperatures on the Clarion and surrounding area streams, our trout fishing trips will be limited to colder spring-fed streams during early morning hours. We will resume our float trip trout options in the fall with a focus on warm water species in August/September.
“Jerry with a stud bass”
Upcoming Availability:
August 1-20
Don’t like the heat? Now booking fall dates (September-October) to fish the South Holston River. This is one of the very best times of the year to fish the SoHo—cool, crisp weather with hungry fish preparing for their spawning season! This is a high-probability time to find that 20+ inch brown trout you’ve been looking for!
Tight lines,
Sam
“Fred and Bernie with a top water double!”