[Shoe]

Looks like a few of us Michigan boys are gonna hit some distant waters sometime either the end of February or beginning of March. We've tossed around Tennessee (South Holston), Utah (Green River), back to Marble (AZ), or down to Arkansas to fish the White below Bull Shoals.

Not being to sure about the climate in the higher elevations around those dates, we may need to opt for Mountain Home. We're hoping for low water

Anyone fish these other rivers during that time of year? Cold wouldn't bother us. We're mainly concerned about flows and fish activity

Thanks.

BTW, the more the merrier....

[Airhead]

I've been checking out Taneycomo as well, seems to fish well Feb. & Mar. and should be a little esier to get to.

[BusterWolfe]

[nightfish]

Shoe,

The Green fishes well in march, with the start of the spring BWO hatch. Late feb will see dry action with midges, but it will be mostly a nymphing game. Weather can be fairly comfy to friggin cold, and the wind can be rough if you're floating. Rain, snow and bluebird skies are all possible...sometimes it seems like all at once! Temps from the low 20's to the upper 40's.

Lodging is anywhere from $160/night for a condo to $10 for a campsite. That time of the year it's usually pretty easy to book a room, but it'd be a good idea to book at least a month in advance. For date consideration, March 17-20 is the International Sportsman's Expo in Salt Lake, which will have the Green & our local waters busier than normal for that week & a little after.

If you choose the Green, let me know & I can help you with lodging/fly/guide selection. If I'm not on the road myself, I may be able to hook up with you guys.

I'm gonna be a Homer here. There's nothing like the beauty of Red Canyon (Green River "A" section) in the winter. Deep red rock dusted with snow and lined with scrubby evergreens. Huge boulders create deep pools in the vibrant green river, with water so clear you feel like you're drifting through an aquarium. Fewer people in the colder months keeps things quiet, and the wildlife stays closer to the water because of that. Mule deer are frequently seen, and you may come across a family of otters. The town of Dutch John, the original government camp when the dam was built, is now pretty much supported by the recreation created by the dam. In the winter business is almost exclusively about flyfishing, which gives the area the feel of a huge fish camp. Very friendly and extremely knowledgeable people, with two top notch flyshops.

You won't regret a trip to the Green.

[Steelheader69]

OMG!!!!!!!!!!! You're talking Feb/March, going "West" and not talking the monster brute Nates out here in the NW? You nuts? I'd say Solduc/Hoh. Couple inexpensive lodges (actual like motor inns) and other places to hole up in Forks, etc. Also some decent winterrun fishing on a river someone on this board has riverfront property on. Not sure who that is, but may be able to arrange free stay and even a boat to use for the right moderator.

[MSUICEMAN]

aint nobody wants to come down and fish with me... waaahhhh! lol. its alright, i'll just bogart the trout down here to myself... i don't have a problem with that really, LOL. I'm sure you'll have a good time wherever yall head to. Right now i'm peepin out some new water (to me of course) i've found in oklahoma. so far it looks VERY promising....

steve

[flymaster]

Hey guys you are talking my neck of the woods. I live in VA about a hour and 15 mins form South Holston Tailwaters. It can be a grear fishery. It can make you feel 10 feet tall and like a pro, or it can do you like it did me on Tuesday feel like a fool when you go to the vehicle with 1 littel rainbow to show for it. I love the river though home of huge browns and huge Bows. a 20'+ fish anyday is a posibility. I am not a guide but email me if you have any questions i can give you phone# of guides if you wish. I can bet the BWOs will be hoppin then though there is a nice hatch during Feb and march also. ANd as any other self respecting trout they love pheasant tail nymphs from 16 to how ever little you can tie them. While you are in the area try to hit some of the MTN spots very pretty MTN streams around the area also. Hoston is in the TU top 100 streams in the nation book and deserves to be. Big water, cold year round, more aquatic insects then I have ever seen and awsome cover in the stream. It is a mix of deep holes, flsts, ripples, ledges and about anything else you can name. However I will put out the warning it is a very dangerous river because it is dam controled. The TVA controls the water release schedule you can call the # to check it but the bad part is you can only get tomorow's sched. at 4pm today So no room fro future plans. 90% of the water is unwadable when TVA is generating so beware. THe # is 1 800 238 2264 when the recording picks up press 401# to get holston. They aren't really bad to change the schedule after posting it but will sometimes os alway watch the level of the river if you see a change HEAD OUT! Feel free to email me i would love to here what you guys have decided. oh ya heres a link to TVA's website you can check the generations sched. there too. http://lakeinfo.tva.gov/
Hope to hear from ya and see you down here in the Southwest VA North east TN area. It's a great place!

[tidbit]

Guys & gals,

In March--there is no place like the White river in Arkansas. If ya go the weekend of the 18th, 19th and 20th you'll get to vist the Sowbug Roundup in Mt. Home. A wonderful event that Tony Spezio helped to popularize. There will be over 90 tyers from all over the USA. Plus at least one or two from England or Germany. It is a fine event.

I have been going for several years and have been fishing in Arkansas for about 15 or 20 years. An old service buddie--he lives in Little Rock--and I get together to tell lies and settle the woes of the world. Good fun all round.

Try Arkansas, you'll be glad you did. Good fishing and good weather in March.

tidbit

[Shoe]

Allow me to thank all of you for the detailed replies.

We flipped a coin and decided on the White around BS. This will be my 4th trip down there. Hopefully they will be nice and keep some of the water in the pond.

Flymaster, I'm still looking at the Holston for a trip sometime this year. It's close enough for us to hit on a long weekend. I remember an episode on TUTV where the boys fished below a low-head dam that provides this section with oxygenated water. It didn't look like the big water like the Cumberland at Wolf Creek. Is that in the area you described?

Nightfish, The Green is also on the short list, but unfortunately will have to wait. There's a few members on the board that hit every year. It would be nice to have a little get-together sometime.

Jerry, you sure made that sound attractive. I'm just afraid that 3 days wouldn't be enough. Hope you keep that offer open

Steve, look us up. We'll post the dates in the next or so.

[flymaster]

Hey Shoe ya that is the section that i was talking about. THose are what we call the wiers. They augement the flow of the river during the periods the dam is not releasing water. And they put a great amoun to O2 in the water. I love the river, it is a gentleman's river. Takes a real fisherman to get those PHD educated trout to rise sometimes. The cool thing is that about any given time you can take fish on a "properly fished" dry fly. From sulphers in the late spring to late summer to the BWOS all year. To midges about all year. If I could pick a time to come it would be June or July the sulphers are great then really from later april to may up until late september they hatch but june july is the prime. I love that hatch. Nice big flies, about 14-16 maybe a 18 sometimes. THere are some of my best days done this time of the year. And the air temp doesn't bother the fish, it may affect the hatch but the water is so cold the fish could care less. It comes from the bottom of the lake under about 125 feet of water. So it is freezing no wet wading even in the summer.I am going to try to attach a pic of a section of the water. THis is a typical kinda thing a ripple into a deep hole that hole is about 6-8 feet deep in the center. I love that hole MONSTER browns but Harvard PHD education again. They have seen it all. Th e pic won't attach sorry!

[flymaster]

Sorry shoe ya by the way yes the river is a nice size river. in places it is wider an shallower and narrower and deeper. More on the wiers, The river comes out of 2 outputs off South Holston Dam then goes to one river. THen it splits around what is known as Oscela island. Those dams you spoke of are at the lower part of the island a set on both forks of the river. They hold water back so it regulates the flow of the river. Because when the hydroelectric generator are off no water leaves the lake into the river. But the river flow never suffers. As I mentioned before you can only waded with the water OFF. So call the schedule please dont' tget caught in that mess. If you have any question email me you have crossed my fav. subject.

fly

[Shoe]

FM,

Thanks for the informative posts. You sure make it sound like a "have-to" fish river. Can you describe the access points if one were to float that in a drift boat? (distance, launch and take out, approximate float times...) How about motor restrictions?

June and July may be hard for me, but an April trip quite possible. I know I'll miss the major hatches. Do you experience flood pool levels during the run-off that time of year, or do they hold it back for Summer generation?

Sorry about all the questions. I come from a long line of "milkers". When one travels a good distance, it's always good to gather as much info as possible in order to minimize surprises and to shorten the learning curve.

[Steelheader69]

Oh, it was only 3 days? I must've missed that. Yeah, you want a week here, that's for sure. 3 days and you can be a bit early or late. But give yourself a week, and you usually will find fish.

Yup, offer is still open.

[flymaster]

Hey that is great if you have a drift boat you can fish when they are generating too. When the water is off it will be wade only though. I will give you the link to a local fly shop he can tell you about floating the river never done it myself but would love to. The link is Va creeper fly shop this guy it the Holston guru. He should come off of some info for you. He is a good guy. Or email me before you go and I will hook ya up with another fly shop #. I can't be much help on floating but there is a boat ramp right where I go in the water, but where to get out I don't know. But as for flood water the dam regualtion cuts that out you only have to compete with the dam release. But if you have a boat you can fish during the releases too. Just looked at the link I gave you he has a link on holston so check it out. He also talks about the Wataqua river it is local too also a good river at times. I watched the TUTV on the hoston too they caught a bunch of little fish, there are much bigger in there. April would be fine to be there. THere is a TUTV on Watagua river too if you have seen it. Once again any questions yell at me on this post or email me. I may be slow but don't give up the email would proabably be better though if it is closer to when you will leave. because I will forget about this post. Please email me if you are going I will do all I can to help you find boat trips and lodging if you need it. ON the lake above the river there are a bunch of campgrounds if you would be interested I can hook you up with #s to the also. I camp in one so I can try to see what I can do to get you a spot if you need it. They do allow nightly camping on the other side and You are also right on Holston lake there it is a good small and largemouth lake. There is a lot of fishing to be done here look at the links on the site i gave you he tells about some of his fav places.

later

[flymaster]

That site has a hatch chart too. Dang he is informative and I never knew it!

FM