October 2022 Fishing Report

By Taylor Klarman | October 29, 2022
Watauga river fishing report

Low water conditions, cold temperatures, and the beginning of pre-spawn made fish hard to find. The fish targeted were more in the 15/20+ range. I love this time of year. The leaves falling are not the only thing that change colors. The fish are equally transforming as the season changes as well.

The South Holston River was fished with size 22/24 nymphs: cream midge, top secret midge, sweet thing midges (black and copper) and jiggy Sulphur nymphs. A few fish were taken on peach egg patterns or Fried eggs.

Line size utilized for the fall/winter month ahead drops down to 6x and 7x due to the consistently clear water and low water conditions

The Watauga River

We floated the Watauga more this month due to low water conditions on the south Holston and oxygen issues coming from the lake. The Watauga river fishing we did produced many trophy fish this month and were caught nymphing while utilizing dry flies in the afternoon to twilight.

Midges: Cream, solid red thread, black solid thread, and white. Size 22/24

Nymphs: Grey and black caddis pupa.

Dry fly, Parachute adams, elk hair caddis in black, grey, and green. Sizes ranged from 18/22

If you’re looking to stock up on some flies, head on over to Mahoney’s in Johnson City. They’ll take good care of you!

Posted in Fishing Reports

About Taylor Klarman

I am a retired United States Marine. I finished my last tour in 2013, shortly after I was retired. The long road of completing a Master’s degree in business and working various jobs was just not enough to fill the vessel of life. Fishing has always been a pillar of my life as I am a native of Mobile Bay, Alabama. I grew up competing in the thriving fisheries from Florida across to Venice, LA as the crow flew. Fortunately, The Marine Corps took me to many places in this life and freshwater fly-fishing became my addictive pastime while in the service.