Chuckwagon - how was the S. Holston?

[knot trying]

Inquiring minds want to know...any info appreciated.

[chuckwagon]

It was pretty darn good. We had low flows Sat and Sunday. The canoe is perfect for the low flows. The sulphur's where spotty. They where keyed on the emergers though. Tons of fish on Sat and Sunday the good fish ate. Nothing over 18" but lots of fish in the 15-17" range. It was well worth the effort put in to the float. All the folks up that way are extremely nice. Several places to camp and there are a few guys that'll shuttle for ya for around 20 bucks. I will be going back in the next week or so. It is a 4 hour drive from my house(Chamblee). Worth every second! When every fish from 12" and up gives you the head throb!, you know its good fishin!!!!

This river is extremely characteristic to the toccoa. I can only hope that after many years the fish in the toccoa will get as big as the ones in the SoHo. From what i am seeing I am optomistic!! Bring on more Oxygen!!!!!

Trey Niolon
Chuckwagon

[Fire Walker]

Hydro group where you at!!! Thanks for the report Trey. No brainer, we need to make this trip this weekend.

[skibum]

Dont look at me, I'm a soccer coach this weekend.. Maybe we bring both Steve and Mark's boat up and try that.. One weekend in the furture ;)

[Fire Walker]

Well it looks as if the Hydro group will be heading that way.
Trey, we would love for your camp to join us . If your schedule dosent allow, can you do me a favor and give me a call so we can get some camp site info ;) Thanks Luke 770 842-1525

[chuckwagon]

Are you talkin aug 5,6,7 weekend? If so I am there!

[Fire Walker]

Thats the plan,Steve may be flying in Fri afternoon but we are going to try and get outta here asap on Fri. Lookin forward to it brotha. I am going to shoot Rusty an email for a hatch report mid week and Dennis and I will be bringing the Renzettis' to tie whatever we need. Will know more the closer we get. I am sure Steve will chime in and keep the group up to date.

[fishmonger]

Fire,

Have big truck will travel ;). I will see what I can do about getting out on Friday, assuming there is room in a flotation unit. Keep me informed.

FM

[Rusty Fowler]

Unfortunately, Trey the Toccoa will never be in the same league as the South Holston. The SH is limestone based, the Toccoa isn't. I wish it were! Don't get me wrong, TWRA claims the increased oxygen (per the weir dam) did wonders for the SH but the ph has a lot to do with the fish too. The Toccoa has the constant flow generator but the ph is around 7.4, a neutral reading. The sulfurs you saw come off year 'round. They're thickest this time of year though. HOT sun shiney days are the ticket up there. Pray for generation on the days you'll be up there. It can be tough if you're not used to timing risers on 2500cfs but it's the most fun you'll have trout fishing in the South. I can't stress this enough guys, use LONG leaders. On low water, I use leaders up to 20ft. On high water, especially if you're not used to mending in heavy water, use 12-18ft leaders. Practice casting them before you go so you'll have better control.

Luke, I'm going to be in Florida bud. I'm going down for 2-3 weeks to do some fishing. The hatches should be sulfurs, bwo's, and blackflies. Tie around 6 sulfur dry variations in sizes 14-18, hair and cdc comparaduns are my favs up there. Take some pt soft hackles and nymphs. Play around with some different variations of pt's (try some quill bodies). Blackfly larva can be tied with thread or embroidery yarn in dark olive. If I tie them with thread I always coat the body in cement to give it gloss. Blackflies can save the day up there sometimes! Give me a call for other info;). I hope you guys have a good time on the ol' SoHo!

[skibum]

That weekend is good for me... Also my birthday weekend so I get to fish from the front of the boat :D

[fishmonger]

Fishing? Boat? You will back at camp prepping dinner... :D

FM

[skibum]

Hey now, I've been known to only show up with a 12pack and chips, so if you want more than that your on your own :p

[chuckwagon]

Sorry, Rusty

We will just have to wait and see on the Toccoa debate!

As far as the SoHo, I will take low flows. I like the spring creek like setting. It kinda brings out the best in ya!

I agree on the long 6x. The length is not as critical as the presentation though. Some can do with 12' what it takes 20' for others?!!


Now, Hydro Group.

We need to discuss the flotilla for the weekend. I would not recomend aluminum on low flows. 1 man toons or canoes are in order. For high flows we need drifters. We will need to be able to safely anchor beside the eddies and stay afloat. I know my canoe will not handle the high water anchoring. I will work on procurring a fishing framed raft if the flows are high. For this group we will need at least 2 drifters?

Just throwing a few neccessities out there.

any more ideas?

Trey Niolon
Chuckwagon

[skibum]

I believe whats needed is an evening at the new Dreamlands off 141 to discuss this.. Whatcha think?? Early next week?? Lots to work out.. Will need beer ;)

[chuckwagon]

Yeah, I think we are gonna need Beer!

[Rusty Fowler]

Yeah Trey, I guess we will. If you know of a way for the Toccoa to jump magically from a 6.6ph at the Dam to a 8.0ph you let me know. The 7.4 was an average for the whole river. It has the potential to grow large fish but it cannot sustain large numbers of large fish. It doesn't have the biomass. Of course if you want to debate facts I guess I can accomodate.

And, I'm sorry if I insulted your skills also. You fished between Jack Praters and Big Springs Rd. That area doesn't get near the pressure that the upper section does. Actually, the fishing in the section you fished is quite easy in comparison (especially from a boat.) My advice comes from people that have been fishing and guiding on the river for 5-10 years (I've probably fished it 50-75 times myself) but I guess you know best. Also, the SoHo will test your skill on low water but not as much as high water. Park your boat 50ft from risers, because you can't get any closer, and see what you can do with 12 feet. Drag city and NO fish. I've had people on my boat who have been ffing for many a year that have trouble doing it with a longer leader. But I forget, you have fished in over a weekend and suddenly you're an expert.

I use long leaders on the SoHo, will you please show me how to use a shorter one?

[Fire Walker]

Rusty whats your deal bro??? I think Trey was just shootin the breeze with ya not telling you he was an expert. So cool out my brotha!
Now I think a trip to Dreamlands is in order. What day do we want to go?

[fishmonger]

I can't go on Monday, but will be squeeling on any other nite.

FM

[Fire Walker]

does tuesday work for everybody?

[TheEndlessEnigma]

that works for me

[skibum]

Tue works for me.. I think.. I'll check..

Will Steve be in town for this?? We'll figure out the trip during this so he should be there..

[Fire Walker]

dunno i will give him a call

[chuckwagon]

Did somebody say somthin? Or is that someones ego bustin at the seams?

Man, Give it a break.

And Yes SOME can do with 12' what SOME takes 20'!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Easy section or not!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am sure its just a pleasure fishin outa your boat!


Again, give us lowlifes a break. We all really know we are beneath you?


Trey Niolon
Chuckwagon

[chuckwagon]

And yes tuesdays good with me.

cw

[Fire Walker]

Tuesday it is :)

[BrandonT]

I prefer to use 6' leaders on a 10 wt. line :)

[Rusty Fowler]

Just pointing out the facts there Trey, that's all. Flame away there bud, I really don't care. If I don't go to Florida I may meet you guys at Dreamlands and we can discuss this in person. BTW, are you any relation to Barney Fife?

[chuckwagon]

That ones over my head?

Trey Niolon
Chuckwagon

[chuckwagon]

Oh I see!

Hey Andy,

Just because you have a set way of doing things and a theory behind the way you do things doesn't mean it is so! Just because I have a set way of doing things and a theory behind why i do them doesn't make them so. It sure doesn't mean anyone else has to follow or agree with them. (My wife has taught me this). I sure don't have a problem with the way you state and do things. I sure as heck don't have to agree with them. I do appologize for offending you though. It wasn't my intention.

No I am no expert on fishing the SoHo, But a good weekend on the river has given me a good sense as far as what I will do the next time I go. I will learn something new each time I visit it and thats the fun I get out of going.

Again, don't get bent outta shape if I disagree with some of your "Facts". Its alright if someone doesn't agree.

Now Andy, I think i'll just go lock myself up with Otis!! :yikes:


Barney Fife
Trey Niolon
Chuckwagon

[TheEndlessEnigma]

you can now put your bullet it.

[skibum]

Hey Steve, does next Tue work for you??

[chuckwagon]

EE,

I cracking up!! I forgot all about the 1-shot.

Barney?
Trey Niolon
Chuckwagon

[TheEndlessEnigma]

how can you forget about him always asking if he could put his bullet in

[knot trying]

Looks like I will be here next week, so Tues. night is ok with me.

How about hitting JR's instead of Dreamlands???

[skibum]

Does'nt matter to me.

[fishmonger]

IMHO, Dreamlands is better, but , not being one to stir the pot :D , JR's is cool.

FM

[Fire Walker]

Well I happen to be a expert on the matter and I feel JR's seating arrangement suits druken flyfisherman alot better than Dreamlands. So fire away big boy:P
Sorry I just couldnt help myself.;)
Tues at JRs sounds good to me.

[Rusty Fowler]

OK Barney, I'm going to break this down to you in Kindergarten terms. A 12ft leader puts your fly how far from the flyline? 12ft. Very good, Barney! How far away is it with a 20ft leader? Gee, 20ft. Very good again there Barney! You're very sharp. Do I have to explain to you what this means?

If a fish can see your flyline at 12ft and it's putting him down then you just stick to that 12 footer. After all, you can do with 12 what takes others 20ft to do. In this case, a 20ft leader is putting the flyline out of site more. But, if you know how to make a 12 footer do the same thing then I think it's something we must all see. I know I want to! You fished a section that doesn't see much traffic. If you guys go up to fish it again I'd say some of you will probably fish up around the weir. They won't touch your fly with a 12ft leader up there most of the time. But, go ahead and try there bud.

Like I said before, you have fished it twice so you know best! You know all scenarios there Mr. Perfection. I'm not putting myself on a pedestal or anything. Luke said he was going to ask me about hatches so I gave him my advice on the river. I know people that have guided and fished the river for 10 plus years. I've taken their advice and have become a better angler on the river as a result.

MOST people would appreciate my candor on the subject. I know nothing about the Chattahoochee and I would consider it foolish not to follow the advice of someone who does. If someone advised me to use a certain fly, leader, tippet, I'd gladly follow their advice. But, if you or anyone else want to take it as bad advice then I'll accept that from now on.

[skibum]

Hell, I aint even gonna use a flyline.. I'm just gonna throw leaders and tippet :D

[skibum]

What time are we meeting?? 7-7:30?? and JR's right!!

[Fire Walker]

TOMORROW RIGHT, 7:30 AT JR'S

[chuckwagon]

yep, theres only one JR's right?

cw

[skibum]

Far as I know.. Steve must live closer to JR's or some thing...lol

Rusty,
I dont mean to speak for Trey, but I think the comment about (Some can do with 12' what it takes 20' for others?!!) was more about his comment before of proper presentation.. Which of course is key in dry fly fishing. I believe most would have a problem with that long a leader, getting good drag free drifts, getting the proper presentation, fly turning over.. I know I've never thrown one that long, maybe 15'. And thats where your comment about practicing before we get there is a good idea, and one which i will be trying out in the yard. Or on the river if I live from the shock of seeing a rising fish on the hooch.
But in your defense I could see that it could be taken in the wrong manner, which I'm sure (atleast I think so)) Trey did'nt mean it in that manner.. So anyways, lets start over and if your not in Fla that weekend, lets hook up. If not i'm sure after fishing it for the first time we will be back. It's only 1 hour drive from my inlaws in NC, so I know i'll be back..

[knot trying]

There are 2 JR's locations. The one I'm thinking about is the one at 141 just south of Wilson Road. (very close to St. Ives). 7 or 7:30pm is fine with me.

[Fire Walker]

7:30 it is or maybe a little earlier;) See ya there. BTW here are some pretty cool links for us:http://www.smokymountainflyguide.com/East%20Tennessee%20tailwaters%20hatch%20charts.htm
http://www.dgif.state.va.us/fishing/rivers/south_fork_holston/
http://lakeinfo.tva.gov/htbin/lakeinfo?site=SHH&DataType=All&SUBMIT=View+data
http://tennclave.com/maps.html
http://tennclave.com/flypatterns.html
I am trying to locate a good set of maps. Not very busy here in the office today so I am taking this opportunity to research the river. This looks like a great place to get into some hog browns!
Yeah come on!

[Fire Walker]

You can check it out at GoogleEarth.com after downloading type in Bristol Tenn. And Zoom until you find it. Thanks BPAL!!
We are really, really slow today;)

[skibum]

What about staying here?? The larger house is open that weekend, and the price is right..

http://www.holstoncastaways.com/

[fishmonger]

I say we stay yhere, it sounds like a good plan.

FM

[chuckwagon]

Don't delay. Book it!

CW

[skibum]

Sent them an email this morning, so we'll see. No word on the other cabin we talked about. Trey, we still have the camping spot in case this place falls thru right??.. Mark says he's taking next fri off, so he'll be able to ride up with Steve and Luke whenever they are ready.. I'll be heading up just after noon sometime, dropping the family off in NC, and should join the rest of you bubba's before 8pm Fri night.. START TYING!!!!! :D

[fishmonger]

Luke and Steve,

Can ride along and split the gas? I have a big ol' Dodge, but it sounds like we don't need the additional vehicle to carry anything. What do you think?

FM

[knot trying]

Mark:

It's a plan. Hope to leave sometime Friday morning.

[chuckwagon]

The house has been reserved. The water front looks to be fishy as well.

If there are any problems with getting a house instead of camping speak now.

Again I am up for camping as well. But, Sleeping with AC is kinda enticing with this heat :yikes: .

Ok, Big thick steaks for friday night and big thick steaks for saturday night. Did we want country fried steak for breakfast?

I will be headn up real early friday in anticipation of fishing the day.

Anything else?

Trey
CW

[fishmonger]

I'll plan on getting the day off. This is going to be fun...

FM

[Fire Walker]

I am in for the cabin, A/C!!!!!! As far as breakfast CFS sounds good to me Trey. Steaks and steaks also sounds like a winner. I will take care of lunch. I can make up some pretty awesome sandwiches and can have the misses bake us some sweets. Add some chips and drinks and we'll be in there like swimwear. Anything else?

[fishmonger]

I'll take care of beverages, within reason :D . BYO liquor. Requests?

Beer?
Tequila/Marg mix-yes (speaking for myself, happy to share)
Soft drinks? Coke, Diet Coke
Juice?
Bottled water?

FM

[skibum]

I know what i'm bringing ;)

Ok well just let me know whats left to bring.. I may be the last one getting there so of course I can stop and get whatever is missing...

[chuckwagon]

Grapefruit Juice for me please.

I will be in charge of breakfast if thats alright. I have bought bags of flour on each of my last 4 camp trips and my wife says i gotta get the flour outa the house.

So, homemade biscuits and whatever for sat and sunday am.

I am off the air till monday.


One week and counting. Just think this time next week i may be into my backing!!!!!!

Trey
CW

[skibum]

Trey, do you have the directions to the house yet?? Luke might not be back online before we leave so if you need his number let me know.. Also, do we need to haul much food up there, or just stop at a local store to pick up the food supply? Might be a good idea to get your cell number so i'll pm ya and we'll exchange those.. Getting close boyz :cool:

You taking anyone up with you??

[chuckwagon]

I am not, so I have room if anyone needs a lift. I will PM you back on Lukes # I need to set up to get his canoe on the rack!

Yeah, I ain't gonna get much work done this week!!!

i would go ahead and grab the basics here. I know there are stores not too far away,But better safe than sorry. I am gonna bring some venison tenderloin to grill one night. I will assume everyone needs to grab a steak for the other.

Trey
CW

[Fire Walker]

The DHCP was down so sorry about the delays guys. To bring it to the top. I spoke with Steve and if there are only five of us going then two canoes and the kayak should be enough. That takes care of meeting up with you trey. As far as getting groceries we can do that on our way out and just fill up a big cooler. I will be calling Mark tonight to talk about departure plans. Venison sounds great Trey! Two days to go boys!

[skibum]

24 hours to go... ROAD TRIP!!!!

Trey, any word on where I'm going yet???...lol

[chuckwagon]

I'm workin it up right now.

[chuckwagon]

Check your E mail.
The flows are lookin good for the weekend.

I am headin out about 4 in the am. I will be fishin from about 9 am till high water. Anyone wants to head early let me know.

Trey
CW

[skibum]

I'll be packing up the family and hitting the road around 1pm. Which puts me there around 6-7pm.. Here fishy fishy fishy :cool:

[skibum]

Yawn... Man am I tired and sore.. Great trip guys!!! Man did we learn alot while up there.. It's almost worth the trip just to float this river and see all the HUGE, no really, I MEAN HUGE fish they have in there. Course by seeing all these big fish means you dont have a snowball's chance in hell of catching it at that point, but it was sure fun to watch them.. Where else can one see 50 trout swim by at once, and everyone of them over 20" and some pushed 30" easy.. Long leaders were for sure the norm up there.. Not much of a hatch though, so we were throwing nymphs and some WB's with dries from time to time.. I did'nt fair to bad, prob caught 30 fish and did'nt get a brown till about #25 which seemed odd.. Biggest I caught was a 17" Bow.. With a crowd of bikini bathers right behind us, although somehow Fishmonger only managed to get their boyfriends in the background of the pic...lol Mark also caught a nice 17" brown yesterday. Pics to follow..

We also learned that you dont float the upper section, on a weekend, at low flow, with anything less than a hovercraft.. Man did the locals cast the evil eye's our way. Oh well live and learn. The bottom section was a much better float, fewer people in the water and had a much better time getting around them without messing up their water.

Trey the food was awesome man what can I say.. And so were the snacks Luke made for lunch on Sat.. I dont think I cooked anything over the weekend, except braincell's :D

Steve, no more suprises!!! My head still hurts...lol

Mark, no more tequila for you my friend :rolleyes:

Sorry I had to run so fast sunday, made it back and what was the wifey doing??? Why Napping of course :bang: :bang: But I got her home before her deadline.. Those first days back at school after having the whole summer off must be really taxing...lol Shhhhhhh...

[chuckwagon]

Man what a sloppy ride home. My wipers went out around greenville. Thank goodness for RainX.

I surely had an excellent time.

I will assure all of you that this river will be calling you in a few weeks if not sooner. I dream nightly of those 18 inch fish sipping out there at 20 yrds and refusing everything I got. It makes you want it so much more!! Then he eats and you have got the feeling that nothing in this world is better than that one hook up! Trout Hunting at its finest. (well almost)

Anyway, lots of fish, Lots of food, To much lots of drink,and what great company. Lets say we do it again this weekend?

Trey
CW

[knot trying]

Oh well, I always consider the first trip anywhere to be a "scouting expedition" anyway. After Friday afternoon, I thought it would be pretty easy, boy was I wrong! Sulphur hatch is petering out and that has got to be a key stimulus.

Man did we ever see some HUGH brown trout! Like Dennis said, once you see them, you don't have a prayer of catching them. Low flows make for interesting sight seeing, but crummy fishing.

Great food and fun still made for a good trip. Trey, I'm going to try those roasted onions at home on the grill, man those were good (as was the venison).

Where next? Clinch?

[Fish Gazer]

This is a great thread, the anticipation before the trip was fun to read. For me thats a big part of it, especially that first night. I think it was a pic of Firewalker I gazed :) with a really big brown he caught. I wonder, what flys did you try? Did you use anything like a size 8 stone fly but with rubber legs? I am just curious. Did the fish scatter when they saw you, or could you move in and they just refused it?


Thanks

Jeff

[skibum]

I think the pic your talking about is not Luke. It's just a pick showing the size of those fish up there. And there are some much much bigger than that :cool: As we were floating along, you would see hundreds of them scattering. Now and then they would start running upstream like a freight train, 100's at a time.. We picked up most our fish in the faster water, as little as 6"-6ft of water.. From the boat you could see them follow, but Mark and I never moved any big fish that way. Trey for sure knows his, huh, stuff!!! Once he helped us rookie's out, the second day would have been much better.. But the water was so cloudy on the lower section we had to get closer to the dam, and the crowds. Plus we did'nt actually see as many really big one up there near the top, but i'm sure they are there..

I'm ready for another trip!!!! Or atleast lets start planning it now..

[fishmonger]

What a great weekend on an incredible fishery. I am really glad that I took off last Friday to partake, but am paying the price at work today. I will post more with some pics soon.

FM

[Fire Walker]

Lets just say WOW!
This tailwater is the finest piece of heaven east of the Mississippi.
With that said, it was the hardest water the Hydro group has seen in a long time. With minimal flow rates it DOES take 18 to 20 foot leaders! These fish have been educated. I will say that Trey threw long leaders 12 to 15 feet and absolutely slayed them. He could not have put on a finer clinic of distance casting to 18 inch risers. The tandem nymph rig he put together as well as the CDC emergers proved to be the key ingredients. Well done Chuckwagon!
Now lets talk about these fish. Guys and Gals the Browns and Rainbows on the South Holston are THE single largest concentration of 25 to 40 inch fish I have ever experienced. It is like being on a glass bottom boat looking down at 25 to 30 25" class fish and there's not a **** thing you can do but watch em go by! It is spectacular!!! We all caught some nice fish and ran into a kid the morning we arrived that landed a SIXTEEN POUND Brown!!! He said,"AW Thats really not that big a deal round' here,Dads got a 22 pound brown on the wall at home." Its like fishing on a diffrent planet.
All in all it was the best trip I have ever been on and let me tell you theses guys can cast and fish with the best of em. Just a great learning experience all around. The food was Gourmet all the way. Trey grilled two Venison tenderloins that were out of this world. Just a first class experience with a great group of guys. What can I say were the"HYRDO GROUP!" Looking forward to that HIGH water float in the Clacks here real soon. Awesome just Awesome.

[Appanglr]

Glad to hear you guys had such a great time on the river. I wish I would have caught this thread before you went because I could have offered some advice. I used to fish this river at least 4 times a week for 4 years. It is truly a magical place. The best chance you have at catching one of those monsters is with big streamers during high water using sinking lines. It is hard fishin but with a little patience you can hit a big one. As far as the sulphurs go, I always tie mine with an orange tinge to them. For some reason they seem to have that color to them. It is strange cause the sulphurs on the neighboring Watauga are more yellow, but that orange tinge can be the difference in catching those SoHo fish. The sulphurs should continue to hatch strong for some time. When they are really going it is a sight to see. That river holds more fish that it seems could be possible and it is a neat experience to see them rise. I have had some of my best days over there during the middle of winter. Hatches occur year round over there so there is always good fishing. Next time you guys go shoot me an email, and if you have any questions, let me know I would be glad to help out however I can. Oh yeah, Long leaders definately make a huge difference. You can get away with slightly shorter leaders during high water, but during low water I typically use 18-20 footers with 7X. Tight Lines, Josh

[skibum]

Our only shot at high water was fri night about an hour before dark.. We gave it a try and took out the canoe for a very short float back down to the house we were staying in.. Next time we'll make sure we get atleast a day of high water fishing if we can.. And prob get a driftboat instead of the canoe's.. I personally had alot of fun trying to keep the canoe in position for the bubba in the front of the boat.. I can see alot of enjoyment in guiding someone while rowing.. Trey even has us access to a drift boat we can rent next time we go back up.. Oh for sure were gonna do that... :cool:

[fishmonger]

Thats MR. Bubba to you. :) And besides, you were the Bubba in the front on that float. That short term memory thing is kicking in again...

FM

[skibum]

I only let you drive that night so we would'nt drown.. Hey where's my paddle?? :rolleyes:

Speaking of missing things.. Did you end up with my net, netboy??...lol

Also do I get to come by and take home the CD yet??

[fishmonger]

I am just leaving work. I have your net, and will burn you a disk that you can get tonite. I'll call you in a while.

FM

[skibum]

Here's a nice Bow, and local audience..
http://www.georgia-outdoors.com/photopost/data/500/8745S_HolstonBow2.JPG

Fishmonger with a Bow...

http://www.georgia-outdoors.com/photopost/data/500/8745fishmongersfriend.JPG

[djc21]

Hey Guys,
Sounds like a great fishery. Where in the World is the South Holston? I have never even heard of it and do you have to have a guided trip to be able to fish it? Any info would be much appreciated.
Thanks,

David C.

[Rusty Fowler]

David,

The SoHo is close to Bristol, TN, not far from the speedway. Personally and professionally I think you would be better off using a guide. This river can be a beast most of the time. In my opinion, it's the most technical tailwater trout fishing in the South but it's also the best. If these fish get picky then you need a guide. Sometimes that requires flies down to size 26 and 7-8x tippet.

Shoot me an email and I'll get directions to ya.

I'm a guide and I still use guides myself. As often as money allows.

[Appanglr]

The South Holston is a 14 mile tailwater in East TN. There are many access points and public parking areas. The water can be fished without a guide, but there are times when the trout become extremely selective, and a guides knowledge of the river could help. If you need any recommendations for guides please let me know. I have friends who I used to guide with that continue to guide on that river and the Watauga full time. They would also be great to contact and could keep you up to date with what the river is doing if you were gonna fish it yourself. Let me know if you need any help.
Josh

[Rusty Fowler]

I just wanted to apologize for my choice of words in this thread concerning Chuckwagon. Trey, I met you in person at the last BBQ run and I thought you were a nice fellar. I think this was just a big misunderstanding. I just wanted to give you guys an advantage up there and I should have let it go at that. Sorry man! I'm glad you guys have been having fun up there!

[fishmonger]

Trey is a nice feller, an awesome fish catcher, and a great cook. He's pretty good company, too. :)

BTW, you were mostly right about the long leaders. We caught most of our fish on 15+ foot leaders. I caught about 10 on a sinking line with a bugger on the end of a 9' leader, but they were all small. I did manage a nice 17" Brown on the upper end, on a #18 Prince nymph. It was a really cool hook up, I saw him materialize out of a little slot between some rock and take my fly. A good fight, and help with the net from Knot Trying made it a trip-maker.

We all appreciated your advice and local knowledge. What a great river!

FM

[Fire Walker]

I for one am glad to hear from you brother. Dont really know what happened there,water under the waders at this point. Now back to the SO HO! I was considering dynamite there in the end ;) We need to get together and really hash out some fall tactics. I recall something about a jet too :):)Thanks Rusty your a class act. Luke

[Fire Walker]

Ran across these while shopping for some fall Patterns. Add a 20 foot 6X and here is what ya needed. Thanks,Luke

[Rusty Fowler]

Thanks Luke, you are very kind. Well, I tried to upload some pictures of a 28" brown that was caught up there a few days ago but the files are too large. If any of you would like to see this beast just let me know! Luke, tactics on the SoHo this fall are going to include huge streamers, heavy sink tips, and that Jet boat:)! You've still got that trip coming bud! The shad kill last year was fantastic. Got a newbie on a 20" brown!

[skibum]

Luke's not aloud to go back without me ;)

[Rusty Fowler]

Bum, you come on up too bud! We'll just make you row the boat;) J/K

[Fire Walker]

Sounds like my type of fishing. Cant wait to see the new sled. I dont know if Dennis knows how to row. He can make a mean batch of spagetti though:) J/K D hehehehe

[HIGHLAND OUTFITTERS]

Luke, why did you go ahead and tell me about this place?!?!?! I'm in on the next one. I've been wanting to take the cat. on some big water, but I guess for the low water I can take the 8' toon or the tube. Or would a kayak be better? I was thinking of dredging the bottom with a BIG streamer, a sinking line, and a REALLY LONG leader. Maybe a Clouser or Deciever. :D
Anyway, is there another trip in the works? If so; When?
Mark