South Holston & Watauga River Fishing Report: December 2025

December Is Here: Here’s What You’ve Been Missing on the South Holston and Watauga Rivers

Most of November brought unusually warm weather to East Tennessee, with temperatures hovering in the mid-50s. Now that December has arrived, colder air has finally moved in, dropping daytime temperatures into the 30s and 40s. These temperature swings haven’t slowed the fly fishing — in fact, they’ve improved it. Colder water temperatures have triggered more aggressive trout feeding behavior, and anglers are seeing increased activity across both the South Holston and Watauga Rivers.

We’ve Been Seeing Extended Low Flows on Both Rivers

For wade anglers, the recent low flows have been a gift. The Watauga has been running low for 22–23 hours a day, and the South Holston has only been generating in the mornings, typically from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. While the most consistent fishing lately has been on the South Holston during the high-water release, the Watauga could turn on any day now.

The South Holston’s 6 a.m.–1 p.m. generation schedule has created ideal conditions for full-day float trips. As the water begins to fall in the afternoon, we’ve been getting a strong Blue-Winged Olive (BWO) hatch that lasts one to two hours, creating excellent dry-fly opportunities.

Check out this shad-eating rainbow from a recent float trip!

Check out the brown trout Paul caught on a recent trip!

What’s Been Biting on the South Holston and Watauga Rivers?

Egg patterns are always a reliable choice in November and December, and they’ve produced some fish for us. But right now, a variety of BWO nymphs and small midges are the most consistent at fooling trout on both rivers.

On the Watauga, dark brown #20–22 midges with black beads have been the most reliable pattern, especially when paired behind an egg fly. That said, the Watauga has been a bit slower for us lately, and other patterns may be producing better depending on the section and flow.

The South Holston has offered the stronger bite during the morning generation. Egg flies are still picking up fish, but the real workhorses have been small BWO nymphs and tiny midges fished as a dropper. Most of our droppers haven’t been larger than a #20. For midges, dark brown, camel, and purple have been the top colors. For BWO nymphs, olive, dark brown, and gray have been the most productive shades.

Check out the color on this brown trout!

What to Expect as We Move Into December

With cooler temperatures finally settling in, we expect the fishing to get even better as the month progresses—especially if the South Holston and Watauga see increased generation from higher seasonal power demands. Cold, stable flows typically push trout into predictable feeding patterns, which can create some excellent late-December action.

Egg patterns, BWO nymphs, and midges should remain the go-to flies for any angler heading into January. And for those hoping to fish dries, the South Holston has been producing a reliable afternoon BWO hatch. Most of the surface activity has been near the TVA South Road parking access. You can find directions to that area on our Fly Fish South Holston page.

Check out these trip highlights from the last few weeks!

Carl and Scott both had a successful late fall trip! These big rainbows were landing with streamers during a shad kill!

Chris on his annual fall trip led him to both of these big browns! Chris is a phenomenal fly tyer and he landed both of these on his personal flies!

Al landed this awesome brown trout on a BWO nymph while fishing with us!

Interested in a Guided Fly Fishing Trip?

Give us a call or send us an email! With 2026 right around the corner, a guided fly fishing trip makes an incredible Christmas gift for friends, family, or even yourself. Our calendars are already starting to fill up, so now is the perfect time to secure your dates for next year.

Book Your Trip Now!

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