- July 15, 2024 -

If you've read any of my blog posts, you know that I love fishing in the early evening, but on this day, I went fishing at 3pm because there was going to be a wonderful sulfur hatch going on. This is a magical time to be on the South Holston river. Yellow mayflies, called sulfurs, hatch throughout the summer and as they hatch, they struggle to break the surface tension of the water, making them easy prey for trout. With water temperatures consistently in the low 50s throughout the summer, trout remain active throughout the day and take advantage of the copious sulfurs delicately stuck on the surface by the water's surface tension. An easy meal! They snap them up greedily like junior high school boys at a potato chip convention. Today, I decided to use a size 16 CDC comparadun, applying Frogs Fanny to the feathers and then brushing those feathers forward to better simulate wings - Presentation, presentation, presentation! I focus on keeping my fly high and dry, perky on the water. And it worked! I lost count of how many trout I caught, but it included two 16" rainbow trout and several 12-14" brown trout. Wade fishing is terrific on the South Holston river, especially from our property because you don't have to contend with mud that is often an issue further downstream. Come give it a try, it's so much fun!