The South Holston River in Tennessee...

Another summer adventure to the East Tennessee - Southwest Virginia area. This time with a group of the guys. We fished the South Holston River just outside of Bristol. Monday we hired a guide, which was a good idea: it served not only as a great introduction to the river (where to access, flies to use, etc.), but also because the river rises dramatically at mid-day everyday, and having a guide meant having a drift boat for the afternoon high water. The fishing was prolific. It is estimated that the river contains between 5,000 - 6,000 trout per mile, predominantly wild, and averaging in the 12"-14" range! The majority of our fish were representative of those estimates, with a few going beyond that. In addition to the great fishing, the camaraderie was great with the guys, and the accommodations were nice (imagine a rustic cabin with a blue-ribbon trout stream passing not 100 yards from your front door...). All-in-all a fine week spent on the water...