Holston River Hatches and Trout Flies:
Our information on aquatic insects is based on
our stream samples of larvae and nymphs, not
guess work. We base fly suggestions on
imitating the most plentiful and most available
insects and other foods at the particular time
you are fishing. Unlike the generic fly shop
trout flies, we have specific imitations of all the
insects in the Holston River and in all stages of
life that are applicable to fishing. If you want to
fish better, more realistic trout flies, have a
much higher degree of success use Perfect Flies,
92% of the thousands of our customers will
use nothing else.
There are two basic ways to fish the Holston
that are almost opposite of each other. One is
using small imitations of midges and the other
is caddisfly imitations. Midge larva, pupa and
adult imitations will catch trout year-round.
Many anglers use a tandem rig with both a
larger mayfly nymph and a small midge larva
or pupa fly. Most of the midges are either
cream or red (blood) midges.
Most of the time, midge imitations are the best
choice of flies. They will work day in and day
out.
Caddisfly imitations work when a hatch is
occurring or egg laying is taking place. There
are several species of caddisflies that live in
the Holston River. Caddisflies are the most
important hatches on the Holston. Most all of
them are commonly called Cinnamon Caddis.
Most all of them are net-spinning caddis
Few free-living and only a few cased
caddis exist. There are several minor
species or caddisflies that hatch in sparse
quantities. The hatches start in March and
peak in May.
Some species hatch during the summer
but in smaller quantities. A few hatch in the
fall months. The opportunity to catch larger
trout on a streamer always exist. The best
streamers are imitations of baitfish and
sculpin. Terrestrials work fine in the late summer
and early fall. Beetles, ants and
grasshopper imitations catch their share of
Holston River trout.
Craneflies are plentiful in the Holston. At
times, imitations of the Cane Fly larvae
adults work fairly well. Black flies are very
plentiful and more important in the colder
months of the year. You should have
imitations of the Black Fly larvae, pupae
and the adults.
Sulphurs are the most common mayfly.
There are plenty of bugs to keep trout
rising on the Holston. Sulphurs hatch in
May and June.