Fly Fishing Tennessee's Hiwassee River Tailrace

The Hiwassee River is a tailrace in Tennessee that is well known for the of mayfly, caddisfly and stonefly hatches that produce great trout. It is a very scenic river stocked primarily with brown and rainbow trout with some brook trout as well. In addition to the stocking program there are numerous hold over trout in the stream.

The Hiwassee River originates in the upper Chattahoochee National Forest in Northern Georgia. It flows into North Carolina and again into Tennessee where it empties into the Tennessee River in Meigs County. The total length is over 140 miles. The 20 mile Hiwassee tailwater fishery section begins in the Cherokee National Forest where the water is released from the pipe at the Apalachia Powerhouse which is about ten miles from the dam at Apalachia Lake. The constant temperature of the water being discharged allows for the great hatches that provide superb dry fly fishing for anglers.

Fly Fishing The Hiwassee River:
The first section above the town of Reliance, TN is about six miles long and it sees the most fishing pressure. This upper part of the river is filled with whitewater, deep pools and fast riffles. The scenery is magnificent and the trout are abundant since it is heavily stocked with rainbow, browns and even a few brook trout. The Hiwassee is "catch and release" only from October 1st. to February 28th and only artificial lures and flies can be used.

Most of it can be fished from a road that parallels the river. Also, the three mile John Muir Trail parallels the trophy section from Childers Creek to Big Bend parking lot.The flow of the water is determined by how many turbines are running. When one or no turbines are running, it can be waded, but with caution. In this case, longer, lighter leaders and tippets are the order of the day.

When the turbines are running, streamers are very productive due to the population of bait fish in the river. The favorite time for streamers is early in the year because a cold snap in the reservoirs above Apalachia dam results in shad being drawn through the generators and into the tailwaters. The trout gobble them up providing some fantastic trout fishing.

When the river has been stocked recently, just about any fly can be productive. However, if you want to entice a hit from a large holdover, a perfect imitation of the actual aquatic insect will be necessary. Although dry flies will work, your odds increase if nymphs are used. In either event, we strongly recommend the line of flies on Troutprostore since they are perfect imitations.

The fishing in the middle section of the Hiwassee River from Reliance to the Highway 411 Bridge is best in the April, May and June months because of the abundant caddis hatches. Also, it can be noted that the fishing pressure can be a little less in this section. The water released from the powerhouse will take from 2 ½ hours to 3 hours to reach the town of Reliance. The river in this section is more level and moderately moving so the wading is easier. The lower section from Highway 411 bridge down to Patty Bridge is inclined to be good very early in the season from March to early May.

Spring Fishing the Hiwassee River:
Several different species of caddisflies hatch on the river and most of them are the net-spinning caddis like the Cinnamon Caddis. The first of March will see the Little Black Caddis (American Grannoms) start to hatch followed closely by the Cinnamon Caddis.
The Little Sister Caddis and the Green Sedges start hatching in May and the hatch will last through June. April will be the start of the Hendricksons which can good but often be spotty. In mid May we will see some Light Cahills hatching depending on the water releases which can affect the hatches. The sulphurs will also be hatching from the first of May through mid June.

Summer Fishing the Hiwassee River:
The Cinnamon Caddis hatch will continue through august and the Slate Drakes will hatch through September as well. August will see the Little Brown Caddis hatch which continues well into the fall. The Golden Stoneflies hatch will continue through May and June followed by the Little yellow Stoneflies (Little Sallies). Tricos will start to hatch in the lower sections of the river is July and continue until early October.

Fall Fishing the Hiwassee River:
During the month of October, the large caddisfly known as the Great Autumn Brown Sedge will hatch providing some large meals for the trout. The October Caddisfly will hatch for a short period starting in October as well. The bi-broodal Blue Winged Olives will start hatching in September and continue through November. Also, in November the Winter Stonefly will start hatching the hatch will last into and perhaps through December. Of course, a variety of Midges will hatch throughout the entire year. Good imitations of their nymphs in size #20 and #22 will be effective when fished down low.

Winter Fishing the Hiwassee River:
Early in the year, watch for the shad as they present an excellent opportunity for large hold over trout. Several species of the Blue Winged Olives will start to hatch as early as January sometimes, but the hatches really get underway around the middle of March. Winter Stoneflies start to appear as early as January followed by the Little Brown Stoneflies around the end of February. Nymph imitations will be best.