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Tennessee Fishing Guides

Tennessee is tailwater country. The Clinch, South Holston, Caney Fork, Watauga, and Hiwassee rivers sit below TVA dams that release cold water year-round, creating a string of trophy brown trout fisheries in a state nobody outside the region associates with trout. Add the Great Smoky Mountains brook trout streams and a growing smallmouth scene on the Cumberland and Tennessee rivers, and the state offers a lot more than country music.

Where to fish

Top waters in Tennessee

South Holston River

Brown trout, rainbow trout

Wild brown trout tailwater — the sulphur hatch (April through October) is the most famous prolonged mayfly hatch in the east. Drift boat when generation is on, wade when it's off.

Clinch River

Brown trout, rainbow trout

Below Norris Dam. The Tennessee state-record brown (28 lb 12 oz, 1988) came out of here, and the river still produces double-digit fish every year. Tricky generation schedule means you fish the forecast.

Caney Fork River

Rainbow trout, brown trout

Below Center Hill Dam near Nashville. Easy access, heavy stocking, great beginner water. Best wade fishing within an hour of a major airport in the Southeast.

Great Smoky Mountains streams

Brook trout, rainbow trout, brown trout

Over 700 miles of fishable trout streams inside the national park. Native southern Appalachian brook trout in the high headwaters. Abrams Creek, Little River, Hazel Creek are standouts.

When to go

Tennessee fishing by season

March–May

Spring

Sulphur hatch starts on the South Holston in April. Smoky Mountain streams come alive as water warms. Trophy-brown window on the Clinch during runoff. Dogwoods and redbuds bloom.

June–August

Summer

Sulphurs continue into summer on the South Holston. Early-morning and evening fishing to beat the heat on the tailwaters. Smoky Mountain headwaters stay cold and fish well all summer.

September–November

Fall

Brown trout pre-spawn on all the tailwaters. Streamer fishing is at its best. Fall foliage in the Smokies peaks in mid-October. Generation schedules often more predictable.

December–February

Winter

Tailwaters fish year-round. Midge hatches on warm afternoons. South Holston brown trout spawn wraps up early winter — respect the redds. Fewer anglers, bigger odds at a trophy.

Why Tennessee

Nowhere else in the country can you fish five trophy tailwaters within a two-hour radius. The South Holston sulphur hatch is a world-class insect event. The Clinch regularly gives up state-record browns. And the Smokies preserve the largest remaining block of habitat for southern Appalachian brook trout — a genetically distinct population that only lives in the high streams of this region.

Insider tip

Fish the South Holston on a 'weir day' — a sulphur hatch with no generation releases — and you'll see fish rising for four hours straight. Check the TVA website's generation forecast the night before. If both turbines show zero, clear your calendar.

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