South Holston River & Watauga River
Nymphs
Hot Spot Copperhead
Hook: TMC 3761
Bead: Copper Tungsten bead
Thread: 8/0 Black Uni-thread
Tail: Coq-de-Leon Fibers
Abdomen: Small brown or black vinyl rib
Wingcase: Black Scud Back
Thorax: Sulphur Orange Dubbing
This is a very effective searching fly that is pretty close to indestructible. It has a very slender profile and good segmentation and the tungsten bead to drive it to work.
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BH Pheasant Tail
Hook: Any Nymph Hook will do
Bead: Tungsten or Brass (Brass, Copper, Silver, Black)
Tail/Abdomen/ Wing case/Legs Pheasant Tail Fibers
Rib: Copper Wire (Any Color)
Thorax: Peacock Herl
Another popular variation on the fly is the flashback pheasantail nymph. This fly is a great searching pattern not just for the tailwaters here but for anywhere. It is so buggy that it could be just about any bug. Most of the nymphs that we fish today are just variations of a pheasantail nymph. The Flashback Pheasantail Nymph is one of my go to flies even when we are out competition fishing with the North Carolina Fly Fishing Team.
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Micro-Mayfly
Hook: TMC 2488, 2487, 2457
Bead: Tungsten Bead (Brass, Copper, Nickel, Black)
Thread: Brown 8/0 Uni-thread
Tail: Pheasant Tail Fibers
Abdomen: Stripped Peacock Quill
Rib: Copper Wire (color to match)
Wingcase: Pheasant tail with flashback
Thorax: Olive Dubbing
This fly is just a smaller version of a pheasant tail. Once you step down into these small sizes, you don’t want the buld-up of the abdomen that pheasant-tail gives you. So you substitute a stripped peacock quill and we’re back to a slender abdomen concept with good segmentation. A very good pattern for any type of baetis fly. This is a fly I have on my line for most of the winter.
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