Beginning of Winter on the South Holston River by Hugh Hartsell It has been an unprecedented year  in East Tennessee when you look at the drought situation that has beset the Southeastern part of the United States, The mountain streams have suffered the most and for the flyfishing guide, it has been perplexing trying to offer great fishing trips to all of our clients. There has been a positive side, and that has been our great tailwaters, which have flourished even through the hot, very dry Summer and Fall that we have seen. My favorite has been the South Holston River and I have found myself taking many clients to this river through the Summer and Fall because of the great Sulfur hatches and phenomenal fishing that seems to always be available though the year. It is almost the end of the year 2007, and I found time to take an early winter day with my friend, Ernie Roberts, to see just how it was fishing at the end of the year and the beginning of the Winter season. CDC Sulphur Dun We arrived on the river at about 10:30AM when the water was just going down from a short 3 hour generation. We hoped that it would be a warm day and possibly some Sulfur Mayflies would still be hatching. We soon found out that we would not be disappointed. Ernie started catching fish right away on a new JU JU midge that he had tied. We were both using a Sulfur Compara Dun for the dry fly, and a midge dropper, about 24 inches below that. I saw small Grey midges hatching off and I had tried a fly that I created called a Grey Ostrich Buzzer. Both of us were having luck and by noon we began to see a few Sulfurs hatching off. I took a break to run to the car and get some dessicant and when I got back into the river the Sulfurs were hatching off at a good pace. It is just amazing to see such good hatches coming off this late in the year and the fish were really getting turned on. Within minutes of getting back into the river, I had a fish on and the Sulfurs were flying all around me. It seemed like that almost every other cast that I would have a fish take my fly, and most were taking the Sulfur Compara Dun. Where could you go to find fishing as great as this at this time of the year? In the middle of this new stretch of water, my friend Ernie came by, and he had been catching fish regularly on Sulfur Compara Duns and Rockhold Sulfur Emergers. I finished the last stretch of water that I was going to fish in about 1 hour, and by my count, I had gotten 31 strikes and landed 22 of the fish. What a great day it had turned out to be. This beautiful tailwater continues to produce all season long and it has been exceptionally productive this year. Hatches Magazine Subscription Price: $6.95 for each issue The Premiere issue is ready for shipping & the Fall 2008 issue will be available September 1st. Hatches Magazine Subscription Price: $6.95 for each issue The Premiere issue is ready for shipping & the Fall 2008 issue will be available September 1st.