Holston River below Cherokee Dam (lower)
What to throw right now
Per-species breakdown & tactics
Pick a fish, then Fly, Spin, or Colors. Your last pick is remembered.
Best window: last light
Flies: Wooly Bugger #6 (weighted), Sculpin Streamer #6
Heavy jig-style streamer bounced on bottom in current seams.
In a few hours
Lures: 3/8 oz inline spinner, 1/4 oz curly tail grub
Bright contrast jig vertical in tailrace seams. Chartreuse or orange head.
In a few hours
- Chartreuse Highest visibility in green-stained water. First pick for walleye, sauger, and crappie when stain sets in.
- Orange / flame red Sauger and walleye locate by sight even in stain. Bright contrast beats natural finishes head to head.
Engine pick right now: olive, black, white
Guide pick for stained water (fall): chartreuse, orange, flame red
Light-sensitive like walleye but turn ON in stain while everything else slows. Feed all day in murk that shuts down bass.
Full color matrix for stained water
- Generation high-water is the most dangerous time on a TN tailwater. Watch the schedule, never wade during a release, and step back from the bank when the siren sounds.
- hatch active+9
- pre frontal surge+8
- barometric trend+8
- in season+3
- cloud cover+2
- dam generation running, capped at 45-31
Best window: morning
From a boat or stable bank perch: 6-7 wt sink-tip line, 4-6 ft fluoro tippet to a weighted streamer or beadhead bugger. Cast quartering downstream, mend hard upstream once, then strip-pause-strip through the seam. The fly needs to track in the bottom third of the column; if it skates near the surface during generation you'll get nothing. Drop a split shot 6" above the fly if the sink-tip isn't getting there.
Flies: Wooly Bugger #6 (weighted), Sculpin Streamer #6
Olive wooly bugger or black game changer. Dark silhouette first, drop to rust nymph if refusals.
In a few hours
Medium-action spinning rod, 8-10 lb braid + 6 lb fluoro leader. Use the heaviest jighead that still lets the lure breathe (1/4 oz minimum during generation; 3/8 oz if the flow is heavy). Cast across-current and slow-roll back with the rod tip down. Fish the slack-water pockets behind boulders + dam piers; trout stack there during high flow waiting for food.
Lures: 1/16 oz brown jig + 2" smoke craw trailer (bottom-tick presentation), 3/8 oz inline spinner, 1/4 oz curly tail grub
Black and blue jig or chartreuse spinnerbait tight to cover. Stained fish hold on wood and rock edges.
In a few hours
- Chartreuse Highest visibility in green-stained water. First pick for walleye, sauger, and crappie when stain sets in.
- Orange / flame red Sauger and walleye locate by sight even in stain. Bright contrast beats natural finishes head to head.
Engine pick right now: olive, black, white
Guide pick for stained water (fall): black / blue jig, chartreuse / white spinnerbait
Bass see red and green well and chase high-contrast silhouettes in stain. Black and blue reads as a shad or bluegill profile when detail drops out.
Full color matrix for stained water
- Generation high-water is the most dangerous time on a TN tailwater. Watch the schedule, never wade during a release, and step back from the bank when the siren sounds.
- pre frontal surge+10
- hatch active+9
- barometric trend+8
- in season+4
- cloud cover+2
- dam generation running, capped at 45-38
Best window: last light
Flies: Wooly Bugger #6 (weighted), Sculpin Streamer #6
Olive wooly bugger or black game changer. Dark silhouette first, drop to rust nymph if refusals.
In a few hours
Lures: 3/8 oz inline spinner, 1/4 oz curly tail grub
Black and blue jig or chartreuse spinnerbait tight to cover. Stained fish hold on wood and rock edges.
In a few hours
- Chartreuse Highest visibility in green-stained water. First pick for walleye, sauger, and crappie when stain sets in.
- Orange / flame red Sauger and walleye locate by sight even in stain. Bright contrast beats natural finishes head to head.
Engine pick right now: olive, black, white
Guide pick for stained water (fall): black / blue jig, chartreuse / white spinnerbait
Bass see red and green well and chase high-contrast silhouettes in stain. Black and blue reads as a shad or bluegill profile when detail drops out.
Full color matrix for stained water
- Generation high-water is the most dangerous time on a TN tailwater. Watch the schedule, never wade during a release, and step back from the bank when the siren sounds.
- hatch active+9
- pre frontal surge+8
- barometric trend+8
- in season+4
- cloud cover+2
- dam generation running, capped at 45-35
Dam generation & flow schedule
24h release schedule (table)
| Time | Flow (cfs) | State | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wed 7:00 AM | 99 | Spill/Off | |
| Wed 7:00 AM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Wed 8:00 AM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Wed 9:00 AM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Wed 10:00 AM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Wed 11:00 AM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Wed 12:00 PM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Wed 1:00 PM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Wed 2:00 PM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Wed 3:00 PM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Wed 4:00 PM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Wed 5:00 PM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Wed 6:00 PM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Wed 7:00 PM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Wed 8:00 PM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Wed 9:00 PM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Wed 10:00 PM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Wed 11:00 PM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Thu 12:00 AM | 5,000 | Spill/Off | |
| Fri 12:00 AM | 5,000 | Spill/Off |
Next 24 hours · weather forecast
Scroll for hourly temperature, wind, and precipitation.
Latest readings
Live telemetry| Air temp (°F) | 65.0°F |
|---|---|
| Cloud cover (%) | 100% |
| Dew point (°C) | 20.6°C |
| Relative humidity (%) | 67% |
| Chance of precipitation (%) | 11% |
| Precipitation (in) | 0.00 in |
| Barometric pressure (mb) | 1,019.9 mb |
| Rain past 24h (in) | 0.53 in |
| Rain past 6h (in) | 0.00 in |
| Wind direction | NNE (16°) |
| Wind (mph) | 3.3 mph |
Reading freshness
Source update lag| Barometric pressure (mb) | 0 min ago openmeteo |
|---|---|
| Wind (mph) | 0 min ago openmeteo |
| Cloud cover (%) | 0 min ago openmeteo |
| Air temp (°F) | 0 min ago openmeteo |
| Rain past 24h (in) | 2777.1 h ago openmeteo stale |
| Rain past 6h (in) | 0 min ago nws |
Hatch matcher · this month
Active aquatic insect emergences & suggested imitations.
Year-round on TVA tailwaters (Clinch, Holston, Watauga, S Holston)
South Holston signature; weeks 14-39 (Apr-Sep). Bank-to-bank evening hatches; verified RiverRunAngling + AppOutdoors + SoEAnglers.
Weeks 22-39 (late May-Sep); big freestones; Hiwassee + Holston. Shop consensus.
Weeks 36-46 (Sep-early Nov); cool overcast afternoons. Shop consensus.
Next few hours · best species
Prime windows for active feeding over the next 12 hours (EDT).
7-day forecast
Composite spot scores over the coming week.
10-day weather & pressure outlook
Extended NWS meteorological outlook.
| Day | High | Low | Wind | Cloud | Rain % | Pressure | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 92°F | 68°F | Unknown | — | 0% | 651.6 mb | nws | |
| 94°F | 69°F | Unknown | — | 2% | 526.4 mb | nws | |
| 93°F | 67°F | Unknown | — | 15% | 524.6 mb | nws | |
| 92°F | 68°F | Unknown | — | 10% | 544.0 mb | nws | |
| 91°F | 66°F | Unknown | — | 12% | 532.3 mb | nws | |
| 91°F | 66°F | Unknown | — | 19% | 566.3 mb | nws | |
| 87°F | 67°F | Unknown | — | 23% | 592.2 mb | nws | |
| 80°F | 63°F | Unknown | — | 23% | 636.5 mb | nws | |
| 79°F | 54°F | Unknown | — | 19% | 973.5 mb | nws | |
| 82°F | 54°F | Unknown | — | 17% | 1,015.4 mb | openmeteo |
Trends · 7 days
Hover chart points for telemetry details. Gold dot represents latest reading.
Barometric pressure (mb)
Water temperature (°F)
Fishing regulations (TWRA)
Statewide creel and length limits. Confirm the current rule on TWRA before you keep a fish.
These are statewide defaults only. Many waters have their own creel, size, or season rules that override this list. Check the water you are fishing on TWRA before you go.
TWRA fishing regulations · Water-specific exceptions
Statewide defaults (19 rules)
| Species | Rule |
|---|---|
| Alligator Gar | No harvest allowed. Must be returned to water immediately. |
| Black Bass (includes Largemouth, Smallmouth, Spotted Alabama And Coosa) | No more than 5 black bass per day in any combination may be taken. | None |
| Catfish | Only one (1) catfish over 34 inches may be harvested per day. No harvest limit on catfish less than 34 inches. |
| Crappie | 15 | 10 inches |
| Lake Trout | Only 2 of your 7 total trout may be lake trout. | None |
| Muskellunge | 1 | 36 inches |
| Paddlefish | Paddlefish may be harvested from April 24 through May 31. Daily creel limit is 2 fish per day with no size limit. Culling is prohibited. Exceptions on Center Hill, Cherokee, and Watts Bar reservoirs. |
| Redear Sunfish (shellcracker) | 20 | None |
| Redear Sunfish Or Shellcracker | 20 | None |
| Region 1 Crappie Exception: Unless Otherwise Noted For Specific Waters. | 30 | None |
| Rock Bass Or Redeye And Shadow Bass | 20 | None |
| Sauger Or Sauger/walleye Hybrids | 10 | 15 inches |
| Shovelnose Sturgeon | No harvest allowed. Must be returned to the water immediately. |
| Skipjack Herring | 100 | None |
| Striped Bass Or Hybrid Striped Bass (any Combination) | 2 | 15 inches |
| Trout (all Trout Species Combined) | 7 | None |
| Walleye | 5 | 16 inches |
| White Bass | 15 | None |
| Yellow Bass, Bluegill, Warmouth, Bream, Bullheads, Pickerel, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, And Nongame Species | no limit | None |