Tellico River Delayed Harvest
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
4-5 wt rod, floating line, 5X tippet. Cast quartering upstream + dead-drift. The current does the work; your job is to read where fish hold (seams, pocket water, riffle-pool tail-outs) and put the fly in the lane. #14 yellow Stimulator covers surface looks; #14 Pheasant Tail covers sub-surface, fish both, dry-dropper style.
Flies: Yellow Stimulator #14, Pheasant Tail Nymph #14
Match the hatch by stage. Emerger first, dun second, spinner at last light.
In a few hours
Ultralight 6'-6'6" rod, 4 lb mono. 1/32 oz inline spinner or 1/16 oz jig cast quartering upstream + retrieved just fast enough to keep contact. Walk the bank between casts to cover water; one cast per likely lie is usually enough.
Lures: Small bead-head nymph (#14-18 Pheasant Tail / Zebra Midge) under a pencil bobber, 1/16 oz jig, small spinner
Small bead-head nymph under a pencil bobber, or olive spinner through seams.
In a few hours
- Natural / shad Disappears correctly in clear water. Invisible for the wrong reason once stain cuts visibility.
- Watermelon red The clear-water bass standard. Red flake reads as craw without spooking pressured fish.
Best colors right now: yellow, natural
Good colors for clear water (fall): olive, sulphur yellow, natural pheasant tail
Trout key on size and drift first, color second. In clear water naturals win. In stain, go dark or bright so the fly reads against the murk.
Full color matrix for clear water
- + preferred time of day+15
- + water temp in target range+10
- + barometric trend+7
- + in season+5
- + cloud cover+4
- + solunar major window+4
- + cloud preference+3
- + dissolved oxygen+3
- + new/full moon amplifier+1
Best window: morning
4-5 wt rod, floating line, 5X tippet. Cast quartering upstream + dead-drift. The current does the work; your job is to read where fish hold (seams, pocket water, riffle-pool tail-outs) and put the fly in the lane. #14 yellow Stimulator covers surface looks; #14 Pheasant Tail covers sub-surface, fish both, dry-dropper style.
Flies: Yellow Stimulator #14, Pheasant Tail Nymph #14
Match the hatch by stage. Emerger first, dun second, spinner at last light.
In a few hours
Ultralight 6'-6'6" rod, 4 lb mono. 1/32 oz inline spinner or 1/16 oz jig cast quartering upstream + retrieved just fast enough to keep contact. Walk the bank between casts to cover water; one cast per likely lie is usually enough.
Lures: Small bead-head nymph (#14-18 Pheasant Tail / Zebra Midge) under a pencil bobber, 1/16 oz jig, small spinner
Small bead-head nymph under a pencil bobber, or olive spinner through seams.
In a few hours
- Natural / shad Disappears correctly in clear water. Invisible for the wrong reason once stain cuts visibility.
- Watermelon red The clear-water bass standard. Red flake reads as craw without spooking pressured fish.
Best colors right now: yellow, natural
Good colors for clear water (fall): olive, sulphur yellow, natural pheasant tail
Trout key on size and drift first, color second. In clear water naturals win. In stain, go dark or bright so the fly reads against the murk.
Full color matrix for clear water
- + water temp in target range+10
- + barometric trend+7
- + preferred time of day+6
- + in season+5
- + cloud cover+4
- + solunar major window+4
- + cloud preference+3
- + dissolved oxygen+3
- + new/full moon amplifier+1
Next 24 hours · weather forecast
Scroll for hourly temperature, wind, and precipitation.
Latest readings
Live telemetry| Air temp (°F) | 70.0°F |
|---|---|
| Cloud cover (%) | 95% |
| Dew point (°C) | 7.8°C |
| Relative humidity (%) | 42% |
| Chance of precipitation (%) | 2% |
| Barometric pressure (mb) | 1,025.8 mb |
| Rain past 6h (in) | 0.00 in |
| Wind direction | Variable |
| Wind (mph) | 0.0 mph |
Reading freshness
Source update lag| Barometric pressure (mb) | 6 min ago openmeteo |
|---|---|
| Wind (mph) | 6 min ago nws |
| Cloud cover (%) | 6 min ago nws |
| Air temp (°F) | 6 min ago nws |
| Rain past 24h (in) | 3864.1 h ago openmeteo stale |
| Rain past 6h (in) | 5.1 h ago nws |
Hatch matcher · this month
Active aquatic insect emergences & suggested imitations.
Year-round on TVA tailwaters (Clinch, Holston, Watauga, S Holston)
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
NWS forecast where it reaches, Open-Meteo beyond it. Days run midnight to midnight, spot time.
| Day | High | Low | Wind | Cloud | Rain % | Pressure | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat Oct 31 | 77°F | 52°F | Calm | 79% | 4% | 1,025.6 mb | nws |
| Sun Nov 1 | 66°F | 53°F | Calm | 95% | 35% | 1,027.6 mb | nws |
| Mon Nov 2 | 74°F | 51°F | Calm | 69% | 27% | 1,025.1 mb | nws |
| Tue Nov 3 | 77°F | 52°F | 4 mph ESE | 48% | 1% | 1,020.6 mb | nws |
| Wed Nov 4 | 73°F | 59°F | 6 mph SE | 95% | 59% | 1,014.2 mb | nws |
| Thu Nov 5 | 72°F | 58°F | Calm | 95% | 67% | 1,011.5 mb | nws |
| Fri Nov 6 | 69°F | 54°F | Calm | 71% | 36% | 1,007.2 mb | nws |
| Sat Nov 7 | 67°F | 50°F | Calm | 51% | 8% | 1,010.1 mb | nws |
| Sun Nov 8 | 59°F | 48°F | 7 mph SSW | 64% | 10% | 1,009.2 mb | openmeteo |
| Mon Nov 9 | 52°F | 41°F | 4 mph WNW | 58% | 15% | 1,009.4 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 |