Garden State Trout

ANY INFORMATION would be very very very helpful, thanks !!!

Buy Tom Gilmore's book on tailwaters , he covers both systems and a few more down south you may not have heard of .

Hey guys, just get on I81 and head north. Take exit 69 and turn right onto Hwy 394 this is a 4 lane that will go approx. 12-15 miles and run into Hwy 421. At the intersection turn right onto 421, this is another 4 lane. Follow for about 2-3 miles, turn right on what I believe is Emmett Rd. right beside of Shelley's Chicken House (very good chicken!) follow this road to the weir dam (I think there are signs). This is probably the fastest way to the upper river. You can be at the weir dam in about 20 minutes from I81. From the weir dam you can just explore the roads that go down the river all the way to Bluff City. There are a lot of places to fish and in many places there are roads on both sides, but usually provide access at different locations. There are a lot of places to fish the upper river: below the weir dam there are numerous trails, the tva property off of riverbend rd, or parking above the Hwy 44 bridge and walking down the bridge. The middle river has access on Big Springs Rd. as well as underneath Weaver Pike Rd. The lower river has access off of Rockhold Rd. Your best bet may be to begin at the weir dam and work your way down. You can expect a crowd at the weir. But if you walk down the trails by the river you can usually find a place to fish.

Sounds like an interesting tailwater! Let us know how it turns out.

The South Holston holds 5,000 to 7,000 trout per mile, so great fishing. It's a honey hole in winter when our rivers are frozen over largely. I have three buddies that guide there and they are always trying to get me down there.

Rusty Spinner wrote: ↑

Fri Nov 22, 2019 4:15 pm

The South Holston holds 5,000 to 7,000 trout per mile, so great fishing. It's a honey hole in winter when our rivers are frozen over largely. I have three buddies that guide there and they are always trying to get me down there.

Thats a hell of a fish count!! 7000 fish per mile would also be 1.3 fish per FOOT!

Twism86 wrote: ↑

Thu Dec 05, 2019 11:11 am

Rusty Spinner wrote: ↑

Fri Nov 22, 2019 4:15 pm

The South Holston holds 5,000 to 7,000 trout per mile, so great fishing. It's a honey hole in winter when our rivers are frozen over largely. I have three buddies that guide there and they are always trying to get me down there.

Thats a hell of a fish count!! 7000 fish per mile would also be 1.3 fish per FOOT!

Yes, if the river were only 3" wide and the fish were stacked end to end. But we are talking about a river nearly as large as the West Branch, so they are spread out. It rivals rivers like the San Juan in total trout numbers.

Rusty Spinner wrote: ↑

Thu Dec 05, 2019 3:42 pm

Twism86 wrote: ↑

Thu Dec 05, 2019 11:11 am

Rusty Spinner wrote: ↑

Fri Nov 22, 2019 4:15 pm

The South Holston holds 5,000 to 7,000 trout per mile, so great fishing. It's a honey hole in winter when our rivers are frozen over largely. I have three buddies that guide there and they are always trying to get me down there.

Thats a hell of a fish count!! 7000 fish per mile would also be 1.3 fish per FOOT!

Yes, if the river were only 3" wide and the fish were stacked end to end. But we are talking about a river nearly as large as the West Branch, so they are spread out. It rivals rivers like the San Juan in total trout numbers.

I know, its just an impressive fish count!

Rusty Spinner wrote: ↑

Thu Dec 05, 2019 3:42 pm

Twism86 wrote: ↑

Thu Dec 05, 2019 11:11 am

Rusty Spinner wrote: ↑

Fri Nov 22, 2019 4:15 pm

The South Holston holds 5,000 to 7,000 trout per mile, so great fishing. It's a honey hole in winter when our rivers are frozen over largely. I have three buddies that guide there and they are always trying to get me down there.

Thats a hell of a fish count!! 7000 fish per mile would also be 1.3 fish per FOOT!

Yes, if the river were only 3" wide and the fish were stacked end to end. But we are talking about a river nearly as large as the West Branch, so they are spread out. It rivals rivers like the San Juan in total trout numbers.

Do they also count small fish and are they all trout? I am not knowledgeable how the count is taken and size and species could account for large numbers (as well as size of river as you indicated).

These are just estimations, but when I fished the bighorn in the early 2000's the count was 10-12 k per mile. Those holston numbers are probably the best in the east.

Any updates on your southern honey hole???
Might take you a few yrs to figure things out

We NEED an update!!!!I knowz you been spreadin ur wings and fishin it.....lez here bout it !!!pls

Did a trip, areas were off limits when we floated, (the rocky bottoms sections for spawning), looked down and saw trout all over the place. 7 different types of bottoms, the lower section was garbage and tires in the river and on the bottom, should have gotten of photo of the cliff behind one residence as it was old bed frames, washing machines, etc, thrown down to the river.

Perspective, I floated the ENTIRE South Holston in one day, 7 hours. I made 12 trips to the UDR area before I did the same float twice, all 8 hr trips. Best time of year Nov and Dec when the large trout come up to spawn. Public access is nil. When they stop generating power you can walk across the river and not got your ankles wet.

Thx for the update.....looks like a very interesting place....Maybe you can start up riverkeepers or something similar for those water sheds????Gr8 lookin bow