April and May are the best times to catch trophy browns and rainbows at the Watauga River with a father-son guide team.
Rod Champion once worked in the insurance business — that is until his love of trout fishing eventually forced him to submit. But he trout fished and tied flies for 30 years before he convinced himself, with the assistance of a group of close friends, that his future lay in the trout life and not term life.
Champion opened a little fly shop at Kings Mountain, and he and his wife eventually had a son that Champion claims is half trout.
“Matt was raised on the rivers,” Champion said. “I had him on my back(pack), fishing when he was only eight months old. He’s fished all the rivers around here, and he’s the best fly fisherman I’ve ever seen.”
Don’t be too quick to dismiss Champion’s comments about his son as blind parental pride. Matt Champion is one of those anglers who always seem to be in perfect tune with the fish. Fishing the Watauga River and South Holston Rivers in Tennessee two times a week for the past 15 years has taught him what it takes to catch trout when other anglers are striking out.
The Champions had piddled, off and on, as trout fishing guides for several years, but they committed for real during 2003. The two anglers formed Champion Outfitters (www.championoutfitters.com), and these self-proclaimed “river rats” now want to teach anglers everything they know about trout fishing.
Having lived in the mountains of North Carolina for years, the Champions know the wild trout streams of the state as well as anyone. But their real love is the Tennessee tail waters that are just across the border — especially the Watauga River in the state’s northwest corner. This little river offers the Champions a little “trout insurance.”
Why the Watauga?
The word “Watauga” is supposedly a Native American word meaning “beautiful river.” This “beautiful river” is now a tailrace coming out of Watauga Lake at the border of North Carolina and Tennessee.
The Watauga includes parts of Carter, Johnson, Sullivan, Unicoi and Washington Counties and drains 680 square miles. It runs approximately 16 miles before emptying into Boone Reservoir. The Watauga flows north and then west into the Carter county seat of Elizabethton.
“It’s just right across the hill … not 30 minutes out of Newland,” Rod Champion said. “From Asheville you’re looking at about a 45-minute to 1-hour drive.”
Either way, it’s only a short drive away from some of the best trout fishing anglers can experience.
“The water is controlled by the generation schedule of the dam,” Champion said. “So, what we do is based on what the TVA is doing — how much water they cut loose, and when they cut it loose.”
The Watauga isn’t a huge stream.
“It’s a medium-size river,” Champion said, “very much a freestone river, somewhat like a mountain stream. The water temperature stays at 42 degrees 12 months a year because the water is coming out of the bottom of real deep mountain lakes.”
The Watauga is a very fertile stream with lots of insect life. Insect hatches are found all year long, which means the Watauga is great for dry flies 12 months a year. It’s also been sampled at approximately 4,000 to 5,000 fish per mile, an astounding amount of trout.
The state of Tennessee has designated a 2-mile section of the lower part of the Watauga as a “Trophy Trout Stream” — one of two in the state. But general trout regulations apply to the Watauga except at the section between Smalling Bridge downstream to the CSX railroad bridges.
Within this Trophy Trout Stream zone, a two-fish creel limit and a 14-inch minimum size limit is in effect. The use of, or possession of, natural bait is prohibited in the trophy zone.
Matt Champion said because the Watauga is more of a freestone river it’s main feature is stretches of fast running water.
“It has some deep holes,” he said, “but there is more running water than slick water.
Bountiful bugs
Rod Champion said the numerous insect hatches on the Watauga make this stream such an appealing trout destination.
“April and May are great,” he said. “That’s when the big caddis fly hatches begin.
“The big bugs that come off the water are eights and tens. That’s big for trout fishing.
“They bring the big fish up to eat. The big browns will loose their minds beginning in April. The hatches are so big they just fill the air and swarm the boat.”
Mayflies are also hatching during this time. The big sulphur flies come off at dark and offer an exceptional dry-fly fishing opportunity. During the summer, terrestrials such as Watauga ants, beetles, grasshoppers, and black crickets are real fish catchers. And streamers are good all the time.
Rod Champion said the hatches emerge out of their nymph or pupa stage depending upon what kind of bugs are in and on the water at the time.
“They’ll rise to the surface and break themselves out of their cases,” he said. “When they get to the top, they shed the rest of their shuck. The caddis flies will come up and burst out of the water in the emergent stage and fly off.
“On the other hand, Mayflies, the sulphurs and blue-wing olives, struggle when they get to the surface. They have to float a while to dry their wings. They may float 50 to 100 yards before they can get up. They look like little sailboats going downstream, and the trout sit back and pick them off.”
After these bugs lift off the water, they fly to the trees and bushes surrounding the river. They swarm above the river late during the afternoons in mating flights, male and female.
The females will return to the water to lay their eggs. At that point, they’re known as spinners because all they do is lay there to die with their wings straight out.
Such helpless insects are the easiest pickings of all for browns and rainbows.
Champion methods
Matt Champion said the Watauga is easier to fish than the South Holston because anglers don’t have to be as technically proficient.
“Where the Holston has lava rock and slicker holes that require precise presentation, the Watauga allows you to get away with a little bit because the abundance of running water means the trout don’t have as much time to inspect whatever it is they want to eat,” he said. “If they don’t make up their mind quick enough, it’s gone.”
Growing up as a Watauga River angler has taught Matt Champion what it takes to consistently catch big trout.
“It’s definitely forced me to learn how to throw a curve cast and how to make delicate presentations,” he said. “The water is so clear, and there’s so much insect life.
“It’s not like a wild stream where the fish are opportunistic feeders. You can’t plop down anything and expect them to hit it. It has to be the right shape and the right color.”
Matt begins his search for the perfect fly by paying attention to what’s going on around him. A lot of it has to do with the time of year.
During April and May the sulphurs and caddis flies are coming off the water, so that’s where he typically starts.
“It pays to watch what’s happening on the water,” he said. “There may be sulphurs coming off with the caddis flies, but the trout may only be eating the caddis flies. You’ve got to figure out what they’re eating at the time.
“And they can even change what they’re eating. They may switch to mergers, duns or spinners, and, if you don’t realize it, you won’t do as well. If nothing’s going on, I’d say start with a nymph and go from there.”
Matt said anglers visiting the Watauga should be proficient with casting a fly.
“But they don’t have to be able to throw it 80 feet,” he said. “If you can throw 20 to 30 feet, you can fish all day at that distance. Range isn’t as much of a factor on the Watauga as correct presentation.
“It helps to know how to read the water. That’s where having a good guide can be a big help — especially if it’s somebody’s first time.
“If you’re not used to this kind of fishing, it does require a little bit more than chunking a fly and letting it float. You’ve got to be precise and have an idea about what bugs are coming off.
“Some of our clients will book us for one day to get a feel for what’s going on then they take it themselves from there the next day.”
Rod Champion said anglers would be shocked to know just how shallow the trout will get at the Watauga.
“There are a lot of fish in shallow water when the nymphs are moving around in the beginning stage,” he said. “They’re feeding and getting ready to emerge, and they molt in the riffles and at the heads of running water.
“The trout will have their noses stuck right in the head of a riffle, and this becomes a major area. The problem in this situation for many anglers is that they walk through this shallow water instead of fishing it.”
Another hot spot to look for at the Watauga is any little dip in the bottom. Rod Champion said a dip as subtle as 1 foot of water may hold lots of fish.
“They’ll lay down there out of the current and be lazy,” he said. “They don’t want to expend any more energy than they have to. If they want to eat, they can move up to the surface and get after it. When they get done they go right back into those little dips.”
Matt Champion said longer leaders work best at the Watauga.
“Nine-foot is standard,” he said. “And we go with tippets in 6x or 7x most of the time. You can sometimes get away with a 5x.
“These fish are fished over a lot so you’ve got to look natural. And, not only that, but they see so many insects they know what their food is supposed to look like. A good presentation is most important, with fly size and color being second.”
Going In Style
Perhaps the best way to learn about the Watauga is to hire a guide for at least a day to learn what’s going on. A good guide can help visiting anglers get an idea about productive stretches of the river and what to fish with.
Champion Outfitters can provide all the information anglers need about fishing the Watauga, and offers numerous options to book a trip that is tailor-made for any angler or group of anglers.
“A lot of the locals do a day trip,” Rod Champion said. “But we have several anglers that come in for overnight trips.
“We have some lodges that we have access to on the Watauga. They re inexpensive and range from $50 for two to $100 for four. They’re real nice with air conditioners and televisions. One is a 200-year-old cabin that has been reconditioned. The others are new.”
The Champions provide fishing gear if anglers don’t have their own.
“Our price includes the rods and reels, flies, and a shore lunch,” said Rod. “We also rent waders for a small charge. We can always work the wader situation out. And we can accommodate a large group because we have connections with other guides.”
Another service Champion Outfitters can help with is providing the generation schedule.
“It’s easy to get the schedule,” Rod Champion said. “But what we can help with is knowing what section of the river to be fishing at what time, based on when they’re releasing water. We know how long it takes the water to get to certain parts of the river.”
Champion Guide Service also has access to parts of the river that are through private land, thus allowing their clients to fish stretches that aren’t as heavily pressured.
“We’ve been able to get access over the years,” said Rod. “These people were born and raised on that river, and they are some of the nicest people to ask to go fish as you’ll ever find.”
Rod and Matt Champion are living out their fly-fishing dreams at the Watauga River. Other anglers’ dreams may not be to live out the rest of their lives as fly-fishing guides or fly-shop owners, but if you’ve been dreaming of surging browns and leaping rainbows, the Watauga River in Tennessee can definitely make that dream come true.
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