It's not a requirement for membership, but most of us pursue trout with a flyrod. Flyfishing ties you to the stream and the seasons more than any other method. Those who use other methods miss a lot of what the experience has to offer.

This is a tour of our river through a year in time. Each month brings different hatches for the fish to eat, and for us to imitate with our artificial flies. Bugs hatching and flowers blooming respond to the same stimuli, hours of sunlight and temperature history. Sometimes you can notice that certain flowers tend to bloom at the same time that certain bugs hatch. It's easier to see colorful flowers than little bugs!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our year begins in March, when the water starts getting warmer, the maples display their red blooms, and early brown stoneflies hatch out. These are heaviest from late afternoon to dark, and they are the first hatch meaty enough to get the trout feeding in current again. They have been feeding in slow current on little midges all winter.

Elk hair caddis are an adequate imitation, size 14 or so. Some just use a Griffith's Gnat, easier for some of us to see!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Maples bloom in March. This is also the month when our members participate in river cleanups on the Hiwassee and Tellico Rivers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

April is the month when dogwoods bloom, when the water warms into the 50's, and a number of the best hatches come off.

Hendricksons come off in the early afternoon, and provide good dry fly action with a number of patterns, Hendricksons, Adams, red quill, and others. Sizes 14 or 12 work well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dogwoods bloom in April. Also in April or May we participate in kid's fishing days to bring young people into the sport. Each year the license sales that support wildlife conservation programs decrease, and it's important that we recruit future sportsmen. Besides, no video game can compete with a tug on the end of a line!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Early in the year the Hiwassee is stocked as far down as Patty Bridge and at the Highway 411 Bridge. When the dogwoods are blooming and the water is off, I like to fish the shoals above 411 for grannom caddis. In good years this is equivalent to the famous Mothers Day hatch they have out west, the flies are so thick just before dark you have to keep your mouth closed or they will fly in!

I just use a size 16 Griffiths Gnat, some use little grey elk hair caddis. I stay out until after dark and cast to the sound of splashes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another place I like to fish in April with the water off is the rapids next to Taylors Island. The lower part of the river has muddy banks and may not look like stonefly water, but it has a boulder bottom.

In the east, big stoneflies come off mostly at night, and in the early morning fish are still looking for the nymphs. I tie a perla pattern that I like to use then.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The month of May is the season for sulfurs on the Hiwassee, and also the time when mountain laurel blooms.

From late afternoon to dark they are plentiful, and fish rise to size 16 or so light cahills or sulfur patterns.

About dark, the spinner phase flies return to the water to lay eggs. For some reason, an orange bodied wet such as a partridge and orange is particularly effective then, after the sun is behind the ridge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mountain laurel blooms in May. From March to May flow is usually low as TVA holds back water to fill Hiwassee Lake to summer pool level. This makes for easier wading, especially from Reliance down. The river is narrower ther, and is higher and faster there when turbines are running.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The isonychia is the king of the mayflies. They sometimes start coming off in May, but kick in stronger in June and keep coming off all summer, as caddis do also. During the same period, purple flowering raspberries are blooming.

The duns come off sporadically all day, sometimes thicker mid afternoon. A size 12 Adams makes a good imitation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Purple flowering raspberries start blooming in May, and sometimes bloom and bear into November. Isonychias and cinnamon caddis are active during the same period. I often snack on the fruit while I'm fishing in the summer.

By June Hiwassee Lake is up to summer pool level, and there is usually a lot of 2 turbine flow, good for boating, reduces wading opportunities.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some isonychia nymphs are big, I tie mine size 8. Isonychias vary in size on the Hiwassee, some are like Hendricksons, some are like bats. We find big nymphs in the river all year long.

The nymphs are strong swimmers, move like minnows. I fish mine stripping like a streamer in white water all summer long.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can see cinnamon caddis diving into the riffles to lay eggs all summer on the Hiwassee. Good imitations are elk hair caddis, emerger patterns, or soft hackles. In years past the hatches were much heavier, some of us believe the recent droughts and low base flow have hurt the populations.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some time in July jewelweed starts blooming on the river. It's a favorite of hummingbirds, and coincides with a small but interesting mayfly called a trico.

 

The fishable hatch is the spinner fall, early in the morning, and best fished with the water off.

There are specific dry imitations, and standard patterns will work if small enough, the smaller the better! The naturals are something like size 26, but hang in great clouds over the riffles. Small (the smaller the better) soft hackles can also be effective. These keep coming off until the first heavy frost.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hummingbirds are fond of the jewelweed that grows down along the river. At times I can stand in one spot and watch a dozen flying around. Also in July, some of our members attend meetings with agencies involved with fisheries management to advocate coldwater fisheries.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

August tends to be a slow month on the Hi. About that time of year the temperature of the water from the powerhouse starts getting too high for trout to be comfortable, approaching and sometimes reaching 70. There is one hatch I particularly enjoy fishing then if the water is off. Late morning, I know of some runs in the Big Bend area where a fall of medium size (14-16) blue wing olive spinners dance over some riffles. Little parachutes or a Griffiths Gnat on the riffles get fish, usually feisty little browns, but sometimes better browns or rainbows.

Also at this time, a very exotic flower called a spider lily blooms near the John Muir Trail downstream from there. I brave heat and humidity every year to see them. Bwo's can be found on the Hiwassee about any time, and are sometimes the food of choice, even if bigger flies are floating by. Trout seem to be fond of them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spider lilies are found blooming near the John Muir Trail below Big Bend in August. August is also the time when our chapter holds our annual planning meeting. We only have regular monthly meetings from September through May, but most of the year we do what we call newbie day on the 2nd Saturday of the month. We take a bug sampling and talk about hatches, give free casting instruction, a fly tying demonstration, and take people out to fish the Hi.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Often in September the water is too warm for trout to be actively feeding, but there is a hatch that I always fish just to watch the mayflies, if nothing else. When I see pink turtleheads blooming along the river, I know it's time for white mayflies.

They come off right at dark, and many of them never see the sun. The nymphs are burrowers in the silt, around September after the sun is below the ridge they shoot to the surface and pop into the air as duns. Some of these molt to spinners in the air, mate and die without ever touching land. They look like ghost mayflies, males hovering facing downstream watching for females. If you cast a light colored fly near them, they go after it!

I strip a size 12 wet grey hackle yellow, other light dries and emergers will work if fish are feeding. I often fish these off the rocks at the powerhouse on 2 turbines until it's totally dark. Our chapter elects officers annually in September.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pink turtleheads are a lot easier to see in the daytime than white mayflies are at dark! With school starting up, our chapter sponsors a First Cast program at a local high school that teaches kids how to responsibly use our coldwater resources.

Another September Hiwassee flower we should mention is Ruth's Golden Aster. This is an endangered species that is found nowhere else in the world except certain sections of the Hiwassee and Ocoee River watersheds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pink turtleheads are a lot easier to see in the daytime than white mayflies are at dark! With school starting up, our chapter sponsors a First Cast program at a local high school that teaches kids how to responsibly use our coldwater resources.

Another September Hiwassee flower we should mention is Ruth's Golden Aster. This is an endangered species that is found nowhere else in the world except certain sections of the Hiwassee and Ocoee River watersheds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Closed gentians grow right next to the water in October, sometimes November.One year they were particularly prolific, and the islands at Big Bend were blue with them. They never open, only bumblebees can reach their nectar. Our chapter sponsors projects to raise trout in aquariums at several area schools. We get the eggs for this in October, when the fish have grown they are released into a local stream at the end of the school year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Closed gentians grow right next to the water in October, sometimes November.One year they were particularly prolific, and the islands at Big Bend were blue with them. They never open, only bumblebees can reach their nectar. Our chapter sponsors projects to raise trout in aquariums at several area schools. We get the eggs for this in October, when the fish have grown they are released into a local stream at the end of the school year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One flower that I do see in November is purple gerardia.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By December rains and wind have most of the leaves gone, but there is a species of deciduous holly, winterberry, that provides bright red color on the river. Most of the action is tiny midges. The water gets cold, metabolism is down, most of the food available is small, and fish feed in slow stretches where they don't have to burn calories fighting current. There are vast numbers of tiny midge adults and pupae, so they just tilt back now and then and sip a few in. I have dressed winter fish before and found thousands of tiny midges bulging their stomachs.

Small dries, nymphs, and soft hackles work, parachutes or Griffiths Gnats are easier to see. Light tippets are in order, and the smaller the fly the better for takes, the worse for hooking percentage!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Winterberry provides color when the leaves are gone. Each year in December our chapter has an annual banquet and fundraiser, a family event.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

January brings water temperatures to the low 40's, and little winter stoneflies become important. In the afternoon they hatch and lay eggs, skimming across the surface like little motor boats. I fish them with a size 16 Griffiths Gnat, some use small grey elk hair caddis.

There is something hatching or blooming every month of the year on the Hiwassee. In January the blooms are on a tree called witch hazel. An herbal medicine is made from this for use as an astringent, but coming across one of these blooming full and bright when there are no leaves is a pretty good treatment for depression!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Witch hazel blooms in January. The weather is often bad then, and it's a good time to have a program at our chapter meeting about flytying or rod building.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The biggest thing happening on the Hiwassee in February is not really a hatch, but is a hatch-like event, the annual shad kill. They tend to peak around February when temperatures are at their coldest and trees are putting out shoots as the sap starts to rise getting ready for spring. Our dominant species is blueback herring, probably illegaly released in lake Chatuge in the late 1990's, they worked their way downstream. They suffer massive casualties in cold weather, but there are plenty of them to survive. They come through the turbines stunned and float belly up. When we have lots of these, fish get big and obese in a hurry!

White wooly boogers or light colored streamers work, but as the weeks go on fish get pickier.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shoots start sprouting in February. Beaver love these. Our old season ends, and we prepare for a new one. You are invited to join us on our adventure.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trout Unlimited's mission is to conserve, protect, and restore coldwater fisheries and their watersheds. The Hiwassee River is the homewaters of TU's Hiwassee Chapter, and our vision is to leave a fishery that future generations can enjoy as much as we do.

Our fishery is a tailwater, and begins at the Apalachia Powerhouse. This is about 10 river miles below the Apalachia Dam. The old riverbed in between doesn't have much flow. This is called the bypass.

The trout that are stocked in the Hiwassee are rainbow trout and brown trout, as seen in the illustration. These trout are not native to this area, our only native trout is the brook trout. Our chapter also helps with a project to restore brookies to the Tellico watershed.