Below a dam the release is the number that matters: the operator's observed release and published schedule are in the readings below, exactly as published.
The South Holston River is a tailwater in Tennessee, listed as Tailwater trout fishery by Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (official Tennessee Fishing Guide, eRegulations edition).
6 guides nearby are listed here; the nearest destination hub is Northeast Tennessee: the South Holston & the Watauga.
South Holston Dam releasing into the South Holston River tailwater, near Bristol, Tennessee. Photo: Tennessee Valley Authority, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
South Holston River is a tailwater in Tennessee. Our destination hub Northeast Tennessee: the South Holston & the Watauga is 14 mi away in a straight line and lists it among its waters.
Start from the agency's public access map. Nothing on this page grants or implies access: check the agency map, posted signs and landowner permission before you fish.
Nothing on this page grants or implies access.
Shops and guides within 40 miles
Map of South Holston River: gauges, shops and guides
Map of South Holston River, and shops and guides with an exact address within 40 miles.
Restrooms within 2 miles of South Holston River in a straight line, nearest first, with what anglers found when they went. The map says a restroom is there, not whether it is clean or open today.
Map of the restroom near South Holston River
Skip the map; every place is in the list belowMap of 1 restroom near South Holston River, numbered as in the list, with the water’s point marked.
Not rated yet — be the first to tell other anglers if it's clean.
Mapped on OpenStreetMap · see or fix it on the map
Restroom locations and map details: © OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database License, read Oct 24, 2026. Ratings, answers and photos are members' own; who shared them is never shown, and every photo is reviewed before it appears. Visits older than 18 months no longer count. Distances are straight-line miles, not driving. Nothing here grants access to private land. Community guidelines.
Tailwater trout fisheryThe Watauga River at Sycamore Shoals, Elizabethton, Tennessee. Photo: Jan Kronsell, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Tennessee · about 14 mi
Special-regulation trout waterRepresentative photo · not South Holston ReservoirLake Jocassee from a canoe, South Carolina. Photo: TimothyJ from Atlanta, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons Not South Holston Reservoir.
Virginia · about 2 mi
Catch and releaseRepresentative photo · not Beaver CreekThe Smith River in the evening, Henry County, Virginia. Photo: MarmadukePercy, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons Not Beaver Creek.
Virginia · about 8 mi
Tailwater trout fisheryRepresentative photo · not Wilbur ReservoirThe West Prong of the Little Pigeon River at the Old Mill dam, Pigeon Forge. Photo: Brian Stansberry, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons Not Wilbur Reservoir.
Catch and releaseRepresentative photo · not Wolf CreekThe Jackson River in the Hidden Valley, Bath County, Virginia. Photo: Nyttend, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Not Wolf Creek.
Virginia · about 13 mi
Delayed HarvestRepresentative photo · not Doe RiverLittle River at Three Forks, Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Photo: Brian Stansberry, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons Not Doe River.
Tennessee · about 14 mi
Seasons, limits, special regulations and closures for each reach are on the agency pages below. Read them before you go.
Each comes from the agency's own published list; where the list names a reach it is quoted. A designation applies to the listed reach, not necessarily the whole water. Listed in the finder under trout.
On the Tailwater Trout (TWRA-stocked tailwaters below dams) list (Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (official Tennessee Fishing Guide, eRegulations edition), read 2026-10-16). All waters with this designation
On the Special Trout Regulations (incl. Tellico-Citico Permit Areas) list (Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (official Tennessee Fishing Guide, eRegulations edition), read 2026-10-16). All waters with this designation
Quoted word for word from the agency page on the date shown. Many quotes name the reach they cover and apply only to that part of the water. Rules change; the linked page is the authority.
“Closed to all fishing Nov. 1 – Jan. 31 in the following areas:”
Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency · read 2026-10-14
Areas the Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), public access (U.S. Geological Survey, Gap Analysis Project, read 2026-11-05) lists as owned or held in easement and open to the public, crossed by the mapped channel. Boundaries are mapped, not surveyed. Nothing on this page grants or implies access: check the agency map, posted signs and landowner permission before you fish.
Nothing on this page grants or implies access.
Listings marked Unclaimed are built from open map records and the business's own website: confirm licensing, rates, dates and hours directly.
6 guides name it on their website
Bristol, TN · 2 mi
Float trips · Beginners & lessons · South Holston & Watauga
Names this water
Elizabethton, TN · 13 mi
Watauga & South Holston
Names this water
Johnson City, TN · 14 mi
Walk-and-wade · Drift boat · South Holston & Watauga
Names this water
Blountville, TN · 18 mi
Float trips · Wade trips · Watauga & South Holston
Names this water
Johnson City, TN · 21 mi
Float trips · Wade trips · Watauga & South Holston
Names this water
White Pine, TN · 74 mi
Lake & stillwater · Beginners & lessons · South Holston & French Broad
Names this water
No shop nearby yet.
What 4 nearby guide websites mention: what guides advertise, not a survey or a promise of what you will catch.
Named on 4 nearby guide websites
17 hatches charted for the region, not measured on this water. From North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission.
Midges (all year) · Blue-winged olive (February to March, May, October to December) · Early black stonefly (February to March, October to December) · Blue Quill (March to April) · Quill Gordon (March to April) · Black caddis (April to May) · and 11 more on the chart
Elizabethton sits on the Watauga River below Watauga and Wilbur dams in the north-east corner of Tennessee; the South Holston River runs south-west from South Holston Dam past Bluff City toward Kingsport, and Johnson City and Bristol, on the Virginia line, are the nearby cities.
Destination hub · 14 mi away in a straight line
What to bring on a guided float fishing trip: rain gear, polarized sunglasses, sun protection, a dry bag and your license. Most guides supply rods and flies. Estimated prices and where to buy.
Usually supplied by the guide; a 9′ 5–6 weight if you bring your own · Trout on most western float rivers
Open the checklistSeams, shelves and soft water, shown on real rivers.
Public YouTube videos from established channels, chosen by us to support this page. Not sponsored; the creators are not affiliated with Legendary Fly Gear.
Not sponsored All videos on reading water
Indicator rigs, depth and detecting the take.
Public YouTube videos from established channels, chosen by us to support this page. Not sponsored; the creators are not affiliated with Legendary Fly Gear.
Not sponsored All videos on nymphing
Trip stories anglers chose to share publicly and tagged with South Holston River.
No stories from here yet.
Not a statement of access, fish presence or conditions.
A water page organises discovery. It does not assert public access, legal access, current fish presence, guide availability or fishing conditions.
Flows, gauge statistics and flood stages come from USGS and the National Weather Service when the page is shown. Regulations, stocking, species and season statements link to the agency that publishes them; this page copies only the species names and the quoted sentences. Guide and shop listings come from the Legendary directories. Position: the USGS site record S F HOLSTON RIVER BELOW SOUTH HOLSTON DAM, TN. Water type is our own classification.
Tailwater trout fisheryThe Watauga River at Sycamore Shoals, Elizabethton, Tennessee. Photo: Jan Kronsell, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Tennessee · about 14 mi
Special-regulation trout waterRepresentative photo · not South Holston ReservoirLake Jocassee from a canoe, South Carolina. Photo: TimothyJ from Atlanta, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons Not South Holston Reservoir.
Virginia · about 2 mi
Catch and releaseRepresentative photo · not Beaver CreekThe Smith River in the evening, Henry County, Virginia. Photo: MarmadukePercy, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons Not Beaver Creek.
Virginia · about 8 mi
Tailwater trout fisheryRepresentative photo · not Wilbur ReservoirThe West Prong of the Little Pigeon River at the Old Mill dam, Pigeon Forge. Photo: Brian Stansberry, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons Not Wilbur Reservoir.
Catch and releaseRepresentative photo · not Wolf CreekThe Jackson River in the Hidden Valley, Bath County, Virginia. Photo: Nyttend, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Not Wolf Creek.
Virginia · about 13 mi
Delayed HarvestRepresentative photo · not Doe RiverLittle River at Three Forks, Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Photo: Brian Stansberry, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons Not Doe River.
Tennessee · about 14 mi
Bristol, Tennessee
Fishing lodge · 0.7 mi
Bristol, Tennessee
Fishing lodge · 3.8 mi
Bluff City, Tennessee
Fishing lodge · 4.2 mi
Elizabethton, Tennessee
River cabins · 12 mi
