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South Holston Lake Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

The border highlands' twin star: smallmouth over flooded bluffs, the famous tailwater below and a two-state lake wearing TVA calm.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Water temp
~73 F est.
Air / High
93 / 93 F
Wind
WSW 5 mph

Sources: Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

2/5Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

South Holston Lake offers the kind of conditions this water was made for. Today brings clear skies, wind WSW around 5 mph, rising pressure near 1015 hPa and a high of 93. Water sits around 73 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Smallmouth bassGood

Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

Northern pikeGood

Weedline spinnerbaits, spoons and jerkbaits; bays with fresh green weed hold the active fish.

Rainbow troutGood

Prime dry-fly and hopper season. Match the hatch morning and evening; nymph the seams midday.

Largemouth bassFair

Prime chasing season. Work moving baits on points and pockets: spinnerbaits, chatterbaits and squarebills, with a stick worm behind for followers.

Tomorrow: Similar at 93 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings.

No live gauge on this water

Conditions here are modeled from weather, season and the nearest stations. Water readings appear when a USGS gauge is available.

4050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~73 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp93 F
High / Low93 / 70 F
WindWSW 5-7 mph
Pressure1014.5 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 6%
Sunrise / Sunset07:02 / 19:52
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~73 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunset

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Partly cloudy, 93/70 F, wind 5 mph, rain 6%

Fair or better. Calm and stable: plan around the solunar majors at dawn and dusk.

Species guide

The species that matter on South Holston Lake: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Smallmouth bass illustration

Smallmouth bass

Best: May-Oct

Current and rock. Finds gravel flats, boulders and drop-offs, and fights far above its weight. Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

Largemouth bass illustration

Largemouth bass

Best: spring and fall

The headline act on most American reservoirs. Relates to cover: docks, brush, grass edges and points. Prime chasing season. Work moving baits on points and pockets: spinnerbaits, chatterbaits and squarebills, with a stick worm behind for followers.

Northern pike illustration

Northern pike

Best: spring, early winter

The ambush predator of weedbeds and cabbage edges. Aggressive, big and always worth a wire leader. Weedline spinnerbaits, spoons and jerkbaits; bays with fresh green weed hold the active fish.

Rainbow trout illustration

Rainbow trout

Best: Apr-Jun, Sep-Oct

The workhorse of western rivers: riffles, seams and dry-fly eats. Prime dry-fly and hopper season. Match the hatch morning and evening; nymph the seams midday.

When to come: the South Holston Lake calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Smallmouth bass
Largemouth bass
Northern pike
Rainbow trout
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 73 F (estimated, not a reading).

4050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~73 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks South Holston Lake today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Smallmouth bass led the card at good. High of 93 F, wind to 5 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Smallmouth bass led the card at good. High of 92 F, wind to 5 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Smallmouth bass led the card at good. High of 90 F, wind to 4 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used to send you this water's report each week. No spam, ever.

Before you go

License

Tennessee requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

TN or VA license (reciprocal on the water: check current line rules). Lakers/walleye: TWRA region 4 rules.

Access

Observation Knob, Painter Creek, Jacobs Creek (TN); Washington County park ramps (VA).

About this water

7,580 acres across the TN-VA line. The lake above the legendary SoHo tailwater.

Fishing South Holston Lake: the full guide

Above the famous river

South Holston Lake backs the dam whose tailwater (the SoHo's wild browns) carries world fame: the lake itself: 7,500 acres across the TN-VA line: runs its own program: smallmouth on the bluffs and points, largemouth in the creeks, walleye rebuilding, and lakers stocked into the deep (a Tennessee rarity shared with Watauga).

Smallmouth doctrine

The flooded river bluffs and gravel points hold the bronze: Ned rigs and jerkbaits spring and fall, drop shots on the 20-35-ft ledges through summer, topwater at dawn wherever alewives flicker. Quality runs real: 4-pound fish regular: and the clear water plays mountain rules: light line, long casts.

The two-state menu

Virginia's end (Washington County) shares reciprocal boating water: check the line rules: with the lake's walleye (spring points), crappie (planted brush), and the deep lakers (winter jigging over 100-plus feet for the devoted). Below the dam, the tailwater's sulphur hatches and wild browns run a different universe: pair the day: lake dawn, river evening.

Highlands practicalities

TVA and county ramps serve both states (Observation Knob, Painter Creek, Washington County's parks): summer houseboats claim the coves: fish the main-lake structure: and the drawdown winters expose the bluffs' skeleton for scouting. Bristol's racing weekends flood the region: book around the calendar.

Common questions

Is South Holston Lake or the tailwater better?

Different arts: the lake's smallmouth days and the river's wild-brown hatches. The dam separates two world-class fisheries: greedy anglers do both daily.

Do I need two licenses on South Holston?

Reciprocity covers boats on the main water: verify current TN-VA terms. Bank fishing follows the state under your feet.

Is fishing good at South Holston Lake right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Nearby waters

Watauga Lake14 miWatauga River14 miBoone Lake17 miLake Hickory64 miCherokee Lake78 miDouglas Lake80 mi
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