Super Spinner Fall

A little over a year ago I sat in Lefty's Kreh's living room and he told me about his recent trip to South Holston River Lodge, a tailwater fishery he said had the best dry-fly fishing in the East, and certainly the best sulphur hatch in North America.

 

After hearing that high praise, I kept my eyes and ears open for a local expert to share the story with FLY FISHERMAN readers. I soon heard from Matthew Green, an entomologist in the department of biology at Appalachian State University, who has more than a passing interest in the aquatic ecosystem of the South Holston. Green has fished the river for years and has a complete system of flies to match every phase of the sulphur hatch—they were designed for the Holston but they work everywhere. If you want to learn more about sulphurs, you can read about "The Best Hatch in America" in the April-May 2015 issue of FLY FISHERMAN which is on sale now.

 

Since we sent the story to press we've received some additional photos of the sulphur spinner fall on the South Holston. In his story, Green called it a "super spinner fall" and by looking at these photos taken last May by Blake Boyd, "super" doesn't begin to cover it. This blizzard of mayflies doesn't last just a few days like green drakes, it peaks for two months, and sulphurs hatch on the South Holston nearly every day of the year.