BirdTroutOpen the map Is the South Fork Holston River good for rainbow trout?
Yes, on the classification rather than on a thermometer. VDWR's trout-water designation on the South Fork Holston River names rainbow trout as a species it is managed for, and this site reads the water as cold from VDWR's management tier for it, which is an inference from how the fishery is managed and not a temperature VDWR publishes — but no USGS gauge on this river reports water temperature, so this site has no measured July mean to hold against the 55–65 °F band this fish wants. Fish of 7–14 inches are what Virginia reports as typical.
What the state's records say
- Species
- Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)
- In Virginia
- introduced
- Record here
- named in VDWR's trout-water designation for this reach — a management record, not a catch record
- Holds in
- 55–65 °F, stops feeding above 75 °F
- Typical
- 7–14 inches
- Spawns
- Spring — March into May — on gravel, which is what separates it from the two autumn spawners above.
Introduced. Wild populations sit in the steeper, faster mountain water, and stocked fish carry most of the put-and-take season.
Is the water cold enough
No USGS gauge on this river reports water temperature, so there is no measured July mean to put beside the species' band. VDWR publishes no temperature classification for this water; the Cold band above is inferred from its management tier for the fishery, and it is not a thermometer.
What you may keep
Virginia DWR classifies this water as Class II. The management tier on those reaches is wild. Species Virginia DWR records in the classified water: brown trout, rainbow trout. This is a designation of the fishery and not the season and creel rules.
VDWR trout waters and stocking → Virginia season and creel rules →
What to fish for it
- Little Black Stonefly — January–April, #16–18
- Little Brown Stonefly — February–April, #12–16
- Blue-Winged Olive — March–May and September–November, #16–22
- Quill Gordon — March–April, #12–14
- Blackfly — April–June, #18–22
- Blue Quill — April–May, #16–18
- Cranefly — April–June and September–October, #6–10
- Grannom — April–May, #14–16
The insects recorded from this river's region, earliest first. The full calendar →
More about South Fork Holston River
South Fork Holston River — live water temperature, regulations and access
- Is the South Fork Holston River good for brown trout?
- When to fish the South Fork Holston River, Virginia
- South Fork Holston River fishing report
- South Fork Holston River fishing regulations