Doe River Tennessee Fishing Report & Options for Selecting Flies: Email us at (sales@perfectflystore.com) with the dates you will be fishing and we will send you a list of our fly recommendations. We can get flies and gear to you within two to three business days from the time you place your order via Priority Mail. If you provide a budget for flies, we will select them to match the budget and get them to you on time for your trip. Your can also call us at 800-594-4726 and we will help you decide what flies and gear to use. All orders are shipped free in the U.S. If under a $100 order requiring Priority mail is a charge of only $8.10. Orders over a $100 are shipped free via Priority Mail.
We also have custom Perfect Fly selections in 3 different price ranges for this stream that come with or without fly boxes. They make excellent gifts. Click Here To Order or Call us at 800 594 4726 or email us at sales@perfectflystore.com.
Type of Stream
Freestone
Species
Brown Trout
Brook Trout
Rainbow Trout
(Wild and Stocked Trout)
Size
Small to Medium
Location
Northeastern Tennessee
Nearest Towns
Hampton
Elizabethton
Season
Year-round
Access:
Good on the average
Special Regulations
None
Non-Resident License
The State of Tennessee
Weather
National Weather Service Link
Seasons:
You can fish the river year-round but the spring and fall seasons are the preferred times to fish.
Spring:
Springtime is the best time to fish the Doe River because of the hatches.
Summer:
The lower sections of the river can become too warm to fish during the summer. The headwaters areas are
generally good except for the hottest days of the year.
Fall:
Fall is a great time because the brown trout spawn and become easier to catch.
Winter:
Although you can fish during the winter, it is generally not very good.
Recommended Tackle & Gear
Fly Line:
4, 5 or 6 weight
Leaders:
Dry fly: 9 to 12 ft., 5 or 6X Nymphing:
71/2 ft., 3 or 4X, Streamers 0-2X
Tippets:
Dry fly: 5 or 6X, Nymphing: 3 or 4X,
Streamer 0-2X
Best Fly Rods:
Perfect Fly Supreme Four, Superb Five
or Ultimate Six
Fly Reels:
For 4/5/6 fly line
Fly Floatants and Misc Items:
Floatants, KISS Strike Indicators
Tools & Accessories:
Nippers, forceps, retractors, etc.
Copyright 2013 James Marsh
Fly Fishing the Doe River Tennessee
The Doe River is one of the state of Tennessee’s better freestone streams for brown trout. It also has a good population of wild rainbow trout and a few brook trout in its headwaters. The stream begins from several small branches in a rural countryside area and then flows into the Roan State Park.
The State Park is one of the better fishing areas. The stream runs along highway #143 and is easily accessed. It is protected from the heat by a good tree canopy so the water stays cool most of the summer in the park area. Below the state park the stream flows through
private property down to highway #19 East. It turns almost ninety degrees and flows down the mountain along side the highway. There are several areas where you can park and fish the stream but much of it is own private property. It becomes a medium size stream in
this area and has a very good population of brown trout.
It eventually leaves the highway and goes through a gorge that is very rough and difficult to access. It exits back near the highway just above the little town of Hampton. Below Hampton the Doe River becomes a fairly large stream averaging about thirty feet and wider. It flows through Elizabethton and into the Watuga River tailwater.
Fly Fishing Guide to the Doe River:
The way you go about fishing the Doe River has a lot to do with where you fish it and the species you are targeting. This is a stream that is a little different from many because its headwaters are mostly on private property in the rural area above the state park. There is also a lot of private property below the state park. For the most part, you are limited to the Roan Mountain State Park in the upper section of the river. That is not bad at all because the state park has a lot of water and it is rarely crowded.
The stream is small in the section flowing through the state park. Most of it is completely covered with tree limbs which is a good thing because it helps keep the water cool during the summer. It can get a little on the high side temperature wise, but if there are no drought conditions, the water normally stays below seventy during the hottest part of summer. Casting is sometimes a little tricky. You need to make side arm cast, roll cast and even some bow and arrow cast. The fish in the state park are mostly rainbows but there are a few good brown trout mixed in with them. There is a mixture of stocked and wild trout.
The stream gets larger as it flows down highway #19 East. The farther down you fish, the larger it gets. There are more brown trout in the lower section. The river is known for having some very good sized browns in it. There are only a few access points along the highway, but you can fish upstream as far as you want to. In places it is difficult to work your way around the rocks, trees and deeper water, depending on the stream flow levels.
The part that runs though the gorge (where the stream leaves highway) is very rough. It would not be a good idea to fish this area alone. If you got hurt you could get into a bad situation. This area is also well known for its large brown trout. Below the gorge, the stream widens out and flows mostly through private property into Elizabethton.
Although you can catch plenty of trout on the dry fly, your odds of hooking a larger brown trout are far better on a nymph. When the water is slightly high and off color, streamers work well on the larger brown trout. Of course as always with the browns, you will have a much better opportunity if you fish during low light conditions either while it is cloudy or early and late in the day. I should also mention that the brown trout spawn in the fall. In October the large browns will start moving upstream and become much easier to catch.