Trophy Striped Bass and Hybrid Striped Bass Fishing Tennessee

Fishing for Striped Bass and Hybrid Striped Bass on the South Holston and Watauga Rivers changes dramatically throughout the year, with their behavior driven largely by water temperature, bait movement, and dam releases. Understanding these seasonal shifts is key to consistently targeting trophy-caliber fish.

Throughout the year, we adapt our approach based on river flows, bait movement, and weather, using jet boats to stay mobile and flexible. If you’re chasing a personal best or just want to feel the raw power of a striper crushing a streamer, there’s a season for that—and we’ll put you in the right spot when it happens.

Winter (December – April)
Winter is one of the best times to chase big stripers and hybrids. As surface temps drop, these fish will have followed the baitfish and migrated out of the rivers into the upper sections of reservoirs. We will often chase schools of birds around the lake. As the birds follow the bait over the water, giants chase the bait under it. We focus on slow-rolled streamers on sinking lines, letting the fly stay in the strike zone longer. This is a prime time for targeting truly giant fish—the ones that make a career.

Spring (April – June)
In spring, stripers and hybrids make a false spawning run up into the rivers from our impoundments, moving farther up the rivers and becoming more aggressive. The water warms, baitfish activity picks up, and the bass become more willing to chase fast-moving streamers. You’ll find them on current seams, creek mouths, and channel edges, especially during high or rising water. This is one of the most consistent times of year to put numbers and size in the boat.

Summer (June – September)
Many of the striped bass and hybrids will stay in the rivers until September / October and will feed very aggressively in the cooler, fast moving waters of the river. Early mornings and low-light windows can produce solid action—especially near dam tailwaters where water temps stay cool. Think faster retrieves and more reaction-style fishing in the summer months, but with the same trophy length potential.

Fall (October – December)
As water temperatures begin to drop again, stripers and hybrids move back out of the rivers into the reservoirs to feed heavily. This is a second prime window, especially in October and November, when baitfish migrations trigger feeding frenzies. We’ll target these fish in the river or the lake this time of year, it all depends on the baitfish and where their migration is at. Fish will chase aggressively and often school up, offering visual, surface-level mayhem. It’s a great time for sight-fishing, big streamer presentations, and covering water to find blitzing fish in ambush zones.