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Guided Fishing

Name: First Light Outfitters, LLC.
Telephone: 3046614991

It's said that variety is the spice of life. At First Light Outfitters we are able to offer clients that variety with year round angling, for multiple species of fish, combined with the opportunity to experience the beautiful countryside of three different states. Depending on the season, we pursue trout, smallmouth bass, and musky on float fishing trips, and half-day or full-day wade fishing trips, on the streams and rivers that flow through our beautiful region. Where the seasons overlap, it's possible to fish for a different species on a different stream each day. If this variety appeals to you, contact us to get your adventure started.

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Trips

Trout (day trips)

First Light Outfitters offers several options for our clients, including both full and half day trips. Our guides will take you to the best public streams in our area. We also have exclusive access on two private streams, both of which are a short drive from The Greenbrier. Our main trout season is October to June, and during this time we guide both full and half day trips. Our summer trout season is June through October, and during this time we only offer half day trips. The public trout water in our area offers a mix of hatchery origin and wild and native fish. Many of our streams are home to both rainbow and brown trout while several have robust populations of native Appalachian strain brook trout. The private streams in our area are expertly managed for maximum fish numbers and maximum size. All our trout fishing trips are fly fishing only, catch and release.

Musky

Our rivers are also home to one of the most challenging freshwater gamefish in North America: the musky. This large, apex predator is not called “the fish of 10,000 casts” for nothing. Capable of growing to over 4ft. in length, and existing in low numbers, this fish is a supreme challenge for any angler. We focus on musky from October through March, then take a break during their spawn, and resume our pursuit from May through June or sometimes July, depending on water temperatures. We do have a short overlap period when we can fish for both smallmouth and musky. This is a wonderful time for anyone to give them a try. Our dedicated musky-only floats are not for everyone, but if you are an angler looking to test yourself against one of the great gamefish in freshwater, they might be for you. The majority of our musky anglers pursue these fish with heavy conventional tackle, but for the serious fly fisherman, looking for the ultimate test of their skill, First Light Outfitters specializes in musky on the fly.

Smallmouth Bass

The smallmouth bass fishing on our rivers is excellent, we have good numbers of fish and a balanced fishery that regularly produces large bass. Pound for pound, smallmouth are one of the toughest fighting fish that swims, they take both flies, and conventional tackle with gusto. We start smallmouth fishing, in the spring, and continue through the summer. The pre-spawn period in March and April produces fewer but larger fish, while the post-spawn period in June through October, produces more fish in any given day but fewer large fish. Our spring smallmouth fishing focuses on conventional tackle and our summertime trips can be fly fishing, or light conventional tackle. Summertime floats for smallmouth are some of our very best family trips, and a wonderful opportunity to introduce your kids to the great outdoors.

Trout (multi-day trips)

For our clients, we offer multi-day trout fishing trips on the South Holston River near Bristol, TN. The "SOHO" is considered by many to be the premier trout fishery in the eastern United States. It is a year round tailwater fishery that boasts an incredible population of wild brown trout, and wild and hatchery rainbow. Although you can experience hatches all four seasons of the year, the summertime sulphur emergence is legendary, and lasts for months. This river is truly a world class fishery. We offer both 2.5 and 3.5 day fishing trips on the SOHO. Due to the dam generation schedule changing day to day, you could be wade fishing in the morning, and fishing from drift boats in the afternoon. How we fish can (and often does) change day to day. If one day isn't enough to get your trout fix, give the SOHO a try.

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Classes

Fly Casting

At First Light Outfitters, we take great pride in introducing clients to the wonderful sport of fly fishing. Our Owner/Head Guide has been a fly casting instructor since 1994, and has given thousands of novices their start. We do include fly casting instruction for anyone who needs it on all our guided fishing trips, but we also offer patient, private instruction for those clients who want a head start before their first fishing trip, or groups/families interested in learning a new activity together. For the more experienced fly anglers, we also offer specialized casting instruction that is species and equipment specific, prior to their trip of a lifetime.

Fly Tying

Fly tying is a pastime that can quickly become a passion. Whether your interest is in the simple utility of tying your own fishing flies, or in the creative aspect of the endeavor, First Light Outfitters offers classes that will suit your inclination, and experience level. All our classes our private, and designed to suit your interests and schedule.

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