Fishing Report from Somewhere Below Center Hill Dam

Leo Hooked Up Early in the Float

Leo and I hit the water and went right to work on the trout in the Caney Fork River, below Center Hill Dam. We hit the slam early and began looking for the bigger fish. Leo brought his T3, which he let me throw. It's the first T3 I could really get the right accuracy and distance with, well as close to the target and as far as I can get anyway. We had several discussions about fly rods and lines, and how they match some anglers casting styles better than other angler's casting styles. We talked gear a lot as we moved down the river.

One Drop of Water Under a Colorful Brook Trout

Last week we noticed the brown's color increasing for the fall and this week we noticed the brook trout color becoming more vivid. The brookie above grabbed a nymph and began the fight for release. Fortunately for us the fish came to the net and confirmed the Caney is, at the very least, decent water for brook trout. As long as we continue to avoid rain events and the water temps in the Caney do not get too crazy, we may have some fine brook trout in the upcoming spring.

We Fish Rain or Shine

Grumpy and Dan floated around us most of the day. The day started off partly cloudy and a little warm. Then the air cooled and the breeze picked up. The raindrops first came down just a little. I made Leo step back up to the casting race and start fishing again. A short time after that the hard rain came and Grumpy snapped this photo.

Leo Popped this Fish on Top

After some pretty hard rains the river began to collect leaves and the water took on some color. We continued to fish nymphs and when the rain slowed to a stop we went back on top search for the few feeding fish. Over the past month we have come to the river and found fish feeding on midges. This week we saw few rises. But we went after those rises and would pick up a fish here and there for our effort. We saw a small rise next to a downfall, Leo tossed the offering in, and the rainbow came to the top. The fished nailed the fly and Leo set the hook!

As the storms passed and the fog set-in we fished our way to the ramp. The crowds thinned out pretty quick as the day wore on. A few waders here and there, along with a canoe/kayak hatch coming on occasionally. Nymphs are working and some midges are taking fish as well. We didn't fish ants, but red ants under downfalls could work after a hard rain. Leo is a fan of the soft hackle, which work best when wading. With the low water levels it would be a good time to hit the shoals and gravel bars with a good soft hackle swing.

It looks like I will be back later in the week, so look for another report and update on the river conditions.

True Colors of a Rainbow