Caney Fork Report

This Brook Trout Just Made the Slot

Just when you thought we don't have anything to report, well here it is. The week has been busy and the Caney Fork is fishing real well for us. The shad kill has stopped for the time being. Why has it stopped? The temps are up into the 50's and 60's, so the shad are higher in the lake and not as prone to get into the generators.....right now. The trout and TN tarpon however are still hungry.

Sharing the River Early

Angling Theory- Even though the fish have an IQ of 7 (that's a guess and we are not aware of a fish taking an IQ test), think about this logically, or use your angler's logic. The fish begin to see the shad come through, they realize the high protein is good for the stomach and start to eat. The temps go up and the shad stop coming. Their stomach is used to getting lots of protein and the stomach has expanded. Then nothing, no more shad, nadda. The fish get super hungry and along comes the drifter with, you guessed it, shad patterns. What is a fish to do? Become opportunistic and hit the shad pattern...

Anglers come to the river, conquer the hungry fish and the angler goes home a hero... It's a good time of year to be on the river. How long will it stay that way? Who knows, it is a roll of the dice on every trip. But it is darn well worth the effort...

Released After the Photo-op

Throwing nymphs and midges will work now as well. Color is critical and there should be some huge midge hatches over the next few days. Drop a midge below a dry and hit the shoals and tailouts of the pools for feeding trout. There have been some good midge hatches over the past few weeks when the sun peeks through for a few hours.

Some of the River Scenery

Lookin Back Attcha

The generation for the rest of the week is looking pretty darn good. The wading opportunities are looking up and floating looks to be at a premium as well. The fish are feeding on the shoals and the obvious shoals will be packed. The smaller shoals are the place to be as the fish will not be as spooked and the pressure will be lighter. Knowing the river is of premium on high pressure days. It is technical angling at its finest.

This Was David Most of the Day

David Knapp, angler and author of the Trout Zone blog was on the boat Sunday. David is a very good angler and is not afraid to try some new things. He also brings some different ideas when he gets on the boat. Sunday was David's day. He had the flies, the technique and the ideas to make his day a good day on the water. He also let me get in, on the action and eventually I just took his set up and used it as my own. To read about Sunday from David's perspective check out his report.

Another of Many Rainbows

From my perspective this was one of the best days yet this year and I think it was in part due to my Streamers t-shirt. Really, I am kidding. Yes I was wearing it but I couldn't prove it made a bit of difference in the catch rate.

Different Colors

We caught several bows Sunday that were well into the slot limit. If we can get a good Spring without heavy rain events and the TWRA, who were out this week writing tickets, can keep folks honest, we should have a real nice year.

If you are thinking about booking a trip and want to get into the streamer action from the drifter just send us an email to david@southeasternfly.com and we can book a trip, for a chance at some hot action on the river!

Completing Another Slam