Elk River Report

2012 Fish Tails

The Elk-is finally showing some good windows of opportunity. The water level in the lake is falling, in-spite of all the rain we've had this Winter. The fish of the Elk River have responded well to the generation and  are hungry when the generators shut down. When the generators are off there is zero release. The only water entering the river is from the feeder creeks. The feeder creeks have been clearing up pretty quick after rain and the generation is flushing the muddy water, unlike the Summer months when it takes a while for the river to settle after a rain event. 

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Several anglers have been commenting on the healthy rainbows in the river right now. The stocking trucks have been gone since November and the fish are holding their own. Fish nymphs! Nymphs under indicators are working well, so are buggers swinging in the current. Remember the water is lower and adjusting the indicator is a must. The next time I go down and the water is this low a soft hackle under a dry fly will be on the tippet, at least for a while.

On the Caney Fork we have water, water and water. The lake level at Center Hill is still well above winter pool. Great Falls continues to release water as fast as Center Hill, the Caney Fork and the Cumberland can take it.  We are still not floating on these high flows, but if the air temps get low enough.....who knows we might go for a quick float. 

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The flows on the Musky streams have been a bit high this week as well and more rain is in the forecast. Look for some more reports from those waters, but for now we are going to chase trout in the coming weeks.

This week I have spent some time reading a book by local angler and author Bob Shanks. Around the Next Bend is a book about fishing from Tennessee to Montana. The chapter "Remembering the Little T" is a first hand account of a great river, the Little T,  that by many  angler's memories, including Bob's, had prolific hatches and the bugs of those famed hatches produced some fat trout and fine angling.  If you want an autographed copy of the book for only $16.00 (shipping included) contact Bob at bshanks29@gmail.com. The book would an excellent addition to any anglers bookshelf.