Caney Fork and Elk River Fishing Report

Midges 

There have been some fish caught this week. Both the Elk and Caney Fork are producing fish, but anglers need to know where to look and have patience. Staying focused can be as much of a challenge as anything else. The photo above speaks volumes about the insect life on Middle Tennessee rivers. Midges are still the largest hatch on both rivers and the toughest to match and certainly the toughest to  tie to a hook because of the size of the eye on these hooks and an angler's aging eyes. 

Another Reason to Get Out and Fish

The Elk River- This river needs a good flush of water to clean the bottom and release the scum and algae from some of the banks. The water temps are holding steady at about 50 degrees. However, the air temperatures are rising and soon the water temps will no doubt follow.  The brook trout that were stocked recently are adapting pretty well and are taking flies with some regularity. Who knows how long they will last? Nobody, nobody really knows. There is some speculation that they will not last the Summer and that may be true, but if the water temps stay below 60 some anglers could be surprised.

Fish Tails

Nymphs under a indicator continue to produce very good results on the Elk River. The lower reaches of the river are producing some interesting caddis and several different types of mayflies. The recent stocked fish are keying in on small dries and are still taking a dry with a little drag. Not sure how long that will last but it is a good excuse to fish a dry and even a chance be a little sloppy with the presentation. Midges (as from the photo above) are still the largest hatch on the river. Fishing the riffles and the front edge of the holes is also a good place to pick up the bite.

Healthy Brook Trout

Some Holdover Rainbows Are Still Around

Mr. No Shoulders and His Sculpin/Lunch

The Caney Fork- We have been picking up more fish on the Caney Fork. The Hatchery Brats, browns in this case, are taking dries. A small Adams is a good way to work on your reflexes. These browns are the best bet for a dry, but they catch on quick and after a couple fish are taken from the pod, they tend to wise up. When they wise up just go to the next pod and get one of two there. 
**
The water temps are holding about 58 degrees, depending on where the measurement is taken. There are fish holding in the dam pool, no doubt taking advantage of the cooler oxygen rich (well you know what I mean) sluice release. Nymphs are still hard to beat, but we had some looks on a hopper this week and brought some fish to the boat on streamers.
**
Generation is only one hour per day and the release has been steadily starting at noon. There have been some pop-up thunderstorms in Middle TN as of late and Center Hill Lake is rising although somewhat slowly. The low water in the river also produces an opportunity to fish more dries. It is still tough, but rewarding when a larger fish temporarily loses it's mind and takes a dry fly! Pretty much we are catching fish on most types of flies, but the bite isn't what I would call epic. We did get into a stretch of river last week that produced like I haven't seen in a long time. Now if we can just put a string of good sections together we will find what we are all looking for! 

Catch, Revive and Release