Middle Tennessee and the SEC

The Caney Fork: This river is showing some windows of low flows early in the day. This schedule is good, because we are seeing some lower water. The down side is the water is super clear and the fish are spooking easy. Longer leaders and longer tippets will even the playing field a little, but these conditions can be hard to overcome.

David came in from Colorado to float with Brent and me. As usual it was good to fish with the guys again and we boated some nice fish on a non-traditional float. Brent really put a whoopin on us most of the day and it seemed he was nymphing up a fish every time we came to a good stretch of river. So we let Brent row us for a while!

The Elk River: This river is seeing some heavy releases on weekdays. However, TVA has been looking out for us on the weekends. The flow is 240 CFS on the weekends and this is just a tad higher than we usually see in the Summer months. We give this flow 3 out 4 Thumbs up!

Nymphs, nymphs and nymphs have been bringing plenty of fish to the net. The extra flow is moving food downstream and the fish are eating when something floats their way. There are some nice fish at the access points too. This is unusual and it may not last long.  I wouldn't be in any hurry to get out if the water is more than 500 CFS.

Terrestrials haven't been too good to us this week. The fish just don't seem to be looking up and naturally I cannot resist trying to coax up the bigger fish on these meaty little treats. Yes it is still early, but I can't help myself. So the next couple weeks should be good fishing and it should be a good time to get out on the water. July is shaping up to be a good month!

Brent and Doug

What does a guy buy for a present when a friend is getting married? Most of the time the guy never sees the gift until his wife comes home with it. Then whatever "it" is comes out of the shopping bag and the guy says, oh yeah that's nice and they should like it. "It" is sometimes something for the kitchen or a living room or something the bride can appreciate and the groom thinks is nice. 

After exchanging emails with Brent we set a trip up for him and his friend Doug. Brent decided to go above and beyond and picked up a fly fishing trip as a gift any angler friend could appreciate. This isn't the first time Brent has been in the drifter, no, when we last left Brent we were discussing how he can cast left or right handed. As Doug and Brent were talking on the way to the river Brent explained the work we did on his double haul paid off on a recent tarpon trip. Naturally he can double haul with either hand...We will just leave it at, some folks would be jealous.

Doug had already picked up several fish before we shoved the drifter away from the gravel bar. So with Doug in the front casting brace and Brent in the rear casting brace we were off with high hopes. The fish did not disappoint. Even after skipping the first part of the river the guys were quickly in double digits as the fish responded to the offerings. At one point the guys were catching on every cast, making me work hard with the net. Then the fish would not respond to anything. Then they would turn on and we would be the hero again.  

What can cause the fish to turn on then off?  At the start of the float fog covered the river. The fog seemed to give confidence to the fish and they would come a long way to the flies from their best hiding places. Then the sun popped and they turned off for a bit. Then after a while they turned back on and responded. But the fly had to be placed close to cover. The recent heavy generation has scoured the bottom, so the fish wouldn't come a long way if they had to cross a large patch of clean river bottom.

What is that old saying? "all we have is time." It was fun to be on the drifter with Doug and Brent. The guys put their flies where I asked and read the water themselves as well. We floated down the river catching fish most of the way. Time can sometimes be an adversary. On this day the adversary was to be back in time for dinner. We plugged along throwing hoppers, but the fish didn't respond in the way we wanted. It was a good way to cover water as we made up time, but not productive to the fish count. We mostly finished the day catching fish on hopper/droppers and making up excuses for being late...

...and the story would have ended that way until we were just yards from the takeout. It was there were we spotted fish eating tiny midges on top. Most of the time on the Middle Tennessee tailwaters the fish are actually eating tiny emergers just as they try to break through the surface film. On this day the fish were eating bugs on top, they were tiny bugs on top but they were on top. We stopped the drifter and pulled out the dry flies. Some of the fish were turning on every bug they saw, but even those fish were selective. We finally found a caddis spinner pattern that worked. 

Then the guys had to get back...for real this time...no really this time it was for real and I couldn't talk them into to staying longer. Hey the fish were eating dries and well, you know... With multiple doubles and a lot of fish,  we loaded the drift boat on the trailer and hung the rods in truck. Then we pointed the rig toward home and headed out. When we crossed the river I bet those trout were still feeding. 

Middle Tennessee Fly Fishing

The Elk River: There have been several days of good water release levels and the fish have been eating rather heavily. That's the good news. The "other news" is the future releases are creeping upward. Maybe by the weekend TVA will close the gate for those who want to wade. Deep fished nymphs are working and small streamers are turning fish as well.

The water clarity on the Elk has been good and for the most part the banks have been cleared of debris. TWRA has released some brook trout again this year and the holdovers are doing rather well. The wet season we are experiencing is rather unique. Don't give up yet...

The Caney Fork River: The generation on the Caney is still on the high side. The USACE is turning the generators off in the nighttime and running them steadily during the day. The future generation continues to be dialed back. Hopefully we will see some larger windows sooner rather than latter. This river needs to be fished on some low water.

For those who have been following the restrictions on fishing below USACE dams, I have posted the press release at the end of this report. The sportsmen and women have made a difference on this one. Today was a good day.

Warmwater Report: I have been looking for a quality body of water to run warmwater trips. Recently I stumbled up on one and it is a cool body of water. It fishes like a high mountain lake with lots of panfish to keep anglers entertained along with some quality largemouth and even a few smallies. 

Anglers will fish from the drifter using popper/droppers. Dropping the flies under overhanging trees, on flat shoals produces a variety fish on a regular basis. The carp, and they are some of the largest I have seen, are wary. However I believe under the right conditions these fish can make an angler's fish of a lifetime list.

WASHINGTON, June 3 – U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) today announced that the two-year ban stopping the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from restricting fishing below dams on the Cumberland River, passed first by the Senate and then by the House, has officially become law.

“Now the Corps is required, by law, to stop wasting taxpayer dollars and ignoring elected officials who are standing up for fishermen,” Alexander said.

The legislation that became law today prohibits the Corps from implementing existing fishing restrictions for two years, while also delegating enforcement below the dams to state agencies in Tennessee and Kentucky. The U.S. Senate unanimously supported this legislation on May 16, and the House passed it on May 21.

In addition to today’s two-year ban, on May 15 the U.S. Senate passed Alexander’s permanent solution as part of the Water Resources Development Act. This permanent solution would prevent the Corps from establishing permanent physical barriers, and from taking any further action until the Corps ensures that restrictions downstream of the 10 dams on the Cumberland River are based on actual operating conditions – instead of 24 hours a day. The Water Resources Development Act would also give sole responsibility for enforcement of the restricted area below the dams to the states and require that the Corps seek and consider public comment before taking further action. The House has not yet taken up its version of the Water Resources Development Act, which Alexander said made it necessary to pass a two-year ban in the meantime.

The Corps had proceeded with its plan to restrict access below 10 dams along the Cumberland River in Tennessee and Kentucky, despite the Senate’s unanimous support for an amendment to the budget resolution in March that would allow Congress to prohibit the Corps’ plans. Alexander had also held numerous meetings with Corps officials encouraging them to find a compromise with state agencies, and after they refused, he said on May 8 he would restrict Corps funding in his role as the Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development.

Alexander’s legislation, known as the “Freedom to Fish Act,” was cosponsored by Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), and Senators Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.). A similar version was sponsored in the house by U.S. Reps. Ed Whitfield (R-Ky.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Diane Black (R-Tenn.), Stephen Fincher (R-Tenn.), Jim Cooper (D-Tenn.) and Andy Barr (R-Ky.).

Tennessee Fishing Report

Gotta Love the Brown Trout in May

The Caney Fork River- Center Hill Lake is in eternal draw down, that is the feeling I am getting anyway. But, if this year is anything like last year, when the lake hits the right level the Army Corps will turn the water all the way off.  That's just an observation and I don't know anyone who is sure what they will do. But we keep hoping the water turns off sooner than later.

Where the Boat Leaves From

With the Center Hill in eternal draw down streamers on sinking line is the best way to chase the fish in the Caney Fork. The water flow can be tough on both anglers and the person on the oars, the payoff can be big, real big. But be aware the goose egg is a reality as well.

A Usual Suspect

The Elk River- This river went from eternal generation to 100 CFS in a matter of one day. The fish took a couple days to get their wits about them and are now eating. We fished some hoppers the other day and had action along one short stretch. The rest of the river was entirely nymph fishing which is the usual for the Elk. 

The "Bearded Guy" with More Brown Trout Goodness

The Smoky Mountains National Park- The Park is fishing good right now. The fish are looking up and thus eating dries. Yellow, yellow, and more yellow is the color of choice. If it is early in the day and they aren't responding to the dry just drop a nymph off the dry and pick up fish down low. There aren't many types of angling that beat dries in the Park. 

We have started booking trips again and June is filling up already. Anglers can reach us by phone, email or text to get a good date on the Middle Tennessee rivers, as well as East Tennessee. 

Tennessee Smallmouth Report

The Elk River has been spilling for the past thousand days several weeks. Today the future generation returns to normal on the Elk and we will be out there in a couple days. Center Hill Dam is still releasing 7900 CFS into the Caney Fork with no downturn in the future schedule that I can see. Eventually we will be back on the Caney though and hopefully fishing our dries to those rising rainbows and browns, while the brookies keep us entertained in between. 

Mark Puts the Stop on One of Many Fish That Were Caught

So, how do we keep ourselves entertained? Pack the drifter for a quick trip to one of our favorite warmwater streams chase smallies. This particular morning started a little on the slow side as the guys tried some favorite streamers. Then we pulled out the big flies and the fish went to work. The first fish to wake up was a long and toothy critter that came quickly then slowly fell off the fly at the boat.

Donnie's First...on a Streamer

Shortly after that we produced several follows, drive-bys, and then started picking up fish. The fish came to the fly with regularity. The fly of the day is multicolored but if I had to narrow the colors down I would say it is chartreuse and orange, for the most part.

There Were Lots of Turtles, as UsualHow

Donnie has been on several trips and when there was mention of smallmouth he was ready for a new challenge. Donnie worked on his streamer cast which continued to get better and better. Then we worked on the retrieves as he got dialed in. For his first fish Donnie threw the fly to the bank and began the retrieve across a shoal. The fish came up from a slot, shot across the shoal, and then accelerated a little more for a perfect take. Donnie witnessed the chase and the take, soon we were taking photos of the fish....and Donnie.

Warmwater fly fishing is a lot of fun. for anglers. It is a lot of fun and we have warmwater connections in East Tennessee and can run trips in Middle Tennessee as well. For the anglers who booked and then had to re-book trips, thank you for hanging in there with us as the wettest Spring in recent memory continues to grind.

Early Morning

If you've hung around through this report this long it is worth mentioning that several of the fish we caught on this trip came up from cover to follow the fly. We would wait for a split second, but keep the fly in motion, to let the fish catch up. When the fish gained some distance on the fly we would try to accelerate the fly (sometimes we could execute and sometimes not) and the fish would then need to make a decision. The decision was to let the prey go or accelerate for the eat. Several times, when we could remember, this technique worked well. 

Releases

The Elk River: TVA is currently releasing 4100 + CFS and tomorrow the release will be 5100 CFS. They are releasing down the spillway, which is quite a sight. The generation release is 0 but don't be fooled 5100 CFS down the spillway is as high as I can remember. On a positive note the banks will get a good cleaning.
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The Caney Fork: The Army Corps is predicting 2 or more generators and currently releasing 6500 CFS. Tomorrow and the next several days it appears they are going to more the release to the "or more" and get the release up around 10,000 CFS. We will see what happens.

High Water (Big Bend.... Parliament)

High Water Browns

We caught the fish above while deep water nymphing. The higher water opens up a lot of places that normally are too shallow to effectively fish. I must have gotten lucky and dropped the nymph right in front of the fish. The nymph had been hanging up on the bottom so it made sense to wait before setting the hook. Once the fish felt the pressure, the fight was on. After several trips up-river, downriver and around the boat a time or two the fish finally came to the net. There are several things about this fish. The fish was fat, the photos just don't do the fish justice. It appeared to be healthy in the tail section and around the midsection. But, the inside of the fish's mouth was white and just beginning to turn flaky. It appears the fish is still eating well, however the days may be limited do to the condition of the mouth and teeth. Hopefully others will catch and release this fish before it goes and hopefully it will die of natural causes instead of finishing it's time in a cooler. It sure was a pleasure getting an opportunity to catch a holdover of this size.

Barry Putting a Bend in a Rod

A Wet Spring- It has been a wet couple months here in Middle Tennessee. The rain has been coming down it seems like every other day. The temperature has been mild as well. Right now as I type this report we have cancelled today's trip. This week tailwaters have been pushing but creeks and rivers have provided some short windows of opportunity This opportunity has helped some anglers get their fix.

Pulled Over for a Break

Even as TVA and the Army Corps release water to keep the lakes in check and make power, the fish continue to eat. Anglers are not getting as many shots and hook ups as they do on the lowest of water, but thinking out of the box helps. There is just plenty of water to go around right now. The release of the Middle Tennessee dams may depend on the downstream releases. Guess we will just have to wait and see how the releases fall into place.

A Gutsy Rainbow

High water nymphing has proven effective but it is not for the weak at heart. The boat has to be in just the right place and anglers are having to work to keep the evil's of drag from showing up at just the wrong time. It is not an easy way to fish and takes concentration. Streamers can be effective on these flows as well. Working the gravel bars and shoals is a good way to stir the larger browns that are chasing shad and those yummy fresh hatchery brats. 

Dan Hooked Up. Life is Good

Fishing on the area rivers and creeks is beginning to pick up. The white bass are making their annual run to spawn and such. They are taking a white, chartreuse or yellow anything when angler's find them schooling. Lot's of chases, nips and eats is what make these fish exciting. From time to time a larger fish will come to the net and that really picks up the heart rate.

Clinch River, Caney Fork and Elk River Fly Fishing

Healthy Colors on the Rainbow

The Elk River- The water level on Tims Ford Lake is above the flood guide. So, we have seen some morning and evening releases on the Elk for the past several weeks. This flow makes for a good float but the gravel bars are still eating the bottom of most boats throughout the float. This flow also provides opportunities to fish water that was previously off limits to most heavy nymphs. 

Stopping at a Gravel Bar Near You

There have been a couple of stockings so far this year. We have been searching for the holdovers, but grateful for the Hatchery Brats when they suck down a fly. Wading anglers will need to review the release schedule before heading to the river and most days can sleep in a couple hours before getting ready to go to the river. The flows are going to be a little faster, be careful wading where you would normally not think twice about going. We tried streamers on falling water without much luck. Nymphs still produced fish over our streamers. 

Why Do They Run to the Boat?

Four Great Things That Go Great Together

The Caney Fork River- The release prediction over the next several days says more of the same. The mid-week rains are driving the lake levels up and driving the higher generation. We have been out on the high water and the fish are eating, but the catching is tough. Slow rowing the boat while angler's fish sinking lines and heavier than normal flies is about the only way to get the offerings in the strike zone. When a big fish comes to the fly and comes into view, the heart rates go up. A strike gets an even bigger reaction and a fish to the net gets...well you get the picture.  
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Don't let the water and weather get you down. Summer is on the way. Relief is in sight and all that jazz. This weather pattern will be over and we will be wading and floating, while saying hello to old friends we mostly see on the river.

It's Not All About the Fishing. 

The Clinch River- Norris Dam is running one generator around the clock as this report is written. As the repairs to the weir continue it is important to keep an eye toward the generation schedule. The fish are fat and happy with a touch of a prizefighter attitude.  Wading opportunities are plentiful, but the best way to fish the Clinch under generation is from some type of boat and the best boat is a drifter. If you have been waiting to float the Clinch or book a future trip, now is a good time to get a date on that tailwater. Nymphs fished on one generator is a good way to pick up fish and streamers offer a shot at a nice brown or rainbow. For angler's wanting to book a trip on the Clinch give us a call or send an email. We can get you in touch with a guide who takes very good care of anglers and who is a fun host for your day on the river.

"High Water Everywhere"- Joe Bonamassa

Casting With Either Hand

As I was shutting the door Brent was standing by the boat casting. I commented to Rhonda that Brent had a nice cast and I also noted he's a lefty. With that we set up the shuttle for the next trip and it was time to get on the river. Brent and I skipped fishing the first part of the float while we discussed fishing from the drift boat. We were on the same page until Brent stood up and made his first cast with his right hand. Somewhat confused I waited a few more casts and said "I thought I saw you casting with your left hand earlier?" Brent said I probably did see that, but he could cast with either hand. I commented on how people like that really pi are few and far between and he said it opens up a lot of opportunity. See most people would just be jealous... 

We Picked Up a Bunch of These

Our plan for the day was to fish nymphs deep and then fish streamers where it seemed appropriate. There is a mud bank,early in the float, that has a slight current. There are almost always fish holding there waiting for a slow moving meal. This little nugget is a good place to judge an angler's drift and of course an opportunity to exam mending skills. Brent has both a good mend and clean drift. We sent a nymph down the lane and Brent popped a couple fish that were waiting at the drive-thru. 

The morning was fairly consistent. The difference between this day and a "normal" day was the fish were apparently holding in schools on this day. Or possibly they were just a little tighter to current than usual. Where we would pick up one fish we would boat two and sometimes three on this trip. That ran the numbers higher but there were some slower periods to deal with too.

Brent could cast well and was open to recommendations. We made our into some of the better streamer water and pulled out the streamer rod. We tried several different patterns as well as retrieves and finally landed on a Louisiana Toad Fly. That's right a saltwater fly that works on Louisiana red fish can also be effective on Tennessee brown trout. Color is always important and we tried a couple variations of color as well. We boated this brown just as I was reaching into the streamer box to get the next color on the chart. The next color didn't come out until well after lunch.

We stopped for lunch and slowed the day down just a little more. It was a nice to be outside. Although there was just a little more wind than we wanted. The temps more than made up for the wind and we took advantage of an early Tennessee spring like day. We wound down the day with good numbers and a couple nice fish to top things off. When the day was done Brent's left and right hand casting did open up a lot of opportunity.

Mark Throwing Streamers on the River

Crappie on the Fly

The phone rang and Mark was calling. He was coming in from St. Louis and wanted to get on the water. I started explaining the recent rains and how they have had an affect on generation and if he wanted to nymph fish we would have to reschedule. To my surprise, and I was darned glad of it, Mark wanted to throw streamers. Mark was working on streamers, single-hauling and double-hauling and of course he wanted to catch a fish.

High Water Everywhere

We left the dam and immediately we worked on the single-haul. After Mark found his timing we worked on his double-haul. It wasn't too long before the rod was bent and Mark was bringing the first fish to the boat. Water was rolling as the generation continued throughout the day. We kept at it, throwing streamers and looking for soft water. We would get an occasional drive-by, flash and a hit here and there. On this day it appeared the secret wouldn't be connected to the banks.  

Large Pockets of Soft Water

The beginning of the day found fish rising on the gravel bars in the middle of the river. We went to the middle of the river and a large brown took a swipe at a Zoo Cougar. The fish didn't commit but it did bring our excitement level up. We stayed on the lighter side of the color chart and went more for depth. Mark worked deer hair headed flies and got the speed just right. He was walking the dog almost right away as he learned to swim the fly. We went back to the banks working the soft water and the fish began to respond with more of everything but takes. 

The fish were still rising in the middle of the river on gravel bars. A fish rose off to our right. I told Mark we needed to go catch that one because the fish looked very similar to the "big one" we had been chasing all day. I back the drifter over in the area, Mark hauled the big streamer and dropped into the zone. The fish responded immediately and the fight was on. Mark played the fish perfectly as we chased it around the river. Finally we gained control and fish came to the net. We ended the day on that fish and another entry in the 20+ Club. Mark was accurate before he stepped in the drifter and he came a long way in his hauling skills. Mark put in the work and grabbed the reward.