Fly Fishing Near Nashville

The first day of Summer brings with it hopes of more terrestrials falling in the water and making fish look up. The fish are starting to eat hoppers, beetles and ants but not full force like we want. That is just around the corner though...

The Caney Fork River: The Army Corps has some interesting release schedules, which make our floats interesting. But, we have a couple different ways to work around the releases and still be on fish. The floats have been good and the results have been productive. The river has been producing mostly rainbows with some browns showing up here and there. Even the smaller rainbows have good color and look healthy.

The fish have been taking nymphs in the deeper water upstream and at the base of the shoals. The longer shoals have been receiving some midge patterns that seem to be working well. The nymphs are still working best on solid dead-drift. The least bit of drag in the clear water has the fish refusing most every pattern. The clear water is giving them plenty of inspection time and they are using that time to their advantage.

We have booked several trips on the Caney for anglers who want to learn the river and get to know some of the techniques that work best on this popular tailwater. Standing in the casting brace is a good way to know learn the river. In my humble opinion there is always something more to learn about any body of water. 

The Elk River: Most of our full day trips are on the Elk. The floats are lengthy with long periods of solitude. The fishing has been good for everyone with plenty of shots at fish. Catch rates have been higher here than most other tailwaters. The upper and lower sections have been fishing very good. The middle section, which is fished in the highest sun, has been a little slower. There have been some higher quality fish coming to the net in that middle section.

Nymphs have been leading the way on the Elk. Have midges been working well? Not so much on this tailwater. The meatier the nymph the more likely there will be a strike. The fish are starting to look up for that better meal. It isn't full-on terrestrial season, but there have been some strikes on top and seeing fish eat on top raises angler's excitement level. We have several different patterns to try along the way. Want some solitude to go with your fishing? Come fish the Elk with us and enjoy a nice day on this smaller tailwater.

If you are a seasoned angler or have never picked up a fly rod and want to set up a day on the river e-mail or call/text 615-796-5143 to book a day on the water. For additional booking information see our Homepage and to see the latest fishing report click here.