Elton and David on the River

The last couple months have been nice with lots of opportunity on the river and anglers enjoying themselves in the casting braces. Elton and David fished with us in 2012 and came back again to enjoy the river. This time we had some awesome weather and the fish were responsive too.

The guys went to work with the nymphs and the fish responded in likely fashion. Elton didn't waste any time whatsoever and brought a brook trout to the net while I was still rowing off the ramp. Both anglers had the slam within 30 minutes and we settled in to a nymph for David and a terrestrial Elton.

Traffic on the river was normal for this weekend float and we continually fell behind the other watercraft, waiting for the best water when we had to wait. The guys settled into a routine of casting, mending, then catching. Elton tossed the terrestrial pattern into a seam that will normally produce and a nice rainbow rose to the fly, then ate. Elton came tight and the battle was quick and decisive. David continued on nymphs getting some good fish here and there. David was getting a clean drift and the fish were eating subsurface.

David was working between gravel bars and got strong take from a pretty good fish. During the fight Elton and I schooled David on the size of the fish. We said it was a good fish while David argued it was just stocker size. The fish came to the net and it was about the size Elton and I were describing. To all of our surprise it was also a brook trout. David had just set the hook and brought the largest brook trout we have caught all year to the net.

The fish were eating good on this day and the guys caught'em on everything we knotted to the tippet. The responses on top water were awesome and the fish that were picked up on the usual nymph patterns were of good numbers. The fish were also where they were supposed to be, which always makes a guide look better than they really are. The sun is setting a little earlier every day and the float came to an end just as the F/V Southeastern Fly slipped onto the gravel bar at the take out. It seems the anglers in the casting braces were happy once again...

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

Bill and BT on the River

Bill must have decided he had a good time on the last float and he returned this time with BT. We shoved off for some afternoon fishing and hopefully a good terrestrial bite. The first order of the day was to get tuned-up with some casting, mending and hook sets on a reliable nymph pattern. 

That nymph was good to us and we put a good number of fish in the net with the dead drift. We hit all the likely places including runs, riffles, blow downs and the better slow parts of the float. Bill boated several fish early in the float including a really nice brookie with big spots and an even bigger attitude.

BT had been away from the fly rod for a couple years but quickly made up for lost time. He was back to casting and mending in a hurry and was also quick to get on the terrestrial patterns too. BT was into good fish on top in the first few minutes. He also listened well and tried to get the bugs to land just right on the water. 

The wildlife has been out and about over the past few weeks. Fall is in the air and now has been labeled on the calendar as well. The brook trout and brown trout are beginning get their colors and before we know it Winter will be on Middle Tennessee.

BT tossed that terrestrial over and over. Cast, let it rest, twitch, twitch, rest, then cast again. over and over. After we saw a rise he tossed it on the rise ring, rest, twitch, twitch, rest, begin to cast and bang, the brown blasted off the bottom and ate hard on top. BT stayed with the fish through the many attempts it made to escape and brought the brown's head up, then into the net.

After BT brought the brown to the net I asked Bill if he wanted to follow suit. Bill had memories of his last trip including his induction into the 20 + Club and elected to continue boating a good number of fish on the nymph.

BT had not intentions of getting back on the nymph. Even though Bill was getting bigger numbers, BT was boating some healthy fish. We continued on and  entered a good section of the river. BT lobbed the fly into the feeding lane and another nice brown exploded on the fly. The rod came up, the line came tight and BT was soon into fight with another brown. He played the fish perfectly and after a short fight we were taking the "hero shots". Then Bill was looking for the terrestrial rod.

The rest of the day we continued boating fish on terrestrial patterns. The fishing on top was a bit slower than nymph fishing, but this type of fishing has been a lot of fun some years, until the first frost. We must have been having fun because others on the river could hear us for the rest of the day. It sure was a good day on the river. Already there is talk of a Spring trip and it should be interesting to see if that future trip could possibly top Bill's last two visits to the river.

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

Donnie on the River

It has been a busy time on the FV Southeastern Fly this year and we have been fortunate to make some new friends. It was a busy Summer for Donnie as well and with some "life events" we haven't been able to get on the water. The other day he called and insisted on booking a trip because he needed some time on the water.

We finally came to an agreement and set a day to float the river. Staying with the Summer theme of leave early or go late, we left early to beat the traffic. The weather was overcast and a bit on the chilly side of things when we knotted up that first nymph. Neither of us had much confidence in the store-bought fly and soon we had tied on the DP Prototype as Donnie likes to call it. The first cast immediately got a hit and Donnie's timing was there with the hook-set. We had that fish in the net and the skunk was fought back one more time.

With skunk off the boat and angler we pulled up to the next likely spot and dropped the anchor. After a few casts and a darn good drift, if I do say so myself...and I just did say so myself, Donnie had a nice brown on the line and soon in the net. We took the "hero shots" and then released the brown to bite that pattern another day. 

The boat is a good place to solve problems, catch up on things that need to be caught up, and it's a good place just to relax and drop some things out of the mind. There was all of that on this trip and little more. The fish were happy and the angler was too, which is about guy in the rower's seat could ask for. I think we will just finish this report with some photos and the memory of a real nice day on the river....

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

Elton and David on the River

Elton has fished with us several times and on this trip he brought his son David, who definitely brought along the right hat. David also brought along a cool custom rod that was about a 3 weight and each fish he caught put a good bend in the rod while providing just the right amount of fight. Elton is a member of the 20+ Club and was looking to score his second appearance on that board.

Elton was into fish right away and got the skunk off the boat within the first few minutes of the trip. He added several fish to his count before David got dialed-in. But, David came back strong and before long the fish count began to swing toward his favor. We picked apart the upper part of the river catching fish in most of the usual places. We had two slams going early in the float as things settled in.

The late Summer changes are beginning. The browns and brookies are starting to get their color, with some of the fish changing at what appears to be a fast rate. Time will tell if that's the case...

There were several doubles on the day. The fish were cooperative and the guys settled in to the process of nymph fishing on the FV Southeastern Fly. The guys began "fishing", which means they began to look ahead at the next drift and plan their next moves. I watched them begin to think through their casts as well as how they would set up the next drift while working on their presentation. 

The late Summer colors of fish weren't the only colors we were seeing. The water has been stained this week but thankfully not chocolate milk. Some of this stain is coming out of the lake and some is coming from the feeder creeks in the upper stretches of the river. 

We caught fish on hoppers but they did not produce the same results as nymphs. The fog was on the water which has helped accelerate the top water strikes in the past however this day that wasn't the case.  We gave the the terrestrial a fair shot, then we all agreed the nymphs were doing what we wanted and the guys were quickly back on nymphs. As soon as the nymphs hit the water the rods were bent once again.  There were smiles all around on the drifter throughout the day.

The day began to wind down and soon we were sliding into the takeout. This was another trip and a nice day spent on the river with another father and son. The fish were hungry for our flies and that was icing on the cake. The guys did a nice job picking apart the river and before the day was over both had brought about the same number of fish to the net. As we move toward Fall the rivers in Middle Tennessee are providing a great venue for anglers to enjoy the outdoors and to spend time with friends and family.

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

James and John on the River

As they were trying to decide who would get the front casting brace in the drifter, John said to James "you take the front seat because you are getting ready for that tournament." That got my attention because there is one tournament that happens every year about this time and it is the Jackson Hole One Fly . That's when James confirmed my thoughts and said he wanted to work on some different techniques. We quickly came up with a list of options and then went to work. The regular readers of this report already know that one technique was the mend. We worked on a few other things as well.

John was hooked up first and brought the first brookie to the boat and then into the net. James wasn't far behind and picked up a nice rainbow. The skunk was off before we were 20' from the ramp. But we had a long way to go and only 3/4 of a day to get there. So with that we moved downstream. The guys casts were both good in slightly windy conditions. 

James was prepared for the day. He brought a close friend, a couple good rods, some flies and didn't forget premium cigars. When he offered us one I said I would smoke one if he brought a fish over 18" to the net. We were floating a particularly good stretch of river when a brown slammed James' fly. After a short fight James brought the brown to the net. John took a couple photos, we lit a fine cigar, the end...

OK, it wasn't the end. It wasn't the end at all. They had both caught good numbers on nymphs including a slam each. We moved both anglers to some top water offerings and decided to take our chances with bigger fish. We worked hard on top water action and soon found there were a fair number of fish looking up. John got dialed in on the new presentation real quick and caught some nice browns as well as a brightly colored rainbow. Both anglers were quick on the strike and had their slam on top too.

After John brought the nice rainbow to the net, while still enjoying his cigar, we fished a bit longer and then "made a move" to what has been some very productive water. John was quick to bring another fish to the net with a nice cast and an even better hook set.  Then we moved a bit further toward the ramp and into a piece of water that holds some of the biggest fish in the river... 

James tossed the fly in a small slot and it was only a few seconds before a fish came seemingly off the bank to kill the fly. James set the hook and began talking about how the fish didn't feel all that big. John and I both began to give him a "different perspective" on the size of this fish and fish in general. James played the fish perfectly on his Winston rod and the fish began the usual runs and twists while trying to rub the fly on the bottom. James got the head of the fish up and then into the net. 

Darkness began to set in and that darkness moved us toward the ramp. The oars dipped into the water as they pushed the drifter along. It was a little quiet as we all began to reflect on what was an outstanding day. There were a lot of things accomplished on this trip. One angler had his last "tune-up" before getting on a plane to head West and the other enjoyed a casual day learning more about fly fishing, even though he knows a lot more than he was letting on.  I was lucky enough to spend the day on the river with a couple cool anglers.

Music City Fly Fishing

It seems waking up hours before sunrise has been a way of life this Summer. We have been trying to adjust trips around generation schedules and other watercraft, while trying to get on the best fishing. We have been on every trout float, worth mentioning, in Middle Tennessee and as we move through terrestrial season the rivers are fishing good. I have seen a lot of fish caught and met some of the coolest people. For that I am a thankful and lucky guy.

This week we have worked with anglers at many different skill levels. One was getting dialed-in for a casual day on the river, while another angler is getting prepared to compete in the Jackson Hole One Fly Competition next week. It is has been a good week for all and the fish have been friendly to everyone. Their have been a lot smiling faces and bent fly rods on the "F/V Southeastern Fly". 

There are a fair number of hatchery brats at the usual stocking locations. We have also caught some really nice fish in those areas especially just before dark as we get to the different takeouts. Also, some anglers have caught fish as we are rowing off the ramp and trying to get to the first stop. That being said, sometimes a short walk to the water can also be a productive walk. Usually we have been starting with nymphs and this lets folks get used to our style of fishing.

 

Here is a tip. We all know a drag-free drift is critical when fishing most dries and nymphs. I have noticed there are a rash of floating lines that sink at the tip when they get dirty as the line spends more time being fished through the day. I must say there are a lot of good lines out there. However, none have been super-impressive over time.  Every angler has a different line and it seems all of them have the same problem. 
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So, it is a good idea to clean them before hitting the river. My friends are laughing out loud right now because I used to hate cleaning the lines. Because I hated cleaning them I hardly ever did. But my mind has been changed.  I went to Cumberland Transit and picked up a line cleaning kit, which is used with regularity to get the normal river scum of fishing off. Next time you're in the fly shop pick up some floatant. Just pick up your favorite floatant and as the day goes on apply the floatant to the last few feet of line to keep the line floating on top of the water. 

The Elk River- The Elk has been fishing well over the last few weeks. TVA released some water over the last week and flushed a bit of the excess growth from the river. The weekend is the best time to get on low water as TVA continues to sluice or spill 1,250 CFS on the weekdays. This flow isn't safe to wade and is down right scary on a float.  On low water though, the right nymphs will bring fish to the net. The fish are picky when they rise to a dry or even a big terrestrial. If you see a fish rising be careful with your setup, be careful with your fly choice and be extra careful with your cast. No really, be extremely careful with the cast and don't drop a bunch of line on the rise ring or the chance of catching that fish will diminish greatly or in most cases disappear. 

The Caney Fork- This river is getting plenty of use by other watercraft, but the fish still have to eat even if it is between "Flotillas".  There are a lot folks trying to squeeze in some time on the water before temperatures begin to fall. After the temps fall anglers will take to the river again and things will calm down a bit. Until then we will be up early to start early before the other watercraft launch and starting late to get off the river behind the other watercraft.. 

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