| Southeastern Anglers January 2008 Fishing Report |
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| Tuesday, 15 January 2008 | |
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The cold tailwaters of east Tennessee and surrounding area are in great shape as we enter a new year. Despite record low rainfall in the region during 2007, TVA and USACE have done a good job of budgeting flows and keeping the rivers at sustainable levels for our trout. The cold , late spring of 2007 coupled with a moderate flow regime during summer and fall , ensured adequate coldwater through the later parts of 2007. Of the big rivers we fish, our trout populations are currently as high as we have seen them. We anticipate 2008 being a very good year for trout fishing in our area on the tailwaters. Current rainfall is raising lake levels. Hiwassee River - TVA is currently operating a minimum flow pattern here on most days. Holdover from last year was good, especially in the lower river section. We are drift fishing below Reliance now, and currently wading from the powerhouse to Reliance until flows increase. Present insect activity includes midges and small blue wings, with winter stoneflies starting to hatch. Insect activity here as well as the other rivers will increase from this point on, especially on warmer days. Early season is going to better than the last couple of years. Toccoa River - TVA is currently operating a minimum flow pattern here on most days. Recent rainfall has started putting some water into the tributaries. Soon the flows will be perfect for drift fishing the stretch that we like best. This tailrace received unusually large stockings by Georgia DNR late in 2007. This should help to make the early season fishing even better than normal. Typically we do our best here early. February through May has produced some large trout for us. Streamers, nymphs, and dries. Holston River- TVA is currently operating a minimum flow pattern here on most days. Conditions are optimum for winter fishing. We expect these conditions to last throughout winter into spring. The insect activity is primarily midges. We are seeing some small blue wings and a few caddis on warmer days. Fishing has been solid using a variety of techniques. The bulk of the action is on small nymphs and midges. Clear days hold several hours of good dry fly fishing, dry/dropper rigs are working well. Streamer fishing has also been productive. We've boated good numbers of fish and more holdovers than last year. The river should be exceptional this spring as the trout find blizzard hatches of caddis to gorge on. This is the best pick for Knoxville area, early season. Clinch River- TVA is currently running more low water days than normal here. Currently, low water is noticeably lower than in years past so be ready to fish shallow. The brown trout spawn is wrapping up but we have caught some nice post spawn browns. The bulk of the action is still 8" - 12" rainbows and browns. Small midge patterns are still the staple along with fine tippets. Midge pupas are most productive in combinations with 6x or lighter tippets. Look for fish in the shallow water, then scope the faster currents. We are very excited about the possibilities with new regulations and a slot limit here. Cumberland River - USACE is currently releasing water based on inflow. They are keeping the lake at a constant level of 680'. This strategy could change as progress is made on dam repairs. We have just completed over 90 days of incredible fishing here. Fishing will remain excellent. Big fish populations are excellent. Targeting the correct flow rates will be the challenge in the near term as rains move through the region. There will be great fishing windows following the releases of rainfall. A combination of nymph and streamer fishing has been most productive. Spring promises some technical dry fly fishing. We are starting to see winter stoneflies and caddis. Southeastern Anglers 423-338-7368. |
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| Last Updated ( Tuesday, 15 January 2008 ) |
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