"Bail Out" FlyfishMagazine Style...

Shallow river + overloaded non-selfbailing raft = Bail Out

Brookies on the Caney

FlyFishMagazine.com's Tennessee troutmeister, Jay Moore will have a few thousand new opportunities on his favorite tailwater, the Caney Fork. The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Commission recently stocked Brook trout in Jay's home waters. From an article in the Tennessean.com

An estimated 4,800 brook trout were released Thursday with 25,000 more expected in the weeks to come, according to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.

The stocking of the third trout species isn't an effort to restore an ecosystem, but rather a recreational and economic plum for the angling world that's taking advantage of a situation unlikely to change any time soon.

"We'll actually have bigger brook trout here than you can catch anywhere in the mountain streams," he said, adding food is limited in the high reaches of East Tennessee where some are found.

Signs you won't be getting your boat rental deposit back...

Kevin Pieper Photo - The Baxter Bulletin


The Baxter Bulletin has more photos from the recent flooding on the White River including this one showing a trout dock having a chance meeting with a bridge. View the entire gallery here.

No Winter Draw Down for Tenn. Lakes

According to WBIR.com the TVA has announced that their will be no winter draw down on the state's lakes. The reason? Lakes are already at post draw down levels due to this year's extreme drought. The lack of rain and high temperatures are hurting the states fishing economy as well. Low water means wade-able tail waters and no float trips.

"I've sat here 3 or 4 days in succession and will do hardly any business," said Cal Ralston.Ralston owns CR Outfitters in Norris. He sells fly fishing supplies and guides tourists hoping to fish the Clinch river, but lately he spends most of his days not on the water, but in the shop.

"The people that wade this stream, they don't have a need for supplies, so they don't come by," Ralston said. "They come by and sit on the sofa and talk to us a little, but you can't put that in a cash register."

If Wolf Creek Dam Were to Break....

our Middle Tennessee Editor, Jay Moore, better brush up on his back stroke. Seepage is turning the land around the dam into a swamp, greatly increasing the chances of a failure according to the Corps of Engineers.

If Wolf Creek dam breaks, how bad would it get in Nashville?
Forget Tennessee Titans football. LP Field would be better suited for water polo.
"The 30-yard line would be 30 feet underwater. Everything above Nashville, the effects would be a little more pronounced. Everything below Nashville, a little less," said Lt. Col. Steve Roemhildt of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

We have previously posted about problems with the Wolf Creek dam that led to a massive draw down of Lake Cumberland. In a worse case scenario the draw down could hurt the fishery in the tail waters below the dam.

Rumor Has it

The rumor mill is cranking about a possible new catch and release tail water fishery for North Carolina. From a post on our favorite Southeast Fly Fishing Fourm about the Catawba River near Marion, NC:

"he told me that the President? of the Nc Wildlife Commission had been there..They spoke about the Catawba River...Captain said that he was told that they had resolves the Muddy Creek issues and had worked out the access plans...and the fact that they were going add aerators...and designate it a catch and release...BOLD and long over due move for NC Wildlife ."

However, others on the board are skeptical that any such fishery would exist under C&R regulations:

"C and R on the Catawba most likely will never happen. Not on waters where for over 65 years, the land owners have sucker fished, cat fished, AND trout fished, etc............with WORMS !! "

Any readers with inside info care to weigh in?