chip
Well-Known Member
Anybody flyfish the caney or know of a good guide. My father-inlaw and I want to get into flyfishing. I thought we could hire a guide to help get us on the right track.
caney fork ?
- Thread starter chip
- Start date
PM Gil. He really would be your best bet. However, I am not sure if he has new TN Guide License, yet.
Deck78
Well-Known Member
I can't wait to see you all dressed up in that goofy gear!
JandSCattleCo
Well-Known Member
Contact Hunter Profitt at Game Fair Ltd. in Nashville. He does guided trips up there all the time. I grew up with him, and he turned his passion into a career. Great guy.
Deck78
Well-Known Member
Plus, how have you got any time to fish? All I do is change diapers and dream of a full night's sleep
Mossy Rack
Well-Known Member
I know how you feel Deck I just had my 2nd and last I might add little girl on the 10th its sleep eat cry poop and cry some more. I would be happy with just 4 hours uninterupted sleep.
chip
Well-Known Member
That's why I'm taking up fly fishing . My wife can't get mad when I'm with her dad fishing .
Mossy Rack said:
Just a little word of advice from an oldfart-cherish every minute that you are getting to spend with the crying and poopy diapers. The merry-go-round will start spinning faster and faster until one day you will blink and realize she is about to head off to college. For whatever reason it seems like it is exponential increases every tday/
Enjoy-sleep is way overrated!
Hangnail
Well-Known Member
Well said, scn.
X2 on SCN. That's why there are grandkids and the best thing is, you can send them home.
For years, Like my golf foursom, we would meet in Franklin TN. We would fly in that big V8, to the Sunday Sun Rise Service. At the Caney Fork River. (before they built all the walkways just below the dam)Good luck. Fond memories, caught my biggest brown there.
Cy
Well-Known Member
Best fly guide I've seen is Jim Mauries (he owns Fly South in Nashville). I don't know that he still guides.
Don't know that you really need a guide on the CF. Couple of spots: park at I40 rest area and walk back down I40 towards Nashville to the first bridge, then down to the river and fish that run just down stream of there. Also drive down just past Lancaster, find a pull off and hit the river there. Also the dam area isn't bad, but get downstream a little.
Don't know that you really need a guide on the CF. Couple of spots: park at I40 rest area and walk back down I40 towards Nashville to the first bridge, then down to the river and fish that run just down stream of there. Also drive down just past Lancaster, find a pull off and hit the river there. Also the dam area isn't bad, but get downstream a little.
Cottontop
Well-Known Member
What is the closest mile marker to the rest area?
JoelO
Member
If you're new to fly fishing, a guide would be well worth the money. You can wade & catch fish at all the public access points noted on the attached map but a guide will help you with equipment rigging, casting, fly selection, etc. You could always forgo the guide if you have an experienced and patient flyfisherman that will show you the ropes. Ronnie Howard at Cumberland Transit is another good choice in addition to Jim and Hunter.
chip
Well-Known Member
I stopped in Fly South this afternoon they were very helpful. They said they would line us up a guide that could teach us the basics of flyfishing . He suggested we go in october or early november . Sounds like we will have a great time, Thanks for the help everyone .
Cottontop
Well-Known Member
That is a great map Joel. Where can I get one?
Cy
Well-Known Member
http://www.orn.usace.army.mil/op/cen/re ... y_Fork.pdf
I didn't catch that you're new to the sport. Here's some unsolicited advice:
Don't get discouraged. The really cool thing is that you never stop learning, but the really hard thing is that the learning curve is pretty steep. Lessons before stepping in the water is by far the best way to learn. Learning knots and how to throw a line without wind knots/hooking yourself/constantly hanging a limb/etc. will get you on the water and go a long way toward keeping the frustration down. Like golf (I hear), bad habits are hard to break.
Lessons will catch you roughly 10X the number of fish that expensive gear will catch.
There is good gear and there is expensive gear. Buy good gear, not expensive gear. Used is best. Lots and lots of stuff on ebay, most being sold by people who wanted to fish but didn't pay for knot and casting lessons first.
Bluegill are just as much fun to catch on a fly as trout. They just don't live in places that are as pretty. (But they do live in places as pretty as the Caney Fork.)
Fishing with a guide is only a fair way to learn knots and casting. You will catch a few fish. You probably won't learn much. It could be a good way to decide if you want to invest in "the stuff", since most will provide rods, flies etc. If you hire a guide get it straight up front: you want to stand in the water and fish, not spend all day in a drift boat. Unless you plan to buy a drift boat along with all the other "stuff". If you plan to buy a drift boat with your other stuff before you take lessons, call me before you put that boat on ebay.
The Caney is a good place to fish for trout sometimes. I grew up fishing the Caney. You will hear the term "Big Ditch" thrown around. It isn't real pretty. The water goes up and down because they pump water (lots and lots of water) through the Center Hill generators. Sometimes they have problems with the oxygen levels in the water. Sometimes the water warms up pretty quick if they're not generating enough and that stresses the fish and puts them off. That's probably the reason for the "wait until Oct. or Nov." you heard from Jim. Timing is pretty important on the Caney and you'll need to do some homework before you drive all the way up there. Big Tip: if the water starts rising, get the heck off the river, and do that on the side where you're parked.
I don't mean to discourage you at all. I love to fish. I use it as an excuse to spend weeks at a time fishing small streams out west. Nothing is more fun, once you get some of the basics down. I started fly fishing over 40 years ago. I flailed around for years until I had somebody show me how to tie knots and how to cast more than 20 feet without making a mess.
I hope you try it and I hope you love it. Good luck with it!
I didn't catch that you're new to the sport. Here's some unsolicited advice:
Don't get discouraged. The really cool thing is that you never stop learning, but the really hard thing is that the learning curve is pretty steep. Lessons before stepping in the water is by far the best way to learn. Learning knots and how to throw a line without wind knots/hooking yourself/constantly hanging a limb/etc. will get you on the water and go a long way toward keeping the frustration down. Like golf (I hear), bad habits are hard to break.
Lessons will catch you roughly 10X the number of fish that expensive gear will catch.
There is good gear and there is expensive gear. Buy good gear, not expensive gear. Used is best. Lots and lots of stuff on ebay, most being sold by people who wanted to fish but didn't pay for knot and casting lessons first.
Bluegill are just as much fun to catch on a fly as trout. They just don't live in places that are as pretty. (But they do live in places as pretty as the Caney Fork.)
Fishing with a guide is only a fair way to learn knots and casting. You will catch a few fish. You probably won't learn much. It could be a good way to decide if you want to invest in "the stuff", since most will provide rods, flies etc. If you hire a guide get it straight up front: you want to stand in the water and fish, not spend all day in a drift boat. Unless you plan to buy a drift boat along with all the other "stuff". If you plan to buy a drift boat with your other stuff before you take lessons, call me before you put that boat on ebay.
The Caney is a good place to fish for trout sometimes. I grew up fishing the Caney. You will hear the term "Big Ditch" thrown around. It isn't real pretty. The water goes up and down because they pump water (lots and lots of water) through the Center Hill generators. Sometimes they have problems with the oxygen levels in the water. Sometimes the water warms up pretty quick if they're not generating enough and that stresses the fish and puts them off. That's probably the reason for the "wait until Oct. or Nov." you heard from Jim. Timing is pretty important on the Caney and you'll need to do some homework before you drive all the way up there. Big Tip: if the water starts rising, get the heck off the river, and do that on the side where you're parked.
I don't mean to discourage you at all. I love to fish. I use it as an excuse to spend weeks at a time fishing small streams out west. Nothing is more fun, once you get some of the basics down. I started fly fishing over 40 years ago. I flailed around for years until I had somebody show me how to tie knots and how to cast more than 20 feet without making a mess.
I hope you try it and I hope you love it. Good luck with it!
VERY good information from Cy for you, Chip. He is 100% on the money.
moondawg
Well-Known Member
My dad is has been seriously into fly fishing for the past 20 yrs. He tells people that flyfishing is more addictive than crack cocaine. 
Cy is right about flyfishing for bluegill/bream. It is an excellent way to learn the ropes, so to speak. I remember flyfishing for bream years ago, you definitely know when they bite.
Cy is right about flyfishing for bluegill/bream. It is an excellent way to learn the ropes, so to speak. I remember flyfishing for bream years ago, you definitely know when they bite.
Deck78
Well-Known Member
Call Pate if you're trying to get some local scoop. He was into the fly scene for a while before he got back into flipping and spinning.
JoelO
Member
X2 on the bluegill...its fun to see them attack poppers.
Flies that work day in day out on the Caney...zebra midges (various colors), pheasant tails, sow bugs and scuds (size 16-20 most popular) and soft hackles. Some folks throw streamers and are very effective with them (ie. woolly buggers, Guacamole Sticks, etc...). Other flies that are effective are San Juan worms and terrestrial patterns (ants/beatles).
Flies that work day in day out on the Caney...zebra midges (various colors), pheasant tails, sow bugs and scuds (size 16-20 most popular) and soft hackles. Some folks throw streamers and are very effective with them (ie. woolly buggers, Guacamole Sticks, etc...). Other flies that are effective are San Juan worms and terrestrial patterns (ants/beatles).
