Bought a Hyde this year and looking for any ideas for new rivers to float. Have floated the duck and the buffalo several times but looking for info on the elk or the harpeth. Usually float the duck near chapel hill And the the buffalo near flatwoods. If anyone has done any floating in the area I would like to compare notes. Thanks
Drift boat fishing in middle tennesee
- Thread starter Loswookie
- Start date
gil1
Well-Known Member
Are you a trout man, too? I see plenty of driftboats on the Caney Fork.
Every once in a while, I see a driftboat at the Gallatin Steam Plant on the Cumberland River. It's usually fly fishermen catching skipjack or stripers in winter. Here's a buddy of mine among the bass boats.
Every once in a while, I see a driftboat at the Gallatin Steam Plant on the Cumberland River. It's usually fly fishermen catching skipjack or stripers in winter. Here's a buddy of mine among the bass boats.
unusual bottom on that boat. did he make it himself?
Los....bring it up here to the Clinch and I'll float it with you and row. I used to have a Clacka.
Los....bring it up here to the Clinch and I'll float it with you and row. I used to have a Clacka.
Football Hunter
Well-Known Member
I love my SKEETER!
One of my friends lives up in Knoxville and we have done the clinch many times, beautiful river. I love trout fishing, smallies in fast moving riffles is what I really like though. Never have fished the caney fork before does your buddy drift it often?
blountcountyboy
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Mar 30, 2003
- Messages
- 1,376
- City & State/Province
- Blount CountyTN ya know over next to Cades Cove
If your a fly fishermen you should visit the South Holston just outside of Bristol. I've stood in 1 spot of hours and caught trout until I was bored with it. In nov. you can fish the spawn and see hens upwards of 3 foot. It's incredible.
I got in one once. Looked a little labor intensive to me :) This is on the Platte River just outside Casper, WY. We did a little women only fishing trip for about 16 women. Note the pink flyrod.
gil1
Well-Known Member
I'm not really sure. He has never mentioned that, but who knows?7mm08 said:
B.D.
Well-Known Member
blountcountyboy said:
I don't know the South Holston well, but I thought the spawning areas were closed to fishing during the fall.
bd
oldmanelrod
Well-Known Member
Good place to put in on the elk is Ferris Creek (look for Lois, TN on google). It is about 10 miles downstream from Tims Ford Dam. lots of good trout fishing no matter which way you go.
gil1
Well-Known Member
B.D. said:
My understanding is that there are seven major spawning areas on the SoHo. Only three of those areas are inside the two sections that are closed during spawning. I fish during the spawn but don't fish for spawning fish.
Lincoln Co Archer
Well-Known Member
The elk is my home river and I trout and bass fish it quite frequently. The trout fishing hash rebounded this year compared to the last couple because of the water flow protecting that mussel. Beleive it or not my dad caught a monster brown that was almost 10 pounds on a scale at the end of this spring about 3 miles down from the dam. It was by far the biggest trout I have ever seen caught out of the elk. Farris creek would be my stopping point for the trout float, from there on it diminishes very quickly.
Your best smallmouth float on the elk would be anything below Dickey bridge in Kelso. There are several smallies above this point but the quality fish mostly come from the water below that access point. All three species of bass can be caught on the elk and expect to catch a ton of redeye's.
Your best smallmouth float on the elk would be anything below Dickey bridge in Kelso. There are several smallies above this point but the quality fish mostly come from the water below that access point. All three species of bass can be caught on the elk and expect to catch a ton of redeye's.
Setterman
Well-Known Member
blountcountyboy said:
Pretty sad to stoop and fishing for spawning fish. JMO.
Don't know if it's right or not, but I remember reading an
article in Outdoor Life several years ago, that stated the Duck
river was one of the best kept secerets in America, when it comes
to smallmouth bass fishing.
I have always heard from the locals, that from the Williamsport
area to Centerville was the best. I used to know a man that
showed me pictures of some smallies he and his buddy caught in
the Duck. Several 6+ lb. fish.
According to him, they always caught them "drift boat fishing",
but they only had a flat bottom boat, not some fancy banana
shaped looking boat. I wonder how they done that?
article in Outdoor Life several years ago, that stated the Duck
river was one of the best kept secerets in America, when it comes
to smallmouth bass fishing.
I have always heard from the locals, that from the Williamsport
area to Centerville was the best. I used to know a man that
showed me pictures of some smallies he and his buddy caught in
the Duck. Several 6+ lb. fish.
According to him, they always caught them "drift boat fishing",
but they only had a flat bottom boat, not some fancy banana
shaped looking boat. I wonder how they done that?
Hangnail
Well-Known Member
Setterman, do you deer hunt during the rut? Crappie fish in the spring? Bream fish while on bed? If there was a problem with fishing for trout during their spawning period, don't ya think someone with TWRA would have tried to have a closed season for them?
go_okfishin
Well-Known Member
Nice fish.
AllOutdoors
Well-Known Member
Smallies? 6lb. ers? Duck river?? Nah! I believe the man and Outdoor Life are sadly mistaken.
Setterman
Well-Known Member
Hangnail said:
Not going to speak for TWRA, but as far as the other similarity you try to present. Not even close to being the same. I sad my opinion and that is about all I will say.
Sad, very sad to stoop to that level, is the bottom line IMO.
Hangnail
Well-Known Member
Okay then, what about walleye? They're stocked every year like trout, so I guess it's in bad taste to fish for them in early spring during their spawn too? I can't figure out what your point is.
Setterman
Well-Known Member
Hangnail said:
It is understandable that some folks don't understand, and that is just the way it is. The walleye thing is not even comparable as well.
Hangnail
Well-Known Member
Geez, a trout fondler. They're pretty good bait for stripers.
4onaside
Well-Known Member
Hangnail, if you fish and hunt within the law, what difference does it make if one guy doesn't approve of your methods? So what! Just ignore and enjoy.
Setterman
Well-Known Member
Hangnail said:
Not hardly a trout fondler, have caught many stripers on live trout over the years. Just think it is pathetic to fish for any fish on a redd/bed. That goes for bass or trout. Anymore folks are after the bragging rights rather then looking out for the resource. Instant gratification,and the easiest way to the finish line.
Hangnail
Well-Known Member
Once again, I guess the same goes for crappie and bream. There's no difference. Oh, wait, I forgot that I don't understand.
4onaside, I don't like it when people slam someone for doing something that's legal and not give a reason or say "you don't understand". I really don't care what Setterman thinks. Heck, I don't even trout fish. I get the same feeling with some bass fishermen that think they own the whole lake because they have put money in a pot. I think I'll start heading to Knoxville to trout fish. I know a guy....
4onaside, I don't like it when people slam someone for doing something that's legal and not give a reason or say "you don't understand". I really don't care what Setterman thinks. Heck, I don't even trout fish. I get the same feeling with some bass fishermen that think they own the whole lake because they have put money in a pot. I think I'll start heading to Knoxville to trout fish. I know a guy....
Setterman
Well-Known Member
Hangnail said:
Most of the time when catching crappie, you aren't physically catching them off of their beds/redds. Fishing for fish which are guarding or tending their beds/redds is putting fish which are already stressed into a very tough position where survival can be jeopardized, it can also severely effect the outcome of the spawning as well.
Come on down and trout fish it has been pretty good this year, kill all you want, it won't bother me. But if you are coming to fish for spawning trout you might have a tough time.
B.D.
Well-Known Member
Hangnail said:
Well, like I said, TWRA does have a closed season on spawning browns, at least on the upper part of the South Holston.
Someone mentioned trout being "stocked every year," but the browns on the SoHo are naturally reproducing, not stocked.
I guess if you find a brown trout spawning outside of the areas closed by TWRA, you can go after that fish, though you're yanking a fish off the bed that doesn't have quite the same level of spawning success as the crappie and bass mentioned above.
There's somewhat of a "cultural difference" between trout fishermen and bass fishermen when it comes to fishing to spawning fish. A lot of hardcore bass guys are just fine with it (though I have to wonder about how tournament guys yanking all the bass off the beds affects the spawn - ever hear anyone complain that the bass fishing isn't what it used to be 25 years ago?).
Hardcore trout fishermen, on the other hand, tend to look down on it. Maybe part of it is that trout are a lot more vulnerable than bass when they spawn, since they tend to do it in knee-deep narrow riffles where you can practically walk right up to them and drop a hook on their noses. I don't know.
As far as I'm concerned, I just don't see a lot of sport in a bunch of people standing in a circle around a big spawning brown, casting to it over and over until one person gets it to eat (or, just as likely, snags its back). It's like shooting fish in a barrel. You think a fish that size would ever let you get that close in two-foot deep water any other time of year? No way, Jose. The spawn lets people cast at those fish all day like they're big trophy anglers, when in all honesty a lot of them don't have the skills to get within fifty yards of a 20-inch fish when it's not trying to tend eggs.
Is it legal? Most places outside of the SoHo, yeah. So if it blows your skirt up, I guess you can have at it.
Of course, "hunting" an elk on a fenced-in game farm in a 40 acre yard is LEGAL, so have at it if that's your definition of fun. Just don't expect me to think you're a big man when you shoot one.
Just my opinion.
bd
B.D.
Well-Known Member
Oh - on the other hand, to argue both sides of the coin, some would say that some of those trout fishermen who look down on fishing to spawning fish, if they came across a 35-incher spawning, might make a cast at it if nobody was looking... :(
bd
bd
Hangnail
Well-Known Member
Thank you BD. That was very informative. I personally don't care for trout, although they are fun to catch. But so are carp.
