Nolichucky River around Erwin?

[Chiflyguy]

Gotta expand my horizons.
Is it a cold water fishery of warm water?
Good for trouts or smallmouth?

 

[mike243]

Caught a lot of small mouth around the Greenville area years ago, didn't catch any trout and nobody mentioned the chance to.

 

[Chiflyguy]

Caught a lot of small mouth around the Greenville area years ago, didn't catch any trout and nobody mentioned the chance to.

Decent size?
I'll be toting a fly rod

 

[Setterman]

100% smallmouth, watch the streamflows like a hawk. It gets muddy if a cow pisses in the river

 

[TnBob]

Don't know about the fishing but it is beautiful up there. Looks like prime small mouth water to me. I take my wife up there every May and October to Erwin for the pottery shows.

 

[Wooden Arrow]

from Erwin upriver into NC there are trout. state stocks large hatchery trout that fight like old boots, lol. good smallmouth fishing the length of the river, with muskies here and there if you get lucky...

 

[mike243]

2lbs was the biggest, I did catch about a 4lb catfish on my fly rod, I took a spinning rod and my fly rod, used the fly rod more. feet were sore afterwards wading cold water,

 

[7mm08]

I USED to catch trout in it 30-40 years ago. Some big ones as the old egg layers from the hatchery got dumped in there.

 

[J.A.F.O.]

I second what Wooden Arrow said and add that N. Indian,S. Indian and Rocky Fork creeks are better for trout from my experience but there are trout in the Noli. Someone stated it gets muddy. That's true. It's still free flowing so ANY rise in the level and the mica mines in NC open their silt damns and release heavy amounts of silt into the water. Makes for slick wading and crap fishing from time to time.
I won't care to be more specific in a dm if you want some more information. Have fun!

 

[Chiflyguy]

from Erwin upriver into NC there are trout. state stocks large hatchery trout that fight like old boots, lol. good smallmouth fishing the length of the river, with muskies here and there if you get lucky...

Muskie?

 

[JN]

I have caught trout in it before in the winter when they do the stocking but in the summer it is smallmouth that I catch. I am sure the upper parts have trout all year but i would guess from Erwin downstream it gets to warm for trout all year. Water temperature feels good in the summer and is definitely not like wet wading the watauga or south Holston.

 

[Wooden Arrow]

Muskie?

a few get caught, mostly by folks fishing for smallies. if there is anyone specifically targeting them, i aint heard about them, but knowing how closed-mouth most musky fishermen are, that's not surprising. i've tried for them below the dam in Greeneville but still don't have in the required "10,000 casts" i guess. used to get into them in Ft. Patrick Henry reservoir years ago. state stopped stocking them though... got videos/pictures of 'chucky musky on youtube...

 

[Wooden Arrow]

as JAFO said, Rocky Fork is much better for trout, but the bigger pools along the road in will frequently have young ladies frolicking in the cool water until August, anyway...:D they scare the fish something AWFUL...:)

 

[killingtime 41]

After the stock you can catch a few trout in the Noli. But for the most part probably not. But I don't fish heavy for them. Native trout in the nolichuckey are not common or they wouldn't stock them.can catch smallies from time to time not great big one's usually. But guess it is possible. If TWRA didn't stock fish in our lakes and rivers they would all be close to void. Pretty waters all through TN but for some reason not productive on natural hatches on any of the popular fish. That's what I was told by the folks releasing fish one day. They have to do it or they wouldn't have a fisheries department to speak of. Probably doesn't go for every body of water here just most.

 

[J.A.F.O.]

The majority of muskies are caught in the gorge itself that's between Erwin and Poplar NC. I used to kayak it every week or more and the big holes at the bottom of the rapids are where they are mainly found. About 3/4-1 mile up from the takeout at Jones Branch is the last rapid called Twin Eddy's. That's one of the deepest holes on a river I've ever seen. Gotta walk up the RR tracks or float down 8 miles from NC. Spoke to an agent and they told me the muskies were stocked years ago and they didn't think they made it but they sure did. As others have said the trout are slim pickens but they are there. Great smallies but the stretch at NFS has some gigantic otters so they pretty much ruin it there.

I'm leaving the house in a few and goin up the mtn first with my rod and will probably swing by Chestoa and see what's going on.

Question for the locals: Y'all ever fished the Noli and FB in Bybee where they come together?!? Heard mixed reviews on that place. Better in winter looking for fowl I've heard but gotta be decent.

 

[scn]

The majority of muskies are caught in the gorge itself that's between Erwin and Poplar NC. I used to kayak it every week or more and the big holes at the bottom of the rapids are where they are mainly found. About 3/4-1 mile up from the takeout at Jones Branch is the last rapid called Twin Eddy's. That's one of the deepest holes on a river I've ever seen. Gotta walk up the RR tracks or float down 8 miles from NC. Spoke to an agent and they told me the muskies were stocked years ago and they didn't think they made it but they sure did. As others have said the trout are slim pickens but they are there. Great smallies but the stretch at NFS has some gigantic otters so they pretty much ruin it there.

I'm leaving the house in a few and goin up the mtn first with my rod and will probably swing by Chestoa and see what's going on.

Question for the locals: Y'all ever fished the Noli and FB in Bybee where they come together?!? Heard mixed reviews on that place. Better in winter looking for fowl I've heard but gotta be decent.

Rankin, not Bybee.

It can be worth some time.

 

[Setterman]

After the stock you can catch a few trout in the Noli. But for the most part probably not. But I don't fish heavy for them. Native trout in the nolichuckey are not common or they wouldn't stock them.can catch smallies from time to time not great big one's usually. But guess it is possible. If TWRA didn't stock fish in our lakes and rivers they would all be close to void. Pretty waters all through TN but for some reason not productive on natural hatches on any of the popular fish. That's what I was told by the folks releasing fish one day. They have to do it or they wouldn't have a fisheries department to speak of. Probably doesn't go for every body of water here just most.

Whoever told you that is beyond words clueless. We have some of the finest natural fisheries in the country that never see a stocking truck. I'm speaking only of rivers by the way, not the lakes.

 

[Wooden Arrow]

Rankin, not Bybee.

It can be worth some time.

i've seen some really nice smallmouth in the river from the bridge above Rankin. oddly, i've never fished down that way except for crappie & sauger. gotta fix that glitch...:confused:

 

[J.A.F.O.]

Rankin, not Bybee.

It can be worth some time.

I know Rankin is the WMA but I've always known the area around there as Bybee off of 160 then Holt Town. Either way we are talking about the same place. Thx!