Copyright 2009 James Marsh
Fly Fishing The Clinch River Tennessee
The Clinch River is a tailwater trout fishery located just
north of Knoxville, Tennessee below Norris Dam near
the town of Clinton. It is stocked with rainbow, brook and
brown trout by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources
Agency. Both the rainbow and brown trout holdover from
year to year because the stream stays very cold even
during the summer months. The main attraction of this
stream is its huge brown trout.
The river can be waded when they are not generating
water through the dam. It can be fished from a drift boat
when they are operating the turbines. Some of the best
brown trout fishing occurs when the river is running fast
and high.
Anglers that are familiar with the schedule of the dam
discharges can time their fishing locations such that they
can fish upstream until the dam begins to generate
power and then move a few miles downstream and fish
for a good time prior to the high water arrival. Caution
should be used anytime you are fishing the Clinch.
Seasons:
The fly-fishing season is year-round on the Clinch River.
Winter:
It is possible to catch trout on the coldest days of the
winter.
Spring:
Springtime is prime time on the Clinch River.
Summer:
The hot days of summer will produce fish if the right
tactics are used.
Fall:
Autumn is a great time for fly fishing the Clinch River
and the best opportunity to catch a large brown trout.
Fly Fishing Guide to the Clinch River:
There are two basic ways to fish the Clinch that are
almost opposite of each other. One requires the use of
tiny flies and the other requires large streamers.
The opportunity exist to catch a large brown trout on a
streamer when the water is running high and fast. Heavy
weighted streamers can produce some huge brown
trout. It takes a lot of casting and retrieving but if you
can keep it up, chances are good that you will hook up.
Midges are the number one type of flies for the Clinch
River. Midge larva, pupa and adult imitations will catch
trout year-round. There are not many hatches on the
river other than midges which hatch throughout the
year. There are a few mayflies and stoneflies and there
are a few caddisflies that offer some dry fly opportunity
at times. Small flies from a hook size 18 down to a size
26 are considered the thing for the Clinch. We have
taken several samples from the stream that indicated a
huge amount of midge larvae exist about anywhere the
bottom is checked.
There is much more information in "Hatches and Flies"
for the Clinch River so be sure to check it out.
(Click Here For More Fishing Information)
The Clinch River is a tailwater trout fishery located just
north of Knoxville, Tennessee below Norris Dam near
the town of Clinton. It is stocked with rainbow, brook and
brown trout by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources
Agency. Both the rainbow and brown trout holdover from
year to year because the stream stays very cold even
during the summer months. The main attraction of this
stream is its huge brown trout.
The river can be waded when they are not generating
water through the dam. It can be fished from a drift boat
when they are operating the turbines. Some of the best
brown trout fishing occurs when the river is running fast
and high.
Anglers that are familiar with the schedule of the dam
discharges can time their fishing locations such that they
can fish upstream until the dam begins to generate
power and then move a few miles downstream and fish
for a good time prior to the high water arrival. Caution
should be used anytime you are fishing the Clinch.
Seasons:
The fly-fishing season is year-round on the Clinch River.
Winter:
It is possible to catch trout on the coldest days of the
winter.
Spring:
Springtime is prime time on the Clinch River.
Summer:
The hot days of summer will produce fish if the right
tactics are used.
Fall:
Autumn is a great time for fly fishing the Clinch River
and the best opportunity to catch a large brown trout.
Fly Fishing Guide to the Clinch River:
There are two basic ways to fish the Clinch that are
almost opposite of each other. One requires the use of
tiny flies and the other requires large streamers.
The opportunity exist to catch a large brown trout on a
streamer when the water is running high and fast. Heavy
weighted streamers can produce some huge brown
trout. It takes a lot of casting and retrieving but if you
can keep it up, chances are good that you will hook up.
Midges are the number one type of flies for the Clinch
River. Midge larva, pupa and adult imitations will catch
trout year-round. There are not many hatches on the
river other than midges which hatch throughout the
year. There are a few mayflies and stoneflies and there
are a few caddisflies that offer some dry fly opportunity
at times. Small flies from a hook size 18 down to a size
26 are considered the thing for the Clinch. We have
taken several samples from the stream that indicated a
huge amount of midge larvae exist about anywhere the
bottom is checked.
There is much more information in "Hatches and Flies"
for the Clinch River so be sure to check it out.
(Click Here For More Fishing Information)
| Type of Stream Tailwater Species Brown Trout Rainbow Trout Brook Trout (Stocked with holdovers) Size Medium width,13 Miles long Location Northeast Tennessee near Knoxville Nearest Towns Clinton, Tennessee Knoxville, Tennessee Season Year-round Access: Fair for Wading, Okay for Drift Boats Special Regulations None Non-Resident License Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency Weather National Weather Service Link TVA Release Schedule Click for information Hatch Chart Coming soon Fly Fishing Guide Hatches and Flies Fly Fishing Gear |
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Clinch River
Tennessee
Tennessee
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Photo Courtesy of David Knapp Photography
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| Options For Selecting Flies: 1. Email us with the dates you will be fishing this stream and we will send you a list of our fly suggestions. Please allow up to 24 hours for a response. 2. Call us 800-594-4726 and we will help you decide which flies you need. 3. Call or email us with a budget for flies and we will select them and get them to you in time for your trip. Shipping is free in the U. S. Orders over $50 are shipped Priority Mail. |