Clinch River
Located 3hrs from Nashville, 2.5 hrs from Chattanooga and 30 minutes North of Knoxville, stop in and fish one of America's top 100 Trout Streams.
The Clinch River gets it start in Southwest Virginia near Tazewell. It then flows roughly 300 miles Southwest through the Great Appalachian Valley collecting various tributaries such as the Powell River before it joins the main Tennessee River in Eastern Tennessee below Melton Hill Dam. Construction of the Norris Dam began in 1933 and was completed in 1936. Norris dam was the first dam built in the TVA system of dams. The damis 265 feet high and stretches 1860 feet forming the Clinch River. The lake itself has about 800 miles of shoreline and 52.9 square miles, or 33,840 acres of water surface. The lake is 1.2 miles at its widest point and has a maximum depth of 210 feet. Norris Dam was primarily built for Flood Control for the area and power production. There are two generators capable of producing 65.7 megawatts of power each. The flood control and the power production make Norris dam a vital component to this region. It also provides exceptional habitat for Rainbows and Browns.
The Clinch River is well known for its low water midge fishing and Spring Sulphur Hatches. I like to fish this river on all flows and I fish it year round. My favorite time of year on the Clinch is during the colder months of November through early March. Streamer fishing during this time of year produces some of the larger Brown Trout that I see on an annual basis. The Clinch also has scuds and sowbugs as well as a stonefly population. Other insects of note on the Clinch are the Black Caddis Hatches that occur in the early Spring and this can produce some good early Spring dry fly fishing. Based on the water flows TVA is giving us, I fish the Clinch out of a Hyde Drift Boat as well as out of my Lowe 1760 Jet Boat. On one generator flows and lower flows you will be in the Drift Boat. Most of the winter Fly Fishing on two generators will be done out of the Jet Boat. Either of the two options are great fly fishing trips and the limited number of houses or neighborhoods on the Clinch can make you seem like you have escaped the hustle and bustle of the big city even though you are only thirty minutes North of Knoxville.
Midges, Scuds, Sow Bugs and general attractor patterns like Pats and Squirms fish good year round as long as you are near the bottom.
