Speaking of the Clinch...

[Timestepper]

My buddy and I will be on it in the canoe first thing in the morning. If anyone else finds themselves out there be sure and say howdy to the two long-haired old farts in the green canoe who look like they're having more fun than the law should allow!

If we catch anything decent I'll try and post some pics tomorrow when I get home. In the mean time....

[Caster]

*Jealous*

Be careful. Looks peaceful. Probably don't get good cellphone reception out there.....wooohooo!

[Timestepper]

Actually, I get great reception out there and have occasionally even been known to call a friend or relative on a reeeeeally hot day just to tell them that "I'm waist deep in crystal clear water and boy oh boy it'd sure be nice if you were here, but you're not so I thought I'd just call and rub it in..."

Oh, and it's very peaceful. Maybe the most peaceful river I've ever floated. I love it!

Edited May 26, 2012 by Timestepper

[Timestepper]

Well, we sure didn't get skunked! All in all an absolutely beautiful day on the Clinch!

Yepper, just a fantastic day (my faceplant into a deep pool while trying to get back to the canoe before it floated off, notwithstanding!)

Thanks, Lord! You sure made a goodun' today!

[Caster]

Wow.....grilled whole with a belly full of onions and a slice of lemon or two, beer, maybe some hushpuppies.

Lucky you!

Oh Snap, now I'm hungry.

[Timestepper]

They'll get wrapped in foil with a little dilled garlic, some rosemary and a piece of bacon in the body cavity, then grilled on hot coals until the skin peels off when you unwrap the foil... MMMmmmmm!

[DaveS]

I just got done watching a bunch of Clinch River Trout fishing videos...My brain is totaly destroyed! I guess I'll go out and hook my Bass rig to my SUV and hit Barkley Lake in the morning...humbug....

Dave

[Timestepper]

Don't know what to tell you, Dave, 'cept come on over!

Oh, FWIW, on the 9th of June I'll be canoeing the Nolichuckey with <John's best friend> Bob Rebmann and we'll be tossing the smallmouth jigs you sent me. We will indeed tie one on for John! (And I'll try to get some pics for YOU.)

...Don....

[DaveS]

Don't know what to tell you, Dave, 'cept come on over!

Oh, FWIW, on the 9th of June I'll be canoeing the Nolichuckey with <John's best friend> Bob Rebmann and we'll be tossing the smallmouth jigs you sent me. We will indeed tie one on for John! (And I'll try to get some pics for YOU.)

...Don....

I can't wait! What kind of fishing is available where we will be doing the "meet"? I've never been in that part of the state...I plan on enjoying it!

Dave

[Moped]

I want a canoe, dang it!

[Caster]

I want a canoe, dang it!

I want a skinoe.

[Timestepper]

I can't wait! What kind of fishing is available where we will be doing the "meet"? I've never been in that part of the state...I plan on enjoying it!

Dave

Spots could tell you better than I could, but I will tell you that pretty much all of East Tennessee is a sportsman's/fisherman's paradise. Got a feeling that once you get used to all the hills and trees, you'll love it over here.

[Timestepper]

I want a canoe, dang it!

So buy one! You can get a darned good canoe for less than you'd pay for good pistol. I gave $300.00 for mine about 9 years ago and you can pick up a decent 16 footer nowadays for about $400.00, give or take. I've used and abused mine from East Tennessee to the Western mountains and it's been one of the best investments I ever made!

[Timestepper]

After further thought, I've decided that maybe I should add this warning:

Floating/fishing the tail waters of Norris Lake on the Clinch River in East Tennessee is like having sex: When you finally experience it for yourself, you'll want to do it again, as often as possible, under any condition and with as many different people as will accept your offer... and if you get lucky, you'll not only be tired and satisfied, but your fingers will smell like fish when you're done!

[R_Bert]

I have been wading and the Clinch all my life. Between the dam and the bridge at Eagle Bend is like no other waters. It is awesome.

But, whether you wade, float, or even fish from the bank, be aware of and prepared for the hazards. Mostly steep banks, extremely cold water, *fast* rising levels, strong currents at times; *Thick & sudden* fog, shoals & logs move, slippery surfaces & rocks/shelves (variable navigation hazards depending on water levels, and after some points, you *have* to go downriver or risk flipping a boat).

Make sure you start early enough to get completely off the river before dark, no exceptions.

While by kayak standards, it is a relatively tame river, it is *not* a place to lose your common sense. Listen to the locals. I have seen a number of boats busted up, and folks get into trouble (and a few even die) due to one stupid decision. I reccomend wearing a life preserver. period.

Here is the Clinch Water Release Schedule ; Be aware that some times they do *not* follow the schedule. The river can rise 6-8 feet in a very short time (minutes) near the weir dam, and the surge lags 6-8 hours by the time it gets to Eagle Bend (and still rises 4' - 6' or so, depending on if Melton Hill is releasing downstream). Pay attention.

Edited May 27, 2012 by R_Bert

[Timestepper]

Agreed! When I'm floating at "low-flow" I don't wear a life jacket, but I still have a couple of "throwables" in the canoe at all times. With one generator or more fired up, then my life jacket is on and fastened. And I double check the flow schedules before I go and keep in mind the approximate time the rising water will catch up with me and exactly where I'll be on the river when it does. (It caught up with us at Cold Water shoals yesterday and even though we'd stopped and left the canoe behind while we worked the shoals, we kept track and managed to meet back at the canoe at the right time to continue on unhindered - despite the faceplant I did into a hole while on the way back up to the canoe. lmao!)

I also make it a point that if I have an inexperienced person in my canoe, I never ask them to paddle, preferring instead to rely solely upon my own ability to navigate, rather than take a chance that they'll do accidentally do something screwy at the wrong time that I won't have time to correct. If they want to learn the ins and outs of maneuvering a canoe, I'll be happy to teach them in shallower, calmer and warmer waters.

Common sense should be the one thing you never leave behind on the Clinch and a constant awareness of your surroundings is mandatory, even on the gentlest of floating days.

But, oh God how I love that river!

Edited May 27, 2012 by Timestepper

[DaveS]

I just talked to Timestepper on the phone. If I do nothing more than put my toe in the Clinch....it's gonna happen some kind of way, soon!

Dave

[R_Bert]

You may be a fly-fisherman; if so, I can't address.

But if you are bait & tackle, a standard you need to have in the box is 1/8oz & 1/4oz blue/silver Kastmasters and Little Cleos. A lot of the other combos work fine, but *always* have those. Also 1/16oz Roostertails in browns.

Try any of your ultralight crankbaits. You may be pleasantly surprised. Of course, if you are going for lunkers, as always, the larger the bait, the better, but I love the action.

B.

[Timestepper]

1/8 & 1/16 oz. rooster tails in brown and yellow work good for me, as do yellow & black Panther Martins. And I can't forget 1/8 oz Blue Fox in the Shiner pattern (in fact, that's been - for me - the single most productive pattern). What I really like to do when I'm floating is have two rods rigged with two different patterns because I've come to think of different sections in terms of which spinner pattern works best there. I.,e., "This section is Panther Martin water, but I'm coming up on Blue Fox water and just below that is a good rooster tail hole..."

And I'm looking forward to Dave not only putting his toe in the Clinch, but maybe even his whole body if he out-fishes me and I can catch him with his back turned!

Just kidding, Dave! Can't wait to see you guys and share a little of my favorite river with you!

...Don...

Edited May 29, 2012 by Timestepper

[R_Bert]

You talking about this pattern & style ? http://www.amazon.com/Blue-Fox-Flash-Spinners-Size/dp/B005AUHJ4U

It looks pretty darn good.

[Timestepper]

That's the one! I've caught more fish on the Clinch with that one particular pattern than with everything else combined - and there are several Blue Fox patterns to choose from which work well in other trout streams. I use that pattern almost exclusively when fishing the various shoals and eddies and almost only then. I go back to a rooster tail or Panther Martin for flat water depending upon depth, sunlight and shadow. When the water is rising behind me I might switch over to a Mepps #2 with a squirrel tail skirt and toss it upstream and, keeping it close to the bottom, retrieve it slowly back down to the canoe.

Holy crap, I'm giving away all my freakin' secrets!

[R_Bert]

That's the one! I've caught more fish on the Clinch with that one particular pattern than with everything else combined - and there are several Blue Fox patterns to choose from which work well in other trout streams. I use that pattern almost exclusively when fishing the various shoals and eddies and almost only then. I go back to a rooster tail or Panther Martin for flat water depending upon depth, sunlight and shadow. When the water is rising behind me I might switch over to a Mepps #2 with a squirrel tail skirt and toss it upstream and, keeping it close to the bottom, retrieve it slowly back down to the canoe.

Holy crap, I'm giving away all my freakin' secrets!

Of course, for the rainbows, you can use about anything that looks like TWRA trout chow.

[DaveS]

That's the one! I've caught more fish on the Clinch with that one particular pattern than with everything else combined - and there are several Blue Fox patterns to choose from which work well in other trout streams. I use that pattern almost exclusively when fishing the various shoals and eddies and almost only then. I go back to a rooster tail or Panther Martin for flat water depending upon depth, sunlight and shadow. When the water is rising behind me I might switch over to a Mepps #2 with a squirrel tail skirt and toss it upstream and, keeping it close to the bottom, retrieve it slowly back down to the canoe.

Holy crap, I'm giving away all my freakin' secrets!

I'm taking notes...don't stop talking now!!!

[Timestepper]

Of course, for the rainbows, you can use about anything that looks like TWRA trout chow.

Thing is, I've caught quite a few wild 'bows and they haven't become addicted to trout chow yet - for those interested in catching hatchery fish I always suggest a "size 16 pinky" (garlic flavored salmon egg). And I managed to stop myself before I gave away my secret weapon for the big browns in the stretch above Clear Water shoals.

[Timestepper]

I'm taking notes...don't stop talking now!!!

Bring your notes along when you come - maybe I can learn something from myself!

Edited May 30, 2012 by Timestepper