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Old 12-30-2010, 06:24 PM
bd- bd- is offline
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Join Date: May 2004
Location: Hendersonville
Age: 51
Posts: 1,874
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What part of Tennessee will you be going to, Pence?

The best trout fishing will be in East Tennessee, especially if you are wanting to fly fish in small creeks. Look in the Tellico River area, or anywhere along the Great Smoky Mountains National Park or Cherokee National Forest. There are lots of small streams with wild rainbows and even some at higher elevations with native brook trout.

If you are going to be in Middle Tennessee near Nashville, then the Caney Fork will be your closest trout fishing water, with the Elk River as a backup option. It's a tailwater though, not a creek, and fishing bigger water is a bit different ballgame. It just depends on what you want to do.

Of course in East TN there are tailwaters too - South Holston is probably the best.

Big catfish don't really live in the same regions that produce the best trout fishing. My number one pick for big catfish would be the Cumberland River near Clarksville TN. There are giants there up into the 75-90 lb. range. The Mississippi River in West Tennessee has some too. You will need a boat to get to them.

West Tennessee has the best crappie fishing, with Reelfoot and Kentucky Lake being tough to beat.

There aren't many pike in Tennessee. There are a few pickerel here and there, such as on Kentucky Lake, and there are some very good muskies in the rivers on the Cumberland Plateau, but they are a challenge to catch.

For walleye, I'd probably go to Dale Hollow or maybe Norris. Center Hill has a good spring walleye run but it will be over if you're coming in the summer. Walleye fishing is mostly trolling and fishing at night on deep, clear highland reservoirs. You'll need a boat for this too.

Let me know where specifically you are headed, and I'll try to tell you what opportunities you've got in your area.

bd
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