pickwick bank/canoe fishing

[Robert]

I'm living not too far from pickwick now and while I don't have as much time as I would like to fish I'm wondering if there is any good places on the lake or tailwater that are accessible and worth checking out from the bank or canoe. I'm not trying to steal anybody's secret spots probably won't get to fish them much anyway mainly just trying to find a good excuse to get some line in the water. I drove down to look at the tailwater a time or two but I don't know if I feel comfortable in the canoe up close to the dam. which I think they were generating pretty heavy the days I went

[Alphahawk]

I'm living not too far from pickwick now and while I don't have as much time as I would like to fish I'm wondering if there is any good places on the lake or tailwater that are accessible and worth checking out from the bank or canoe. I'm not trying to steal anybody's secret spots probably won't get to fish them much anyway mainly just trying to find a good excuse to get some line in the water. I drove down to look at the tailwater a time or two but I don't know if I feel comfortable in the canoe up close to the dam. which I think they were generating pretty heavy the days I went

No way you can get a canoe up close to that dam....best leave that alone. You can put the canoe in over at the state park and fish the coves around there...it can be pretty good. The tail race there is a great place to fish however....if the fish are up in there. On many days you can get into Small Mouth....White Bass....Stripers...Sauger. In the spring big bluegill will come up to the dam. You can catch them only a foot or two off the bank...or I should say rocks...as that is the bank. Just find a cutback in the current and start fishing. Many times the water will be right even with the sidewalk you saw there. In winter and spring the water will be way up over that sidewalk and halfway up the bank to the parking lot....and sometimes higher. The more water the better the fishing. The most they have been discharging lately is close to 80,000 CFS....and that has only been for a couple of hours and then they cut it back. When they start letting 80,000 CFS....or more...go around the clock that can make the fish come up river. That is not real big flow at Pickwick.....a good discharge in spring and winter will be around 100,000 CFS or better......usually with that much water the fishing is superb. But the fish can be up there at anytime. Let me know if you have anymore questions.


Regards

[Robert]

Thanks for the info ill keep an eye on the tva page, maybe I can get some time to get down there in a week or two to do a little fishing.