stones river

[volandsmalliefan]

floated a portion of the stones with my little brother a couple of weeks ago. We caught 15-20 fish. Mostly largemouth but we did get into a couple of smallies and spots and one rock bass. Any else here fish the skinnier portions of the stones during the winter? I believe i have come to the conclusion fishing is better on these waters this time of the year.

[j19bill]

I haven't in the winter. I might have to give it a try though.

[Fishbus]

If I may ask, where are you putting in and taking out? Recently got a kayak and would like to start floating the Stones since I live in the Boro by the Thompson Lane trailhead...Thanks.

[volandsmalliefan]

If I may ask, where are you putting in and taking out? Recently got a kayak and would like to start floating the Stones since I live in the Boro by the Thompson Lane trailhead...Thanks.


if i dont have much time i will park and put in across from 84 lumber. if i put in there i will paddle upstream and float back down. if i have a while i will park at the trail head on medical center parkway and float down to 84 lumber. its a pretty decent float when you dont have all the time in the world. we went again on new years eve and caught quite a few. even caught a couple of left over rainbow trout on small crankbaits.

[RebelYelp]

Medical Center to Thompson isn't bad when the water is low. There is a tough rapid about 200 yds past the bridge when the water is up.

Reb

[navydocivan]

Do any of you float the east fork much. Below the dam or is it better to put in at the dam and paddle upstream to and fish the upper section of that branch. Does anyone know if they have stocked trout at the walter hill dam?

[Bulldog]

Don't think they stock Walter Hill but here is the TVA stocking schedule:

http://www.tn.gov/twra/fish/StreamRiver/stockedtrout/stockedtrout.html


Don't fish Stones River much but where are some spots in or around Murfreesboro, besides Nice Mill, where folks are catchin some bass? Thanks for the heads up.

Bulldog

[Fishbus]

Volandsmalliefan:

Good tips. How do you get in at 84? Isn't it pretty steep and rocky there? I've got a 2-man kayak, so I'm probably sticking to Medical Center for the ease of the ramp.

RebelYelp:

We floated that 2 years ago when we had the heavy rains that eventually flooded Mississippi real bad. We had about 4-5 boats and all wiped out on those rapids between Broad St. and Thompson lane. We floated from Thompson to Nice Mill the next day. Pretty nice trip when the water is there.

[volandsmalliefan]

Do any of you float the east fork much. Below the dam or is it better to put in at the dam and paddle upstream to and fish the upper section of that branch. Does anyone know if they have stocked trout at the walter hill dam?

I float the east fork quite a bit but mostly further upstream closer to cannon county. Don't catch a whole bunch of large fish but numbers are certainly there. Its also nice and quiet out that way and you probably wont see a soul other than some wildlife. Lots of river otters and deer. Even stopped and watched a bald eagle at one point late last spring.

Fishbus:
I usually park in that lot by the car dealership. It is a little steep to get down to the river but not to awful bad

[creeksmallie]

East for more smallies and rock bass(need landowner permission in some spots) and west for largemouth spots and big rockbass. I have fished both for years and there are plenty of 15 to 20 inch smallies in the east. I would not give out specific locations unless in private message for the east. As I have said many times , I have seen portions of streams get fished out during the summer months.
As fars as below Walter Hill Dam. You will catch some trout that come from the VA pond overflowing in the winter and spring. It is very rare though. in 24 years of fishing the Stones system I have only caught 3 and seen 4 more caught below Walter. Winter is a good time to float the streams and wade if you can handle the cold wading. I fish aove WH dam all winter and catch smallies,spots,largemouth and crappie. 50% of my guiding is on the east and the other 50 is split up among 4 other streams. Hopefully MNfisher and I will be on east Sunday afternoon might get a picture or two from the skinny water of the Stones.my avatar picture is my biggest spring rn smallie from below Walter and I have caught well over 100 smallies in the spring between 20 and 22.5 inches. It has been slower the last few years though.
Mike

[volandsmalliefan]

East for more smallies and rock bass(need landowner permission in some spots) and west for largemouth spots and big rockbass. I have fished both for years and there are plenty of 15 to 20 inch smallies in the east. I would not give out specific locations unless in private message for the east. As I have said many times , I have seen portions of streams get fished out during the summer months.
As fars as below Walter Hill Dam. You will catch some trout that come from the VA pond overflowing in the winter and spring. It is very rare though. in 24 years of fishing the Stones system I have only caught 3 and seen 4 more caught below Walter. Winter is a good time to float the streams and wade if you can handle the cold wading. I fish aove WH dam all winter and catch smallies,spots,largemouth and crappie. 50% of my guiding is on the east and the other 50 is split up among 4 other streams. Hopefully MNfisher and I will be on east Sunday afternoon might get a picture or two from the skinny water of the Stones.my avatar picture is my biggest spring rn smallie from below Walter and I have caught well over 100 smallies in the spring between 20 and 22.5 inches. It has been slower the last few years though.
Mike

Yeah it scares me to think of what could happen to the east fork if it were to get a lot of fishing pressure. I can't stand seeing people take smallmouth out of a small creek like that. Don't they know rockbass taste a heck of alot better anyways? Do you think fishing pressure finally got the best of the water below Walter hill dam or do you think it is more of a cycle thing?

.

[jad2t]

East for more smallies and rock bass(need landowner permission in some spots) and west for largemouth spots and big rockbass. I have fished both for years and there are plenty of 15 to 20 inch smallies in the east. I would not give out specific locations unless in private message for the east. As I have said many times , I have seen portions of streams get fished out during the summer months.
As fars as below Walter Hill Dam. You will catch some trout that come from the VA pond overflowing in the winter and spring. It is very rare though. in 24 years of fishing the Stones system I have only caught 3 and seen 4 more caught below Walter. Winter is a good time to float the streams and wade if you can handle the cold wading. I fish aove WH dam all winter and catch smallies,spots,largemouth and crappie. 50% of my guiding is on the east and the other 50 is split up among 4 other streams. Hopefully MNfisher and I will be on east Sunday afternoon might get a picture or two from the skinny water of the Stones.my avatar picture is my biggest spring rn smallie from below Walter and I have caught well over 100 smallies in the spring between 20 and 22.5 inches. It has been slower the last few years though.
Mike

I've heard in the past about catching smallies below Walter Hill Dam. I've flyfished there before in the spring right in the rough water and caught spots and crappie. It's fun but I'd sure like to hook into a smallie on the flyrod there. So are they right below the dam too or way downstream? Also, if I remember correctly, it's winter time when they can be found there. Is that right?

[punchs]

jad2t

I've caught lots of smallies in my day on the fly but it is a different technique and tactic then what a lot of TN fly fishers are used to. The tactic is to swing hackle fly's through a good run or use the equivalent of a swim bait. I don't know if you tie your own but I like to tie up streamers with blue and some flashabou in them to mimic the shad in our systems.

[creeksmallie]

Fishing pressure has done nothing to Walter Hill the problem is that up until 20 years ago they took gravel out from below there. In the last 10 years the good holes have filled in so unless you have a wet spring and the river runs high for 3 weeks during the spawn the smallies do not stay in there thick. The other problem since the big flood is that every big rain and river rise they seem to suck priest dry back to what ever pool they need at that time of year. Used to the river would stay up longer but they do not hold water in priest like they used to. Still last spring one day I and a client had 18 smallies and 4 largemouth on creekminnows in 4 hours standing in one spot. biggest that day was 17 largemouth and a 19 inch smallie. Fished it the next 3 days and the river cleared up and went down and just caught a few here and there.