Gonna Try the Caney/Cumberland Intersection-Maybe

[TNBronzeback]

Im thinking about heading to Carthage this weekend to fish the Caney/Cumberland intersection. It will all depend on the individual river flows if i go or not, if they are both gonna be dead, i wont bother, but if one or the other has some kind of flow, i will head down there.
my question is this, not know anything about the caney around the mouth, under little to no water flow from Center Hill, how far up river can i run in my jon boat? im not looking to go too far to begin with, but a general idea would give me a good starting point. My boat and motor is small and im a portly fella, so i wont be setting the water on fire to begin with, if that is a concern for submerged objects during low water. it will be idle speed at max.
Gonna be going after anything that will hit what i carry in the boat, live bait buffet included.
Im mainly doing some Cumberland River scouting for this fall, but i know the caney has plenty of options as well so i wanna maximize my trip down there.
Thanks for any information guys!

[Travis C.]

Check the rain fall up there as well. IF they get much at all that lower end gets colored up easily and fishes tough.

How big is your jon?

[Still_learning]

I can't help with how far up the Caney you can go, as I've never gone up more than 200 yards myself. I did fish right at the Cordell Hull dam last Saturday. Caught a lot of short sauger and small striped bass. Cordell Hull dam has been on a generating schedule of 11:00am - 11:00pm for several weeks, and it looks like that will continue until we get any significant rain. I think they have been generating for a couple of hours most days between 5:00am - 7:00am as well.

[Travis C.]

Also, depending on the generation schedule you may not have "low" water down on the bottom end of the river. Right now the current schedule its not falling all the way out so the shallow areas should be navigable in a small jon.

Coming up from the Cumby usually there is a shallow shoal or maybe two. It's nothing a hop out pull through can't handle if the boats not too heavy or drafts a lot. I used to use my 14ft polarkraft on low water a lot.

[TNBronzeback]

Check the rain fall up there as well. IF they get much at all that lower end gets colored up easily and fishes tough.

How big is your jon?

Boat is just 14 flat bottom...18hp on the back.
Pretty light boat.

[TNBronzeback]

I can't help with how far up the Caney you can go, as I've never gone up more than 200 yards myself. I did fish right at the Cordell Hull dam last Saturday. Caught a lot of short sauger and small striped bass. Cordell Hull dam has been on a generating schedule of 11:00am - 11:00pm for several weeks, and it looks like that will continue until we get any significant rain. I think they have been generating for a couple of hours most days between 5:00am - 7:00am as well.

Awesome! Thanks for the info.
I dont know how far i will even try to go. Im just expanding my horizons on the fishing locations. Im hoping forba decent generation schedule!

[Travis C.]

Boat is just 14 flat bottom...18hp on the back.
Pretty light boat.

What day are you planning on going? That boat will work just be careful even if its a short shaft.

With just the hour pulse they have been doing on the weekend mornings the water doesn't rise like a sustained one gen coming down the pipe. If you time it right hit that pulse and ride it up as far as you can then raise the outboard out of the water and float back.

Given the current weekday schedule you should have more water to navigate say Saturday morning early than Sunday morning.

[Travis C.]

The water from generation at CH takes about 6-6.5 hrs to get to Stonewall/Gordonsville ramp area. It takes roughly twice as long to fall all the way back down to low water mark.

[TNBronzeback]

Thats some great info.
Im heading up there saturday morning.
As long as there is some kind of water movement i will feel alot better from a fishability standpoint. Makes em alot easier to locate for the most part and alot of times easier to get to bite.

[CreekWalker]

If/when they aren't pulling much from Center Hill the very bottom end of the Caney can be effected quite a bit by the Cumberland's flow.....if they've been pulling from two or more generators for awhile out of Cordell Hull it creates almost a dam to the Caney's flow and thus you can motor up a decent ways (at least more than both rivers at low water).

A little bit of flow from the previous day can take a good while to fallout over 25 miles. That doesn't mean go fast, though! If you want to try to get as far up as the Cookville Highway bridge and there's not much flow be very careful as that area is very shallow otherwise.

[TNBronzeback]

With this rain coming in tonight and tomorrow...will the caney muddy up?

[MNfisher]

With this rain coming in tonight and tomorrow...will the caney muddy up?


The Caney only muds up when the smith fork floods. And with the rain we are getting now, yep, probably will muddy it up.

[TNBronzeback]

Hmmmm....probably gonna stay local then.
Bums me out a little but i would prefer to go under more normal water conditions.
Old hickory dam bound i think!

[Travis C.]

Hmmmm....probably gonna stay local then.
Bums me out a little but i would prefer to go under more normal water conditions.
Old hickory dam bound i think!

Trout wise the Caney actually fishes good in the rain. As long as you catch it on the front end prior to water coloring up too bad. I have had good days fishing trout magnets in the rain so hard it was tough making out the float.

[TNBronzeback]

Will do Travis!
im going to focus my efforts from the dam, down to the stones and maybe a spot or 2 past that. Hoping all this rain doesnt make too much of a log and debris filled river!

[Travis C.]

Will do Travis!
im going to focus my efforts from the dam, down to the stones and maybe a spot or 2 past that. Hoping all this rain doesnt make too much of a log and debris filled river!

That is all I am concerned with being a lot of flow and debris. Since I will be in the kayak I want to focus up around the wing wall and current seam if they are generating. Hopefully the drum and catfish will want to play....never thought I'd say that one. :)

[thehick176]

Looking at the radar,we may be getting a lot of rain today. I'm wanting to go below OHD in the morning for smallies but they don't like mud in their eyes! We definitely need the rain though.

[TNBronzeback]

Yeah flow isnt a big deal (unless your oar-powered) which is understandable....but in a boat....add a few ounces of lead to the jig, bulkier bait and have at it.
Its the muddy water that will keep me off the river if anything will.
Decisions, decisons....then again....if its gonna rain tomorrow too, that will cut down on pleasure boat traffic on JPP....which would make for some enjoyable fishing!

[MNfisher]

Keep an eye on this graph, if that line goes up, the lower Caney will be stained. If not, it should be good to go.
http://riverstatus.usace.army.mil/group/LRN/Stream%20Gages/GVST1-SmithFkCr-TemperanceHallTN

[MNfisher]

http://waterdata.usgs.gov/tn/nwis/uv/?site_no=03424730&PARAmeter_cd=00065,00060



Try this one

[TNBronzeback]

Will do....thanks mike!

[TNBronzeback]

as of now, that line makes me think i should be good to go...i will check it again tonight and again in the morning, but i think im gonna be good to head down there tomorrow.

[thehick176]

Luckily most of the rain pushed south. You should be in good shape!

[TNBronzeback]

Im thinking so do!
Im gearing up for battle now. Thinking ive got more rods in the rigged up than the bass pros.
Spinner rigs, jigs, spoons, blade baits, slow death rigs, body baits and shiners! LMAO....i mean business!

[Fish Whisperer]

I can't add anything to what Mike and Travis said.

Other than that confluence should produce.