Low Numbers on the Caney

[Doc Marshall]

Hey y'all,

I floated the Caney with my sons (their first time) and was shocked, once again, at the low numbers of trout being caught.

In the spring I was able to catch decent numbers of fat brookies, but only near the dam (and sometimes near "the stairs").

Yesterday I floated all the way from the dam to Happy and saw very few trout. I caught about 5 or so small stockers, which was far better than most. Most people we chatted with were coming up empty handed or had very low numbers. I did see the odd lunker brown trout, but mostly I just saw massive schools of trash fish (gizzard shad?). Whatever they are, they're everywhere!

I spoke to one of the owners of Caney Fork Outdoors and she claimed that the TWRA is stocking weekly. If that is the case, where are the fish? Are they all simply clustered below the dam, awaiting a glorious plague to wipe out the twin scourge of kayakers and fly fishermen? Maybe I am projecting my own dream of a cataclysmic armageddon to return the fishery to its former glory.

I ask because a few years ago, as a fly fisherman new to the sport, I could catch 10 - 20 fish at Happy Hollow, no problem. Now I go out and land 2 - 6 fish, but only after covering quite a bit of ground.

Curious to hear fishing reports from others out there.

[Alphahawk]

Originally Posted by Doc Marshall

Hey y'all,



I floated the Caney with my sons (their first time) and was shocked, once again, at the low numbers of trout being caught.



In the spring I was able to catch decent numbers of fat brookies, but only near the dam (and sometimes near "the stairs").



Yesterday I floated all the way from the dam to Happy and saw very few trout. I caught about 5 or so small stockers, which was far better than most. Most people we chatted with were coming up empty handed or had very low numbers. I did see the odd lunker brown trout, but mostly I just saw massive schools of trash fish (gizzard shad?). Whatever they are, they're everywhere!



I spoke to one of the owners of Caney Fork Outdoors and she claimed that the TWRA is stocking weekly. If that is the case, where are the fish? Are they all simply clustered below the dam, awaiting a glorious plague to wipe out the twin scourge of kayakers and fly fishermen? Maybe I am projecting my own dream of a cataclysmic armageddon to return the fishery to its former glory.



I ask because a few years ago, as a fly fisherman new to the sport, I could catch 10 - 20 fish at Happy Hollow, no problem. Now I got out and land 2 - 6 fish, but only after covering quite a bit of ground.



Curious to hear fishing reports from others out there.

I fished the Pond one day last week and caught nothing. My nephew wade fished Saturday and caught good numbers and quality fish.

Regards


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[lforet2002]

I'll be out there tomorrow. I'll post a report, but so far this year I've caught a lot of trout in the Caney. Only thing I've noticed different is I've caught a lot of white bass and others species more often. I even caught a flathead catfish which kinda surprised me.

[Alphahawk]

Originally Posted by lforet2002

I'll be out there tomorrow. I'll post a report, but so far this year I've caught a lot of trout in the Caney. Only thing I've noticed different is I've caught a lot of white bass and others species more often. I even caught a flathead catfish which kinda surprised me.

Some years you will have a white bass run on the Caney and other years nothing. I’ve caught everything in there except a sturgeon. Years ago before I ever even knew the forum existed I would hike up to the waterfall on no generation.....stay until just right before they turned generators back on....then hike back down to the boat ramp and fish well into dark. It was nice to be younger.....LOL.

Regards


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[Doc Marshall]

Originally Posted by lforet2002

I'll be out there tomorrow. I'll post a report, but so far this year I've caught a lot of trout in the Caney. Only thing I've noticed different is I've caught a lot of white bass and others species more often. I even caught a flathead catfish which kinda surprised me.

Nice cat! I actually landed a catfish on the Harpeth on fly rod this past Friday. It was a good fight.

[lupanfreitag]

Last year Caney was the warmest I have ever experienced.
Also the massive generation and sluicing granted waves of stripers access to the dam from July to October. They were back in February.
As noted white bass and huge schools of skipjack. That means water warm.

I fear a slow year for the Caney.

[Alphahawk]

Originally Posted by lupanfreitag

Last year Caney was the warmest I have ever experienced.

Also the massive generation and sluicing granted waves of stripers access to the dam from July to October. They were back in February.

As noted white bass and huge schools of skipjack. That means water warm.



I fear a slow year for the Caney.

Already warmer this year than this time last year.

Regards


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[ttitan27]

Originally Posted by Alphahawk

Already warmer this year than this time last year.

Regards


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When you say warmer, what do you mean? Where are you taking the water temps? During generation or without generation?

I spend a considerable amount of time on the river and have detailed logs of times and places and water temps and what was caught for every fish I have caught on the river for the last 6 years. During the summer the water is generally 59-63 degrees and has been that way for the last 6 years. That is usually during at least some type of generation and can occur anywhere from the dam to the confluence with the cumberland. If anything, I am seeing more 59-60 degree water this year than in the last 5 years.

[Alphahawk]

Originally Posted by ttitan27

When you say warmer, what do you mean? Where are you taking the water temps? During generation or without generation?

I spend a considerable amount of time on the river and have detailed logs of times and places and water temps and what was caught for every fish I have caught on the river for the last 6 years. During the summer the water is generally 59-63 degrees and has been that way for the last 6 years. That is usually during at least some type of generation and can occur anywhere from the dam to the confluence with the cumberland. If anything, I am seeing more 59-60 degree water this year than in the last 5 years.

My temps were 64 in the Pond last week during generation and 58 down at Lancaster. I’m not up there nowhere near as much as I used to be but have a friend who is TWRA biologist who is up there taking temps and oxygen levels very frequently. He has said that the river is warmer earlier this year already. He gave me temps and levels but I do not remember exact figures.

Regards


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[Doc Marshall]

I was at Happy yesterday and actually got skunked (I did miss one strike on a wooly bugger). Two guys were walking around with a limit on a stringer (were using night crawlers).

I was going to run out the dam today but they're generating at 11 a.m. What a bummer!

I think I need to find a new trout stream for the summer...

[JoelO]

The river didn't fish well for me last year. I went to Happy last Saturday and caught a half dozen or so and lost at least that many. I debarb all my hooks so I'm going to use that as an excuse for the lost ones! They are scattered in pods...find a pod and you should get some action. If you're dead drifting flies, depth of your fly is important. Experiment with different depths...generally, lower is better.

[lupanfreitag]

It was extremely slow on Sunday morning.
The fish were mostly small. Mostly stocker browns, 8 inches at best.
A far cry from two years ago.

[Doc Marshall]

I was there Sunday morning too.

I saw people catching good numbers with night crawlers but fly fishermen weren't doing so great.

The best part of the day was when the siren sounded an hour earlier than the generation schedule had noted. Everybody left but I stuck around. After 20 minutes, they shut off the generator and I had that stretch of the Caney pretty much to myself. Caught about a dozen stockers.