Quote:
Originally Posted by Travis C.
The tailwater held the state record Rainbow, Brown and Cutthroat trout at the same time several years ago. The Cutthroat was a project I am sure but still is technically on the books.
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Just to clarify for people who aren't familiar with the area, the tailwater is a totally separate fishery from the lake.
The Dale Hollow tailwater section of the Obey river did indeed hold state records for browns, rainbows, and even a cutthroat at one time. However, you also have to remember that for the most part, the giant rainbows and browns were caught before the impoundment of Cordell Hull Reservoir, or not long thereafter.
Cordell Hull became operational in 1973. Before that time, the Cumberland and the tailwater ran cold enough for trout well into Tennessee. Old timers have told me that back in the 1960s, you could catch big trout from the Cumberland almost all the way into Carthage. There was a time during the impoundment phase of Cordell Hull when they tried to stock it with trout, and I even have an article from an old fishing magazine about guys catching atlantic salmon in Cordell. However, within a few years after impoundment, the stocking programs were aborted because the reservoir became too warm for trout.
The state record fish that came from the Obey almost certainly didn't live their entire lives in the Obey. They were Cumberland tailwater fish that made their way upstream into the Obey.
After the construction of Cordell Hull, the Obey has become a shadow of the river it once was. It's still a nice trout tailwater, but not a place where record-breaking browns and rainbows are likely to be seen.
bd
