Harpeth at Hwy 100/Ensworth

[antilibrarian]

I was fishing right under the bridge this morning and hooked into a pair of nice smallies. Both hit top water lures, HARD!

Tight lines and fair skies.

How early did you go out? I tried to fish that the other weekend, too many people and kayaks/canoes around.

If you don't mind, did you go upstream or down of the bridge at all?

Most of the time when i fish down there i have had terrible luck, but on the other hand, about 2 years ago i went down there one day with a top water plug and had largemouth and spots literally breaching the surface going for my lure right at dusk. Thats the only time i have ever seen them actually clear the water going for a lure..i landed several nice ones but no smallies that day...thats a nice public access point.

[bd-]

Good catfish holes around that access.

bd

[JoelO]

I floated from Moran Road to Highway 100 Sunday afternoon...paddled most of the 2nd half of the trip to make sure I got out before they closed the gates at 7:00 at the 100 access. I was fly fishing with poppers and hopper imitations...lots of bream bites, 1 2lbish largemouth and a small smallmouth. Saw a pair of bald eagles which was cool...had one of them fly by me no more than 40 feet away...of course, the camera was stowed behind me when he came by. Its amazing, I've lived in the area the last 16 years and never seen them.

One other thing, I've noticed a livery service has started putting people on the river...seems like the Old Natchez to Moran float is popular judging by the number of cars at both locations...starting to look like the Caney.

Where's the spot to put in at Moran Rd? I've never been there? And about how long does that trip take? Is there much walking/dragging?

[JoelO]

Originally Posted by RiverShoes

Where's the spot to put in at Moran Rd? I've never been there? And about how long does that trip take? Is there much walking/dragging?

Its the bridge on Moran right next to the big field (usually planted in corn or beans...can't remember what's in it this year) that was part of Alan Jacksons property (before he sold it)....you'll see several cars parked there on the weekend. If you're travelling on Moran from the Hillsboro Road direction its about a half mile to the bridge...the path down to the water is on the right after you cross over the bridge.

I put it after 3 and got to highway 100 in about 3.5 hours. That's not enough time to fish the water very well...I ended up paddling most of the way from the Sneed Road bridge to the takeout....you could almost double that time if you wanted to fish the whole stretch.

The water gets skinny in a couple of places...not bad though. If you're in a kayak you shouldn't have a problem...in a canoe you might have to push through a couple of places. The 2nd half of the trip (Sneed Road to Highway 100) seemed to have more stretches of deeper, slower water.

I have fished from Williamson Rec Center to hwy 100 over the past 3 years.However, I was curious if anyone has floated from 100 thru bellvue?? If so, whats that stretch like and where is the next takeout access? Best smallmouth stretch for me was between Cottonwood and Old Hillsboro Road Bridge. Worst skinny water was right after Sneed Bridge.

Originally Posted by turfmd

I have fished from Williamson Rec Center to hwy 100 over the past 3 years.However, I was curious if anyone has floated from 100 thru bellvue?? If so, whats that stretch like and where is the next takeout access? Best smallmouth stretch for me was between Cottonwood and Old Hillsboro Road Bridge. Worst skinny water was right after Sneed Bridge.

I've been from the bridge on 96, all the way to Kingston Springs and fish that area a lot by wading. It's really not that great for boats, OK for walking.

[JoelO]

FYI...I went down to the Old Natchez access point yesterday and it was posted up pretty heavily with no trespassing and no parking signs. I noticed there was a ticket on a truck that had ignored the signs.

Yeah, there are a few of a-hole landowners near S Harpeth that think they OWN the river, and will give you grief if they see you in the river near their property. But just remember, and as I make SURE to remind them, as long as you can legally get into and out of the water there's nothing they can do. The river belongs to everyone. South Harpeth is navigable so it's open.

Most of the new access restrictions in that area are due to the actions of a few redneck jerks that leave beer bottles and trash all over the place when they go to the river. So I understand land owners getting tired of people trashing their property. I wish it weren't like that, a few jerks ruin it for everyone. I always leave the river with a bag of trash that I've picked up.

[MattC]

was fishing there yesterday wading up and down from the canoe access and only caught an 8 inch largemouth. I went at mid day. i tried everything; pop-r's, worms, in-line spinners, grubs, i even found a live crayfish!

I've found mid-day on the S Harpeth to be REALLY difficult, not matter what section of it I'm on. I fish that river almost every week.

Early morning, right before sunrise a couple of weeks ago was CRAZY though... most of the fish are small 8"-15", but there are a ton of them if you get off the beaten path to the areas that aren't fished every day. Like put in at one of the bridges and walk a half mile or so.

I really want one of these so that I can get in and out to a good spot faster. And be able to use it on the big Harpeth and other areas for the same thing.

[MattC]

yeah one of those would make it easier. I think i'll start going earlier, i only live 2 miles away. What lures do you have the most luck with on the harpeth?

[Reel Tune]

Originally Posted by RiverShoes

I've found mid-day on the S Harpeth to be REALLY difficult, not matter what section of it I'm on. I fish that river almost every week.

Early morning, right before sunrise a couple of weeks ago was CRAZY though... most of the fish are small 8"-15", but there are a ton of them if you get off the beaten path to the areas that aren't fished every day. Like put in at one of the bridges and walk a half mile or so.

I really want one of these so that I can get in and out to a good spot faster. And be able to use it on the big Harpeth and other areas for the same thing.

Wow, I hadn't seen that picture in a while, they have made some changes like rod stagers on the front hatch, the rod bungees fasten from the outside in now, drain hole has been relocated, rear hatch bungee is different, and the hatches are now lockable with a pad lock. It's one of the best kayaks for fishing rivers though, or the best one I have found, and I've paddled a lot. I've also fished in the Everglades, Gulf of Mexico, and Atlantic Intercoastal waterways.