Obey River 11/8

[TroutFiend]

I hit the Obey river this morning at 6:30 AM and fished till 1 o'clock. Started out with the white trout magnet and switched over to the Millie color with chartreuse jig head. I found the best bite to be from the hatchery creek down to Moody ramp, only caught 17 but it was a beautiful day to be on the river. Just wished it was a bit closer to home. Maybe by next weekend Caney Fork will slow down generation and sluice.

Andy

[tcintn]

Sounds like a great day on the Obey.I have only been there once and it was tough.
Have heard from COE that they want to get Center Hill down to 625 and at the rate it is going down, maybe a month. Lets hope for a sooner day and when they do stop generating they will sleuice also.

[browntrout]

Originally Posted by TroutFiend

I hit the Obey river this morning at 6:30 AM and fished till 1 o'clock. Started out with the white trout magnet and switched over to the Millie color with chartreuse jig head. I found the best bite to be from the hatchery creek down to Moody ramp, only caught 17 but it was a beautiful day to be on the river. Just wished it was a bit closer to home. Maybe by next weekend Caney Fork will slow down generation and sluice.

Andy

Andy,
Were you wading or were you fishing from a kayak or boat? Been a long time since I have been up there but looks like if I want to get a fix I may have to head that way.

Roy

[Alphahawk]

Congrats on your catch.


Regards

[TroutFiend]

Roy, I was wading. It is a great River for that type of fishing. Most of the time I was in less than waist deep water. The one thing about this river that I have to remind myself each time I fish it is to cast to structure. I rarely catch fish in the center of the river or areas without drop offs/stumps/logs. I was going to bring my Jon boat, and could have covered more ground and probably caught more trout. Really nice river and hardly any boat traffic year round.

[TroutFiend]

Originally Posted by tcintn

Sounds like a great day on the Obey.I have only been there once and it was tough.

Have heard from COE that they want to get Center Hill down to 625 and at the rate it is going down, maybe a month. Lets hope for a sooner day and when they do stop generating they will sleuice also.

Hey Ed, With all the generation lately on the Caney have you been to the Elk lately?

[Travis C.]

The Obey fishes more like bass fishing than a true trout stream. Meaning fish to structure not necessarily current seams because there isn't much of that after Moodys.

Next time take your boat and fish up around the Dam, Petereman's Bend deep holes downstream and all the creek mouths. Unless you are just only wanting to wade the river really fishes at its best on (1) generator.

[TroutFiend]

I am definitely going to I have never fished it with my boat on a generator. I know the main ramp closes at 10 PM at night and I was curious about fishing directly below the dam at night in my boat on no generation. I'm not sure if they have any lights that shine down around the base of the wall or not. I am going to check with my cousin that is a police officer for Clay County and see if it is okay to stay parked in that parking lot overnight.

[Travis C.]

Originally Posted by TroutFiend

I am definitely going to I have never fished it with my boat on a generator. I know the main ramp closes at 10 PM at night and I was curious about fishing directly below the dam at night in my boat on no generation. I'm not sure if they have any lights that shine down around the base of the wall or not. I am going to check with my cousin that is a police officer for Clay County and see if it is okay to stay parked in that parking lot overnight.

They used to have lights for sure but I am not certain if they are on all the time anymore.

There is a lip where the generators have scoured a trough coming out of there that is good. When running water be careful since its so narrow but you can get on the wing wall side out of the current and fish the seam/fast water with good luck free lining minnows or jerkbaits. Also during generation the "min-pond" will have fish around the rock shelves below the spillway doors.

I have fished it on all flows from no water at all to unloading the boat at the campground ramp then tying up the the warning sign because water was over the fishing pier there by 2 ft.

The more water there the better the fishing gets. That day on high water I had some big bows swipe at my jerkbaits while drifting and fishing the creek mouths.

[Travis C.]

Originally Posted by TroutFiend

I am definitely going to I have never fished it with my boat on a generator. I know the main ramp closes at 10 PM at night and I was curious about fishing directly below the dam at night in my boat on no generation. I'm not sure if they have any lights that shine down around the base of the wall or not. I am going to check with my cousin that is a police officer for Clay County and see if it is okay to stay parked in that parking lot overnight.

Which ramp are you referring to?

Moody's, Donaldson or the Dam?

[TroutFiend]

The ramp by the dam. As you are coming down Campground Road right where the road forks, in the middle of the fork is a sign that says closes at 10 PM. I'm not sure if they are talking about the campground or the ramp, there is a gate at that point but I don't know if I have ever seen it closed. I waded up to that large concrete pillar where the cable wire goes into the water yesterday by the dam and was really studying the area and it looks like it would be great fishing on low water or generation.

[Travis C.]

Originally Posted by TroutFiend

The ramp by the dam. As you are coming down Campground Road right where the road forks, in the middle of the fork is a sign that says closes at 10 PM. I'm not sure if they are talking about the campground or the ramp, there is a gate at that point but I don't know if I have ever seen it closed. I waded up to that large concrete pillar where the cable wire goes into the water yesterday by the dam and was really studying the area and it looks like it would be great fishing on low water or generation.

The campground gates (when open) and day use park closes at 10pm there not ramp or access for fishermen. I believe it is the same way at Donaldson on the other end.

[Travis C.]

A funny story about night fishing up there:

One night I was up there and as you can imagine in the winter the whole place is to yourself. It was late and cold so I wandered up to the car for a nap at Moody's but some shyster's had been riding around earlier. Wasn't comfortable sleeping there alone and the ONLY thing open with lights in Celina was the hospital. So I headed there and parked in the parking lot near it's edge. While sleeping I hear a load roar coming then lucky me they use their parking lot a helipad. A helicopter landed close enough to me to rock the car back n forth pretty violently while I hid as they loaded someone in then headed off assuming to Nashville.

After things settled I headed back to the river figured I'd take my chances with the vigilante's next time.

[TroutFiend]

Yeah that ramp is a little shady at night, I figured by the Dam would be a little better. I will check and see about the lights at the Dam at night. I met an older guy named Paw Boyce at the ramp yesterday I think he helps with the website TennesseeTailWaterTrout, nice guy and a great fly fisherman, I gave him the link to this website also. He was giving me some advice on some nice holes on the river and about some of the large size trout pulled out of there.

[Travis C.]

Originally Posted by TroutFiend

He was giving me some advice on some nice holes on the river and about some of the large size trout pulled out of there.

The tailwater gets over looked a lot and I am not saying its the Caney by no means but there are nice trout in there in all three species. There is a state record swimming in there it's just not rainbow striped or almond brown.