David Rust with a fat 19 inch rainbow caught on a dry fly on 8-21!

Good things come to those who wait and man have we been waiting for this!  We can finally say that the Cumberland is on fire.  We’re catching tons of fish with the occasional big boy showing his head here and there.  With two fishermen we were averaging around 50 fish per day over the last three days.  Yesterday all of our big fish came on dry flies.  Now you can’t beat that!

So here’s what’s going on.  The flow is at 2,000 C.F.S. and will likely stay that way for a long time as long as the weather stays dry.  Who knows how long that will last but you gotta make hay while the sun is shining.  Water clarity is stained but the algae we’ve dealt with for the past two years is finally gone.  It’s almost perfect.  The fish can see your fly but can’t see your boat.  At 2,000 CFS the river is easily navigable by most boats.  It’s also very wadable at pretty much any shoal.

Flies of choice:  Hopper and cicada patterns with white or yellow bellies.  Hare’s ear #14, Prince #16, Copper John #16, various midge patterns.

We still have a few dates open for the coming weekends but they will fill quickly.  I have this coming Sunday the 28th open as of now.  Better get in while the gettin’s good!

See you on the water!

Brandon

One of our veterans showing one of several nice rainbows he landed on Sunday

Well we had to get one more weekend on the Clinch under our belts before the Cumberland finally went to 24 hour sluicing.  Fishing was spotty on the Clinch.  Good in places and slow in others but all in all the river continues to fish well.  The weekend crowds were really non existent and we had the river almost to ourselves all weekend.  The fish were rising here and there to little black caddis on Saturday, then Sunday rolled around and there wasn’t a caddis to be seen.  The usual patterns are still producing fish. Pheasant Tails and midges seem to always do the trick on that river.

The Cumberland is back down to 2,900 CFS and a chilly 57 degrees thanks to zero generation and 24 hour sluicing.  It looks like the heavy rains this spring didn’t deplete our cold water after all and from the looks of it we’re going to be fine for yet another year of “Dam” Work.  According to the schedule we’ll be at 1,500 CFS by next week and that should be PERFECT!  With the water clearer than it has been in three years and good temps along with high oxygen levels we’re expecting some spectacular fishing in the coming weeks.

Once again I would like to remind all of you to make the trip down to Clay Avenue here in Lexington to check out The Lexington Angler.   A good friend owns it and we want nothing but success for his business and for the sport of fly fishing.

See you on the water!

Brandon

Mike W's boat on the Obey River in TN

OK well it’s been a few weeks since we last updated so we’re sorry about that.  Honestly there hasn’t been a lot to report.  The Cumberland is high again.  I know this is shocking to most of you.  For those of you keeping score the Cumberland has been fishable for about two weeks so far in 2011.  The Corps of Engineers are lowering Lake Cumberland to 682 Feet above sea level for some additional work on a platform in Critical Area 1.  From what we can tell it’s looking like at least another week before they get there.

As for the Clinch it’s pretty much weekends only now as the TVA has started dropping the lake for the fall.  The good news is that they’re still holding to the summer recreational flows on the weekends and the fishing has been great.  We’re back on the Clinch this weekend and will have a full report for you next week.

We tried a different river this week just for the heck of it.  The Obey in TN has been on our list for a while so we decided to give it a shot.  The first 3 or 4 miles were fantastic fishing with lots of rainbows and brookies.  We even lost a couple of really big fish.  The lower section is pretty much a pond when they’re not generating so be ready to toss streamers.  All in all it was a fun trip and we’re glad we got to experience it.

Don’t forget to stop in at The Lexington Angler now open on Clay Ave. in downtown Lexington.  The shop is finally open!!!

Man was it good to float back down the Cumberland again!  The Corps of Engineers are running one generator around the clock and pulsing two from noon to 6:00 P.M. as of right now.  Fishing has been pretty good in the mornings and has slowed down in the afternoons.  Maybe it’s where we are on the river because fish definitely seem to be holding in specific areas and some of those areas aren’t where you would expect to find them.  I wouldn’t say the river is on fire at this point but we’re catching fish and they seem to be really healthy which is a good thing.

Egg patterns and midges seemed to do the trick.  Water clarity is still an issue so you need to fish something that they can see.

I’ll be back on the Clinch this weekend.  My clients want to see some new water and this river has been fishing lights out this year so we’re going to go for another round.  Look for a full report sometime next week.

On another note I stopped by The Lexington Angler on Clay Ave. this week to see how Gene’s progress was coming along.  The merchandise is almost all on the shelves so I would imagine the doors will open very soon.  We’re all really excited about the new shop and can’t wait to support it.

Good luck and good fishing,

Brandon

Chris with a fat 20 incher on the Clinch!

Hey folks it’s been another good week on the Clinch River.  Saturday was magical to say the least.  We landed 25 fish over 16 inches and there are several big ones out there with my flies still stuck in their jaws.  Sunday’s weather was simply horrible but we still managed some nice fish in between thunderstorms and downpours.  Fly selection seemed to be key and luckily we had the right recipes in our box.  On Sunday we had to break out a fly I haven’t used in years but it was deadly on the Cumberland back in the day.  The Stinky J.  It’s a lethal midge pattern that you can’t find in any fly shop.  It produced fish as soon as we switched.  You gotta love an old favorite. 

The Clinch is fishing better than it has in years and this is coming not only from us but from every guide we’ve talked to while we’ve been there.  It won’t be long before the Cumberland will fish but in the meantime you really need to see what we’re talking about.

July may finally see the first fishable water on the Cumberland but don’t go booking hotel rooms just yet.  If you book a trip with us we suggest that you be prepared to fish either river on your selected day.  We simply will not take you on a river that will not fish well. 

The Clinch is still high during the week as Norris Lake is being lowered after recent rains.  The weekend recreational schedule is all that is saving us at this point but it’s looking like weekday trips will be possible within a few days.  The Cumberland is pretty much the same….high.  At the rate the lake is dropping it will likely be mid July before we see decent water but that’s all up to the TVA and how they decide to handle the generation.  Let’s cross our fingers. 

On a really positive note I would like to encourage all of you to patronize a new fly shop that will be opening in Lexington within the near future.  The Lexington Angler located in downtown Lexington on Clay Avenue is almost ready to open the doors and take care of all of your fly fishing needs….as well as many others.  Our very good friend Gene Slusher has been working literally around the clock to get his store ready to serve our community with something we all so desperately need.  Fly shops are few and far between these days and we all need to do our part in supporting the sport.  So when the doors open I hope to see you all there buying flies, telling stories, and swapping lies. 

See you on the water!
Brandon

Sharon Fowler spending a day on the Clinch with Mike W

It did something this week that it hasn’t done in a long time.  It rained.  In some places it rained a lot.  If you were on the Clinch River on Saturday it rained Biblically.  We spent over two hours huddled up on the river bank waiting for the lightening to stop so we could at least get back on the water.  Fishing was pretty darn good on Friday with lots of fish in the 14″ to 20″ slot.  My client on Friday has convinced me to call the TWRA to find out if there is a different strain of rainbow trout in the Clinch.  They seem to fight twice as hard and twice as long as “regular” trout.  Seriously folks your arm might get sore out there.

On Saturday we were given a very windy morning followed by a multitude of storms.  Needless to say Saturday wasn’t as good for fishing.  But that’s how it goes when you’re dealing with Mother Nature.

As expected since it did rain in Kentucky the majority fell on the mountains of Eastern Kentucky causing yet another round of flooding.  This of course means that Lake Cumberland actually began to rise again for the first time in over a month.  Ultimately this means it’s going to be even longer before the Cumberland is fishable.  I’m not sure what to expect but if the trend continues it may be fall before we see our river again.  Who knows….

June is almost completely booked up for us on the Clinch but it never hurts to check.  We have plenty of openings in July so get on the books now to get in on the action.

IF YOU GO:

Nymphs:  Pheasant Tails (#14 – #16), Rainbow Warrior #16, Prince Nymph #14 – #16, bead head midge #20 and #18 in various colors
Dries:  Sulphur Dunn #16, Adams #18 #20

See you on the water,

Brandon