Fishing Report 10-31-15

True to form, the Cumberland River has become finicky yet again. It seems every fall TVA and the US Army COE conspire to concoct a Halloween generation treat for anglers attempting to fish the Cumberland tailwater. For the past three weeks generation from Wolf Creek Dam has been sporadic to say the least. Weather conditions over the past couple of weeks have also been in the unpredictable range. I haven’t fished the river on a weekend in over two weeks due to attending my daughter’s final softball tournaments for the year, which were an absolute blast! I’ve heard from several friends that have been on the water that water quality combined with crazy release schedules have made fishing a little tougher. Less than ideal conditions only make you work harder and force you to pay attention and learn the river more. Every person that’s fished on the river during tough conditions has been improved by it. I’ve done my share of learning that’s for sure.

With the conditions on the Cumberland a bit off, I made the decision to fish the Smoky’s the past two weeks. Right now is a great time to hit your favorite stream in the mountains. Typically there are lots of people in the mountains now due to foliage. However, you can bet that most of them have out of town license plates and are pointing cameras everywhere. Hardly any of them are fishing the streams. Even fewer are fishing the areas where you have to walk a ways to get to your destination. I rarely see anyone when I fish in the mountains and it’s nice. Smoky Mountain National Park is the most visited park in America and for good reason. It’s got some of the most beautiful scenery anywhere. Combine that scenery with smart and elusive fish that are brilliant with color and it’s a combination that can’t be beat.

Whether you are fishing the mountains or a tailwater, be careful walking on fallen leaves! Leaves are beautiful on the trees, but treacherous on the ground, especially with wading boots on. I recently took a nasty fall in a parking lot due to leaves that I’ll be feeling for a few weeks.

Thanks for all the compliments and follows on Facebook. It’s been a blast so far. Give me a call or e-mail if you are interested in hitting the Cumberland!

Happy Halloween everyone!

Greg