No Generation on the Elk

[czkid]

I haven't noticed any generation times on the TVA schedule of late... and the river is beginning to show it.  I fished below the dam today and scum and crud was making itself evident  all the way past the bend. 

Do we need to start making a few phone calls???

Ralph

[David L. Darnell]

I put in a few hours this morning at Farris Creek, lots of moss, aquatic grass floating in the water column.

I figured must been lots of people up at the dam tromping around to have that much down my way

The more I fish my SLT 8'9" #3, the more I love it, it is the Cat's Meow with the Elk sized flies.

[ALflygirl]

Not good! The Elk was just looking pretty good again when we were up there last month!

[czkid]

David, any chance that you took a temperature reading on the water down at Ferris Creek?? 

Water was murky all day from 0930 to 1530, and I could not see any good reason for the off color.  Addidtionally, as David mentioned, there was a lot of "trash" floating down river.

I just can't get over it... TVA gets something right for once, and now it looks like they are out to screw it up again.

[David L. Darnell]

Ralph,

I had good intentions to but was to busy fighting off Copperheads, Methheads and trophy trout.

It was less murky down where I was than at the dam, and it's clearer where I live, people can think what they want but I think it has to do with all the civilization along the banks of the lake.

[grumpy]

Ralph,

I had good intentions to but was to busy fighting off Copperheads, Methheads and trophy trout.

It was less murky down where I was than at the dam, and it's clearer where I live, people can think what they want but I think it has to do with all the civilization along the banks of the lake.

civilization period I can remember Priest(Stones), never saw the Caney, Elk or the Little T, i would have loved to see the Little T.

Grumpy

[czkid]

I just hope that we can get the river cleaned up and keep it that way... but it may be a "bridge too far" for our friends at TVA.  I'd love to hear "this week's excuse".
Sigh...........

[David L. Darnell]

Ralph,

I'd dare to say you know this

TVA don't give a ____ about trout

Corps don't give one either.

TWRA probably only stocks it because it's now considered a cold water fishery and they have been given the oversight of the fish.

How many times have you been checked on this river for your license?

I've been on this river most all my life, only twice have I been checked and one of them times I showed them my license on my way to fish and they were only there after I called the poaching hot line. That was 13 or so years ago. (they never got out of the truck)

We got a good one down here now, Leif Konyndyk, but I hear he wants to be a Federal Warden, their gain, out loss.

I'll get off the soap box.

[MikeA]

The elk is such a nice river with so much potential. It's a shame to hear stuff like this.

[czkid]

No generation for a couple weeks at least and none forecast   It does make one wonder.  I'll be back up there Wed or Thurs and we'll see just how much snot we've got on the bottom. 

The fishiing seems to slow down in proportion to the amount of snot around.  I don't know if there's anything scientific to back that up... but that's just my observation.  Plus I'm noticing lots of carp and warm water species starting to show up again...

Ralph

[bd]

Could the increased number of carp have something to do with the increased murk?  If they're rooting around on the bottom it stirs things up.

I'd be interested in seeing temp readings for the Elk at the dam, and maybe the 5 and 10 mile marks.  It's too bad they don't have an online temp gauging station like the one at Stonewall on the Caney - it's a very useful reference.  At least, they don't have one that I know of.

bd

[czkid]

BD;

The increase in snot could be bringing the carp towards the dam but my guess is that it's more the higher temps.  I've seen folks catching bream off the gravel there at the dam.

Ralph

[bd]

I wonder how the dissolved oxygen is above the dam?  Maybe they can't generate due to depleted oxygen.  Bob Sneed from the Corps of Engineers did a presentation at the Hendersonville Fly Fishers on Tuesday night, and he was saying that some of the Corps reservoirs can't generate right now because DO was so low that they'd belly-up a lot of fish.

bd

[MikeA]

They have O2 generators above that Dam.

[czkid]

Fished Sunday PM from about 1 to 5+.  Same story, bottom getting very snotty, and fish were quite slow, even on the advancing edge of a major front.   Fish are seemingly moving out of some places that they've always been, which worries me.

Some fellow caught about a 2-3 pound brown below the bend.  Nice lookig fish, caught on a small rooster tail.

Ralph