Found 'em

[Looper Flies]

Found the bait and the hybrid yesterday way up in the river.  Lots of surface activity and at least every 2 minutes, you could spot a school of shad being pummeled.  We put in at the Old Jefferson Pike ramp and didn't move far.  There was just so much activity.  It was almost hard to catch fish because of the overwhelming amount of bait in the water.

[MikeA]

Good to hear Sam those fish are tough to keep up with.

[TimM]

That reminds of something I wanted to ask you guys about.... I read this in a report the other day and wondered if anyone here is familiar with the situation or can add to what is said in this excerpt?

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During September 2010 a fish kill was reported on the West Fork Stones River by a local angler.  This was investigated by the Corps and other agencies.  The investigation was conducted by boat and did result in the observation of between 15-30 dead rockfish or stripers.  It appeared to be a single species event.  The water in the vicinity of the fish kill area had a reddish hue.  Samples collected in the area indicated very high numbers of the, single celled algal species Cryptomonas erosa and Rhodomonas minuta.  These two algae comprised the bulk of the algal fauna at the site.  Further downstream on the West Fork Stones a second algal sample revealed a more balanced and diverse algal community. The Corps of Engineers and Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) estimate the blend of the high numbers of these algae and water temperatures exceeding what the fish could tolerate resulted in the kill. 

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[MikeA]

Tim some of the Striper and Hybrid do move waaaay up the stones in the hottest part of summer seeking a thermal refuge. There are plenty of springs and even some caves that can help them survive in extreme weather like we had last summer. I've had some fun times in water you could throw a stone across in years past but I don't bother them there anymore because it isn't a good idea to catch them in that stressed state.
 
As for the Cryptomonas erosa and Rhodomonas minuta I'd be looking closely at the waste management facility upriver (not down river) for answers about that....

Read This. And JFWIW this is not the first time this has happened here.
http://www.dnj.com/article/20101020/NEWS05/101020018/1092/City+dept.+to+pay++16K+for+August+sewage+spill

[TimM]

Yeah, I was aware of the thermal refuge in the summer part of why they were there and fwiw I totally agree on
leaving them alone when they're in a stressed and susceptible state. 

I'm no water quality expert but it makes sense to me that if there is a poop plant discharge upstream of where this happened that would be a significant and relevant factor. Just from the article I didn't associate this event with the reports I'd heard in the past about overflow discharges there - but I think you're right about that Mike.