Stones below Priest

[MaxD]

Did anyone here ever fish the Stones tailwater to the Cumberland in the mid to late 1990's?

I am just curious to know what happened over the years- a post on a different forum got me thinking. My dad and I used to really wear the fish out at certain times of the year like 95-1999. Also it seemd back then that the Cumberland would back up into the Stones alot more at different times of the year, causing the water to be just right. Sometimes you could even see the current heading toward the dam. It would fill up and empty out and do it over and over sometimes. But when it filled up, BOOM it was on.

That place used to be so good for any species of fish, we would catch any and everything on certain days. Now, it pretty much seemed to go downhill over the last 10 years or so. At least now they are running water from the dam during the summer which should help.

Anyhow, if anyone else use to fish it back then - just wondering some of you guys take on what might have happened, and why the fish dont run up river like they used to (from the Cumbie)

[Travis C.]

I believe a lot of it has to do with water flow. Although, I am not sure if there was more back then in the early 90's or not the memory don't recall that specific too much but it was better back then. I do remember fishing it and having a good stripe/striper run at times.

Personally, I think years of disregard to that little tailwater has hurt it bad and set it back. Maybe if they increase the constant minimum flow it will bounce back. I certainly don't think it will have a negative impact on it.

But things run in cycles on rivers as well. Maybe soon it will come back around.

[Mike Anderson]

Could have alot to do with the work and lack of water from Wolf Creek Dam.

[grumpy]

They have a floodgate pushing a little water through now, it's wadable, smells like a cesspool though

Grumpy

[Leo deMonbreun]

If you go down there and jut observe late afternoon activity, you will see a lot of people in the river.  Some fly fishing, some spin casting, some with throw nets, and the banks are usually lined.  I go down there mid day sometimes and catch stripe and an occasional bass or panfish, and have hooked into some big fish.  But I only go when the crowds are significantly less and I don't have to worry about some idiot walking behind me while I cast.

Mike hit the biggest reason for the backflow issue, blame the rest of it significantly more fishermen and the occasional throw netters.

[txnative]

Went sun morning from 4 to 7. Saw some surface activity right at daybreak, but nothing spectacular, may have been bass or whites.  Plenty of bait, but the reduction in flow from 300 to 100 cfs probably caused the bigger fish to back out.  Saw 2 stripers landed, about 3 lbs each, right in the rough water.  I caught a bunch of nothing, not even yellow bass-bad sign.  The smell was great, though. Nothing like pungent sulphur-water to wake you up. Maybe next week...

[bd]

You probably saw my post on another forum about the Stones tailwater.

Mike is correct about Wolf Creek.  Lower flow from Old Hickory tailwater means less backfill into the Stones.  This leaves several miles of the river fairly stagnant where it goes into the Cumberland - the minimum flow from Percy Priest Dam isn't enough to push the water that far.

The upper river, from the Dam to somewhere below the Hwy 70 bridge, has been fishing well.  The minimum flow has really helped.  In the past I'd only find buffalo and gar in that section, but now there are good numbers of bass, bluegill, and shellcracker.  I even saw a few stripers cruising in a deeper hole just below that section.  Dropping the minimum flow from 300 cfs to 100 cfs will probably slow everything down (unless you are there to carp fish).  If they maintain the minimum flow after Wolf Creek and Center Hill get back up to regular operations, it may be fantastic.  That's a few years off though.

bd