Fly Fishing the Clinch River. Mike Bone

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      Clinch River (Eastern Tennessee)

       Location: Eastern Tennessee, about a 30-minute drive north of Knoxville on I-75. Use exit 122 (Clinton-Norris-Highway 61). Most major airlines serve Knoxvilles Magee/ Tyson airport.

      The Clinch tailwater begins below Norris hydroelectric dam. Built by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and completed in 1933, Norris was the first dam constructed in the vast TVA water-management system. The portions of the river above Norris Lake support warmwater species including smallmouth bass, crappies, white bass, and many species of rough fish. However, after the dam was completed, the section below it became too cold to support most of these, leading the TVA and Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) to stock trout. The first inhabitants were McCloud River rainbows, with later

      stockings of browns, and more recently brook trout. The water temperature proved to be ideal, but water being drawn from the bottom of the dam contained very little dissolved oxygen, therefore limiting the insect base primarily to midges. This did not create a desirable habitat for coldwater species in the lower reaches of the river. The TVA responded by constructing a weir dam 1 mile below the main dam to improve dissolved oxygen levels and moderate the drop in the water during times of no generation. Invertebrate production flourished, giving rise to the rich food base the Clinch now enjoys.

      The Clinch below Norris flows through 13 miles of rolling hills, fields, and farmland before being impounded by Melton Hill Lake. The upper reaches are owned by the TVA and offer easy access to waders down to the Miller’s Island boat ramp. This is a public ramp maintained by TVA, and offers both boat access and wading