The Pound River

Cold, cold, cold, was what the thermometer said when I left the house on Monday and began my two hour drive to the Pound River. The Pound winds along for many miles paralleling the Kentucky state line. Just out side of Haysi (pronounced with a long i on the end), the Pound is impounded by the John Flannagan Dam, an Army Corp. flood control dam.

With the cold weather, I was sure that the fishing would be just as difficult as had been for the past two weeks. Cold temperatures seems to put the bite off, but a tailwater, like the Pound, is another story. With the water staying a more consistent year round temperature, the trout seem to have an easier time with atmospheric temperature changes.

I didn’t get my hopes up too much. It was only suppose to reach 27 degrees for the high and snow was falling hard when I reached the dam. I came prepared for a shut out. I had even been told by a local guide to wait a couple of weeks for a warm spell.

With the snow still falling I made my way down the winding road to the park area at the foot of the dam. This was one time I was glad I was driving a four wheel drive truck. The road was rather steep and covered in an inch of snow. I don’t think I would have attempted the descent without the truck.

With in a few minutes of reaching the river I was in the water. I started fishing directly under the spillway in a large pool. The trout were giving splashy rises to what I assumed to be rising midge pupa. I tied on a brassie, a strike indicator, and began casting into the areas where the trout were rising. Within a couple of drifts I was hooked into a decent trout.

I fished in this pool for about two hours and managed the hook and lose several. I then began to work my way down stream fishing pocket water along the way. The cold was beginning to get to me so I stopped for early lunch and to warm up in my truck.

Lunch on days like this is usually light and packed in protein. I’m

not so sure of how healthy it is, but it does taste good. There’s nothing like summer sausage, spicy mustard, and hot coffee to get you through a day of fishing.

Warm and with a full belly I continued down stream, working pocket water and pools along the way,for almost an half mile to the special regulation water. Fishing the special regulation section, which extends from the a sign posted .4 miles below the dam to the confluence with Ravens Fork, is a must. This section is artificial lure, single hook, and nothing is to be kept under 16 inches. This section is stocked with fingerling browns to supplement the wild browns that hold in this mile and a half of water.

The section I fished was great. I landed three trout ranging from six inches to ten inches, but I lost a whole lot more than that. Then there is the one that got away. I hooked into a nice bow and fought him for about four to five minutes. I worked him to with in six to seven yards when I felt the line go limp. Like a boxer waylaid by an unexpected punch, my line lay sprawled out on the water, and the victor quietly slipped back into the dark depths of the Pound.

Brassies seemed to be the hot item for a cold January day. Midges were in abundance in the water and on the rocks. I also found lots of sow bugs, actually more sow bugs than midges. I was fishing a size 18 brassie with no weight. I may have done even better if I had slipped on a couple of split shot and put the fly on the bottom faster. If you go fill your fly box with brassies from size 16 to 20, sow bugs in sizes 14 to 18. You may also want a few streamers in you box, which drew a couple of strikes in the late afternoon for me.

A couple of warnings for those who plan to head to the Pound River. First, the Pound is a tailwater and the Army Corp. of Engineers does release water from time to time. There are no release schedules that are posted, so be cautious when wading below the dam. Secondly, didymo is present in this stream, as well as in several other Virginia tailwaters. If you are not aware this a very invasive and annoying algae that spreads from river to river on your fishing equipment. Please properly clean your equipment after fishing the Pound and let your waders fully dry before moving on to the next stream.

The Pound River should be one of the streams you plan to fish this year. It is one of the top trout streams in southwest Virginia and should be at the top of any fisherman’s to do list. I have already been trying to get some of my friends to go back with me and I am sure you will want to do the same.

__________________________________________

If you have ever fished the Pound River let me know or if you have photos of some hog you have pulled out of there I would love to see them.

Subscribe in a reader

Virginia Trout Stocking Updates

Map of Pound River and close by community of Haysi.

Closest Weather Station

You may be interested in reading about other streams I have fished.

Wolf Creek

Laurel Creek

Laurel Creek

It was spiting snow when I crossed the top of the divide heading into the Freestone Valley on Monday. The the muddy ruts in the road were frozen and covered with a dusting of snow. It seemed like a typical January morning.  With the temperatures hovering around freezing, I knew I would be in for a tough day of fishing.

This cold January morning had me heading into uncharted territory, I had never been in this part of Virginia before. The Freestone Valley, which lies in the southeastern most corner of Tazewell county, is home to one of the tributaries of the North Fork of the Holston River. Laurel Creek, along with three or four other larger streams in the area, eventually forms the North Fork of the Holston River.

Laurel Creek is one of a hand full of streams that feed the North Fork and hold trout. Two of these are Roaring Fork and Lick Creek. All of these streams are know to hold Rainbows and Brooks.

Laurel Creek would be ideal for those looking for semi-remote fishing. The creek appears to get a low amount of pressure and has access to most of it by FR 222. This road winds it’s way through the Jefferson National Forest from highway 16 and it is nice on a cold day having the truck close by.

By midmorning I was easing up on a beaver pond that was a short way down stream from where I first caught glimpse of Laurel Creek. The stream looked promising and after a few minutes of rigging up my 7’6” 5wt. rod I was searching for trout.

I could tell the stream was swollen from the inch and a half of rain we had received the week before, and the six plus inches in the past month. The leaves had been striped way along the bank revealing the dark soil and indicating the water was receding.

All morning I used searching patterns and an across stream swing presentation as I tried to locate the trout. I covered the whole pond and didn’t even see one fish. I began to get disappointed but all the while reminding my self ‘winter fishing is tough.’

Breaking the ice out of my guides was a constant reminder of just how cold it was. Even the more was when I began to dig in the creek bed looking for any sign of life and what these trout, if any, were eating. I came up with very little. I didn’t even find a mayfly nymph, only the cases of a few caddisflies.

When lunch time rolled around I drove down stream to a place where the stream wondered through an open area and finished my lunch. I had pack a lunch, knowing after looking at a map I would not be close to much, of tuna and a hardboiled egg. It’s not much as table fare but it will get you through the day.

After I ate I headed over to the stream. This section meandered back and forth through this flat open area. The water went from short riffles, to even shorter pools, and then into a hard turns all throughout this clearing. I was constantly changing my location and hopping from one side of the stream to the other.

Removing the 7x leader and rigging from the morning, I tied on a 4x leader and a conehead sculpin pattern. Switching back and forth between a between an upstream pitch and strip, and an across stream swing I managed to stir up some strikes but no takers.

It was a great day and definitely a stream I would fish again. Between the solitude and the beauty of the the landscape, Laurel Creek is one of those places you just keep coming back too.

The sections that I fished where part of the upper reaches of this branch. According to Trout Streams of Virginia: An Angler's Guide to the Blue Ridge Watershed the better sections are from the bridge, where Roaring Fork enters, down stream to where National Forest meets private property. This section is better accessed from highway 601 off of Virginia 16.

If you decide to fish Laurel Fork be sure to plan ahead. The area is fairly remote. There is no cell phone signal and no apparent permanent residents. If you get stranded it is a couple mile hike up hill to highway 16 from the stocked waters. Be sure to pack a lunch, no restaurants or service stations are close by to stop at for lunch.

Before you go fill your fly box full of streamer patterns from sizes 16 down to size 10. I would take patterns like the sculpin, Mickey Fin, muddler, and the sliver darter. I would also take along a few caddisflies in sizes 14-18. If  you go in late summer to early fall be sure to take a few terrestrials along.

Be careful the stream is narrow but I found its depth deceiving. More than once I found myself in deeper water than it appeared.

Laurel Creek was a lot of fun and I would go again. My day ended fishless, cloudy, and cold (basically, the way it began). Don’t let my down day in the middle of January stop you. Good water lies in the Freestone Valley and plenty of elbow room give it a try and let me know what you think.

_____________________

Keep up with Grits-N-Flies and the streams he fishes by subscribing to the Grits-N-Flies RSS.

 Subscribe in a reader

If you missed last week’s post on Wolf Creek you can find it here.

Information on Jefferson National Forest is available here.

Virginia trout stocking information is available here.

The above link is updated weekly. You can search through the archives for past stockings.

The closest weather station available is in Bland, Virginia.

West Virginia’s New Hot Spot

World class fly fishing in West Virginia? Well that was the statement given by Curtis Fleming of the Fly Rod Chronicles, a fly fishing show hosted by the The Sportsman’s Network. It could be quite possible.

West Virginia DNR has been working for several years to improve the conditions of its trout populations in many of its streams. There are examples of this in the Monongahela Forest and now another example of it in the Pipestem State Park.

Pipestem State Park in corroboration with WVU has been work to stock the Bluestone river with citation trout (or in fly speak “Pigs” or “Hogs”) big trout. Most of the trout that were stocked last fall were ranging from the two to five pound mark, with some of them five pounds plus. 

The folks from WVU tagged the trout with radio tags to help them determine whether or not they would stay in the one to two mile stretch they were aiming for. They were pleased to fine most of them did.

Curtis Fleming and his film crew, along with some guides from the area, were taken on a special trip into the canyon on a dry run for what the Park hopes to be a regular event.

Pipestem Park has dubbed this the “Trout Wrangler” package. The package will, it appears , only be available in the spring and fall  of next year, and hopefully the years to follow. The package includes a horse back ride into the canyon, meals,  lodging at the Mountain Creek Lodge, and it’s guided  to boot. 

The price tag – $319.00! Not bad.

The only catch is you must have a party of at least six but no more than ten. The minimum is for economic purposes and the maximum is for comfort purposes – you can only stretch a guide so far.

I hope to hit several West Virginia streams in the next year, I think I just found one of them.

_________________

For more information call Ed Wooton, Pipestem’s outdoor specialist, at 1-304-466-1800

Or email him at edwootonATwvdnr.gov

Or visit the Pipestem State Park web site.

 Original Article

The Clinch River

There are many grate rivers and streams here in the south, and I plane to highlight many of them in the future. The Clinch River is just one of those rivers. If you want a stream that produces challenging, but exciting fishing year round, then the Clinch is river you've been looking for.

The Clinch River is a beautiful river that head waters in southwest Virginia, just to the east of Tazewell,Virginia. The Clinch winds its way through the mountains of Virginia and Tennessee, before emptying into the Tennessee River near Kingston, Tennessee. The river covers three hundred miles and is impounded once north of Clinton, Tennessee.

The impoundment at Clinton, is called Norris lake. The dam was completed in 1936. The lake now covers 30,000 Acers, that is when TVA isn't generating power, and has 800 miles of shore line. Norris lake has it's share of game fish including bass, walleye, catfish, and more. If your interested you maybe even able to hunt down a golden ghost or two.

Above the Lake you can find a good selection of fish to chase as well. According to the web site The Nature Conservancy in Tennessee there are 17 rare fish species that call the Clinch River home. Of course, most of them are not game fish. Also it is the home of one of my favorite warm water prey, Smallmouth bass. As well, in the fall the walleye begin to run up the river out of the lake. And redeye, I am told, also inhabit these waters. And further to the north, near Tazewell, Virginia, trout come back into the picture. One web site for the State of Virginia lists brook trout as one of the natives of the Clinch.

I'm not so sure of the claim that there are brookies in the head waters of the Clinch. I grew up within twenty minuets of the Clinch river. I rode a school bus three times a week for two years by the south fork of the Clinch river, I never imagined that there would have been brookies living in those waters. This is not to say their not there but its not a stream on the top of my "To Fish" list.

If you have a "To Fish" list, add the twenty or so mile section below Norris Dam to it. This section of water is touted by many as one of the best tailwaters in Tennessee. A fourteen to sixteen inch trout is not uncommon on the Clinch, but be ready, for there are many much larger fish that lurk in these waters. For example, a state record brown was pulled from these waters weighing in at 28 lbs.

Although a State record fish won't be nipping at your fly every time you make a cast, there are still some real hogs in there. The guys over at the Creel were telling me that some of their customers only hunt for large browns on the Clinch. These guys will spend most of their day with large streamers, an intermediate sinking line, and whole lot of casting and stripping. The best way to do this is out of a drift boat and when generation is at two or more. Currently, that is a daily thing due to all the A/C units running.

The thought of the A/C brings up another subject, wading. before I moved to Tennessee I had never been around a tailwater like the Clinch. The only one I had fish was in West Virginia on the New River. You could spend all day, bear legged, on this river in the middle of August with out any problem. The Clinch is an other story. The water stays in the mid fifty's year round which makes for good fishing, but unbearable wading without waders. I've done it but I don't suggest it.

If your going to wade please respect the water. I've heard stories of folks getting stranded on islands because they didn't check out the water release schedule. I have also heard stories of folks in float tubes getting dangerously close to the wier dam, which is about a mile below the main dam, during high generation.

It's not worth getting killed over! If you don't have access to a boat with a motor, stay out of the weir pool during generation. There are plenty of options for those without boats. when generation starts just pack up and head down stream. A public access area call the Peach Orchard is only about a fifteen to twenty minute drive and can give you another couple of hours of fishing. Drive to the highway 61 bridge, park at the jail house, and you could fish for another five or six hours before the water reaches you. If you do park at the jail house, ask first and they will tell you where to park and where to walk. If you get to close to the jail house you may set off a alarm that would ruin your day. I have parked there my self and they are very helpful.

When it comes to the fishing and rigging aspect of it, unless you are streamer fishing, small and light is the name of the game. The flies you will be throwing will be in the 18-20 range, and you will want an eleven to twelve foot, 6x-7x leader. As far as the rod goes, a nine foot five weight with WF line should be sufficient. Bead Head Pheasant Tail and midge patterns are your best bet, but you might want to also bring along some size 16 scuds that are as natural as possible. Also, from April to June sulfurs come off and are also small in size.

If you are coming from out of town there are many places to stay in the area. Clinton has several hotels and Knoxville is only about a thirty minute drive from the Clinch. There are also a number of rental cabins and lodges in the area that boast of river front property, so you may want to do some checking around. One plus to staying in Knoxville is if the Clinch is a bust it's only an hour drive or so to another tailwater or the Great Smokie Mountains.

The Clinch is not an easy fish but it can be very rewarding. Even some of the days when I didn't catch fish, I was able to learn something. I believe you'll enjoy fishing the Clinch I know I do.

Matthew

Water Release Schedule

Map of the area

The Creel

_________________________

If you would like to get updates from Grits-N-Flies subscribe to the RSS feed.

What is an RSS feed.