fishing and river reports

may 14, 2026

all about the generation schedule right now, with lower water weekend fishing being the best. 2 generator pulse on weekday mornings elevating the river and making the fish harder to find. best strategy is to get behind the bigger water and fish as it drops. or can get way down river ahead of the pulse, below burkesville. can still bump into them here and there in the higher flows but have to cover a lot of water. have been switching to streamers and combat fishing at times, with some success. whites yellows and tans have been the best colors most days. caddis hatch not really very strong most places. will find isolated pockets of fish eating emergers in lower water, usually on weekends. nymphing continues to be good, running varying depths with soft hackles, swinging flies through current, especially afternoons, and don’t forget the midges when things seem slow. best colors to try right now are straight red midges and root beer/brown colors.

here are a few helpful generalities to keep in mind. river level and generation schedule can make or break your day. fishing is generally good until the water reaches a certain level in the afternoon. at some point (3+ generators at plateau), the river level becomes too high and swift and the fish tend to spread out and become difficult to find. usually best to get out early and take advantage of the morning and early afternoon. those are typically the best fishing times. location and drift more important than fly selection! in bigger water don’t get caught fishing too far into the main channel. most fish will be concentrated near structure and along seams near the bank, particularly areas with rocky depth changes. as the river level drops, they will move to slots and pockets out in the river. any number of different beadhead nymphs will do just fine. most of the standard generic trout patterns will work at one time or another. even though the river is big, the fish eat small. #1 mistake most new anglers to the river make is fishing flies that are too large. the fish on the cumberland, even the big ones, make a living eating midges, blackfly larva, and tiny sowbugs and scuds. give them what they want and they will find it!

please practice and encourage catch and release fishing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! take care of the trout so we can see them again tomorrow!!!!! be courteous and respectful to your fellow anglers. we are all in this together!