"I can't tell you," he says, "how many 18-inch-plus smallmouth I've caught that had 6- to 7-inch shiners or chubs hanging out of their mouths, or crawfish peering out of and actually blocking their throats. Alternate names for this dam include Greeneville Dam. These studies documented that in black bass species – which include smallmouth, largemouth and spotted bass – mercury levels were above the trigger currently used by the department. Tennessee’s General Water Quality Criteria provide additional guidance regarding the conditions under which advisories may be warranted. Keeping with the bigger aspect of his BDS philosophy, one of West's favorite baits for overgrown river bass is a 4 1/2-inch Lucky Craft Flash Minnow 110 in both the ghost minnow and laser rainbow patterns. The river plays host to both traditional fishing and fly fishing, and offers the opportunity to catch all species of smallmouth bass, largemouth … Nolichucky Dam is a dam located just 7.1 miles from Greeneville, in Greene County, in the state of Tennessee, United States, near Allenbridge (historical), TN. To thoroughly work this area, you basically only have to make three casts. We provide guided fishing trips in the region’s wide variety of rivers and small streams targeting some of the bass fishing and trout fishing the country has to offer. At the beginning of the day, I couldn't believe how long Barry was taking to retrieve his tubes, so I started to time him. Cap'n Jack considers a wintertime outing with Barry Loupe of Saltville, Va., a perfect example of the "slower part.". Elk Creek Outfitters is very excited about offering the premier Smallmouth fishing of the area. The Chucky is an awesome river for those who like to add the thrill of light rapids to their fishing adventure. Other recreational activities such as boating, swimming, wading, and catch-and-release fishing carry no risk. Nolichucky means “dangerous waters, rushing waters, black swirling waters.” It is derived of a Cherokee origin and flows through the Cherokee National Forest and Pisgah National Forest. ", Sadly, Jack West suffered a stroke in May 2004 and passed away. Nolichucky River: Great small-mouth fishing - See 111 traveler reviews, 18 candid photos, and great deals for Erwin, TN, at Tripadvisor. For a complete listing of Tennessee’s current fishing advisories plus additional information about the advisory issuance process, visit https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/environment/water/planning-and-standards/wr_wq_fish-advisories.pdf. Nolichucky Dam is a dam located just 7.1 miles from Greeneville, in Greene County, in the state of Tennessee, United States, near Allenbridge (historical), TN. "That day, the air temperature was 23 degrees and the water temperature was 36 degrees, and all we fished were deep holes below shoals," recalls West. Excess line is a recipe for failure. The point and the barb end up lying along the back of the tube. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, mercury is a naturally occurring element that can be found throughout the environment. West of Asheville near Newport, TN is the dam-controlled Pigeon, full of extra large smallmouth bass. On the first cast, retrieve the bait so that it swings around behind the boulder. Strikes often occur when he raises the lure a few inches off the bottom. JOIN TODAY! 4,510 acres. Early spring offer anglers with finesse fishing techniques including light line and small grubs, tubes and hair jigs. "Then once you're sure it is on the bottom, reel down to where you are 'in touch' with it. In the winter months, the upper part of the Nolichucky is stocked with rainbow trout from the nearby Erwin National Fish Hatchery. The common denominator in all these outings is that West employed the same tactic, what he calls BDSing (short for bigger, deeper and slower). … Cap'n Jack rigs tubes by inserting 1/8- to 1/4-ounce bullet head sinkers about halfway inside them. In August 2018, TDEC issued a precautionary advisory for smallmouth bass and channel catfish in the Nolichucky River from Douglas Reservoir upstream to the mouth of Bent Creek at river … The depth is a security zone for smallmouth, and the conditions attract baitfish and crawfish, so the area is also a feeding zone.". A final favorite is a 1/4- or 1/2-ounce single blade (Colorado) spinnerbait with the concave side of the blade painted black and the skirt chartreuse-and-white. I like it better when my clients want to try out my BDS philosophy. Attempts to capture bass near the North Carolina state line were unsuccessful, but they are documented in historical surveys to be present. The guide slow rolls the spinnerbait across the substrate. He ties the hard plastic jerkbait to the leader with an improved clinch knot. This trigger, 0.3 mg/kg (parts per million), was jointly recommended by both the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Food and Drug Administration. If you are an enthusiast of fishing you’ll find the Nolichucky to be an excellent destination as well. River smallies are perhaps the most aggressive of all black bass, and the size of a bait does not matter to the smaller specimens. The “Chucky,” in TN and NC has proven to be a fantastic fishery time and time again. This ensures a healthy smally population season after season with regulated flows and cold water temperatures all summer long. In August 2018, TDEC issued a precautionary advisory for smallmouth bass and channel catfish in the Nolichucky River from Douglas Reservoir upstream to the mouth of Bent Creek at river mile 14.9. Those fish couldn't have been hungry when I placed a bait in front of them, yet they hit it.". The winter raft trip down Virginia's James River was noteworthy for its cold rain, leaden sky, and the dozen-and-a-half or so 14- to 18-inch smallmouth that either Cap'n Jack West put in the boat himself or instructed a client and me how to do so. Followers 587 Catches 149 Spots 37 Many bigger fish … The Swine River is ECO’s trophy smallmouth water. With mild to wild water, it has all types of scenic floats- including a smallmouth section that floats through the whitewater section of the river to increase the fun and adventure. "Any time I can find a deep hole — 5 feet or more — following several shoals positioned close together, I know I'm about to get into big smallmouth," he said. Feider’s 9-pounder at Lake Fork wins him a Tundra, 1-Minute Angler: Canterbury's favorite knots, Changing seasons – stratification and the turnover. Nolichucky River The Nolichucky River is a 115-mile (185 km) river that flows through Western North Carolina and East Tennessee, in the southeastern United States. And behind that rock, imagine a depression that the current has carved out," said West. The best times to book your guided fishing trip on this gorgeous river is March through early November. The Holston River provides more consistent smallmouth fishing than any other we’ve found in the Southeast. Jack West sums up his BDS philosophy by explaining that there are two types of river anglers. The “Chucky,” in TN and NC has proven to be a fantastic fishery time and time again. Catch and release rates here surpass 90%. The river offers world-class fishing for a variety of bass, including smallmouth, rock, and black bass. You will be guided through class I-IV rapids while casting your line. There are no roads, 400-foot limestone bluffs, and no way in or out except by boat. True trophy fishermen will be happy with one strike from a 5-pound river smallie over an eight hour day on the water. The name “Swine” is made up to protect our secret and describes the hogs that we consistently catch every Spring! TDEC works in partnership with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency to communicate information about fishing advisories. Nolichucky River. The French Broad is the largest and most productive smallmouth bass and musky river in North Carolina. Our trips on the Nolichucky River provides the best fishing and scenery around western North Carolina. ECO guides live to flyfish for Smallmouth but equally welcome fishing with conventional tackle, and sometimes prefer it, depending on conditions. The thing I like best about the Flash Minnow is that it has such great natural action built in, I don't have to snap it so hard that I wear myself out.". Join us as we discuss the Tennessee Fishing License options, fishing rules and fishing … Interestingly, West discovered three things, only the second of which he was expecting. If it’s quality and not quantity you seek, then look no further than the Swine River. Where new advisories have been issued, TDEC will immediately begin the process of putting up signs at primary public access points. The following spring on Tennessee's Nolichucky River, West, though faced with a bluebird sky and a cold front, guided a friend and me to a similar number of 12- to 20-inch bass — my buddy dueling with a pair of 4-pound-plus bronzebacks. Walleye are not included in the advisory. Nolichucky River. "On this one cast, the time of the retrieve was just at the 9 minute mark when he had a hit, but that hit came from a 21-inch smallmouth that Barry caught and released. And on our next trip, during a windswept day on the Holston River, I watched the Johnson City, Tenn., Bassmaster perform his magic again as we caught a number of 2- to 4-pound mossybacks. Second, truly large river brown bass, those over 18 inches, were strongly inclined to hit 4-inch-and-larger baits, and not at all likely to strike smaller offerings. In August 2018, TDEC issued a precautionary advisory for smallmouth bass and channel catfish in the Nolichucky River from Douglas Reservoir upstream to the mouth of Bent Creek at river mile 14.9. "The effect created is that the Flash Minnow pops to the left, then pops to the right with a lot of commotion. To put it in simple terms, it’s fishing for Largemouth on a trout stream, but Smallmouth fight harder than either. The primary way people in the United States are exposed to mercury is by eating fish containing methylmercury, a toxic form of mercury that accumulates easily in organisms. Late spring smallmouth will rise into shallower runs and pools in search for crawfish and sculpins. TDEC considers the source of mercury in the Nolichucky River to be atmospheric deposition. "Picture a huge boulder in the water. "After the cast, I point the rod tip toward the lure, just to create a little slack, and then on the retrieve, I start to make these little snaps to the left and right," tutors West. This rigging looks completely natural, plus you can easily skip it under overhanging branches. From then on, I realized that there was no such thing as fishing too slowly in the winter, or any other time of the year for that matter.". First, no matter how large a lure he went to, sub 12-inch river smallmouth would still occasionally hit it. Other preferred baits are MizMo 4- and 5 1/2-inch tubes in Irish coffee and pumpkinseed, respectively, and Snoozer 4-inch and 5 3/4-inch tubes in a dark pumpkin hue. Nolichucky River fishing guides Trophy Water Guide Service is a professional fly-fishing guide service fishing the Nolichucky River and surrounding areas in southern Appalachia . The smaller fish is simply a lot quicker. For his main line, the Tennessee angler prefers Berkley SpiderWire Stealth in the 20-pound-test/6-pound diameter size.