Wading for smallies
Corey Andrews, avid angler and TnHunting.Com contributor, steps over a boulder and sinks into the cool waters of the Clear Fork River.
"This looks like as good a spot as any to start," he says. He flips his lure into a pool of water separated from the main channel by a weed bed and, within seconds, is reeling in the first fish of the morning. The fish — a smallmouth bass — will by no means be the last fish. For the next three hours, Andrews slowly works his way up the small river, reeling in fish after fish along the way.
Wading and casting is the name of the game, and Andrews is good at it. Today, we're fishing the Clear Fork River on the Cumberland Plateau. A small stream no more than 50 feet wide in most spots, the Clear Fork flows through Fentress, Morgan and Scott Counties before joining the New River to form the Big South Fork of the Cumberland River. The Big South Fork is a popular whitewater river and is one of the few rivers in East Tennessee that haven't been tamed by the Tennessee Valley Authority's dams. The Big South Fork flows through Scott and Fentress counties in Tennessee, and McCreary County, Kentucky, before joining the Cumberland River at Lake Cumberland in Pulaski County, Kentucky.
The Clear Fork and Big South Fork rivers are the only smallmouth destination in the tri-county area (Morgan, Fentress and Scott) through which they flow. The fish here are by no means big, but they are plentiful.
"If I was looking to catch a big fish, I would go to Dale Hollow or I would go to Norris Lake," Andrews says. "But if I were looking for a good time and a two-pound fish would suit me, then I wouldn't be nowhere but right here.
"Besides," he adds with a grin, "we're not here to put one on the wall. We're here to put one on the fileting board."
A variety of baits can be used to lure the fish out of the rocks and crevices that line the river's bottom, but the tested-and-true Rooster Tail is almost a sure-fire bet.
"Any kind of spinner bait will work, really, but it's hard to argue with a Rooster Tail," Andrews says. "A lot of your so-called professionals shy away from them, I guess because every Tom, Dick and Harry has one or two in his tackle box and the pros want to be seen as different, but every fish in the world has been caught on a Rooster Tail. That's hard to argue with."
Crayfish lures are also hard to beat.
"Now, if I found sun grannies and redeyes annoying and I just wanted to catch smallmouth, I'd probably tie on a plastic crawldad," Andrews said. "Or, better yet, I'd go to the creek and catch me a bunch of live ones before I came. There's never been a better smallmouth bait in these rivers than a crawldad. But if I want to just catch a little bit of everything and have a blast doing it, a spinner will work just fine."
Today we're primarily using red Rooster Tails. Yellow jacket Rooster Tails also work well. Aside from spinners and crayfish, plastic worms of many colors and grasshoppers work well.
"I won't tell you that live bait won't work, because I already said that live crawldads are a dandy bait, but I have tried nightcrawlers and I ain't done much good, and I've tried white crickets and I ain't done much good," Andrews said. "On the other hand, if I had the energy to pack a minnow bucket over these rocks, I'm going to tell you right now that we'd need a bigger stringer."
As we work our way upstream, a thick fog hangs over the beautiful river gorge, lined by steep hillsides and occasional blufflines. Further downstream, primarily after the confluence of Clear Fork and New River, the hills are replaced by cliffs. The river becomes wider and wilder. But here, all is peaceful.
"If you're going to catch these fish, you have to be here before the sun gets up," Andrews says. "That's too tough a task for too many people, especially when you consider that you have to hike 30 minutes from the truck to get here. But if you wait until the sun comes out . . . too many people come down here in the middle of the day and then complain that there are no fish in the Big South Fork."
Sun-up is about 6:30. But since dense fogs settle over the river gorge most mornings in late summer, anglers have until the sun burns through — typically, around 9 a.m. — to get in some quality fishing. The action this morning is fast and furious, as it is many mornings. By the time we can see blue sky through the fog, we've netted more than three dozen fish. Once the sun burns through, we focus on the shaded areas along the river banks, but the action has already started to slow.
"We'll catch a few more that are laying here in the shadows, but they're pretty much through for this morning," Andrews says. "They'll not start biting again until after the sun sets tonight."
And he's right. We add a few more to the tally, then the hits start to dwindle, and finally stop. The final tally is 42 fish. Many of them are smallmouth, but a good mix of what the locals call "redeye" are thrown in, as are a few bluegill and sunfish.
"Them redeyes, most people don't want to fool with because they're small. But they're as good an eatin' fish as you'll find in this creek," Andrews says. "Some people call them redeyes, some call them rock bass . . . I really don't know what you're supposed to call them; I just know they eat good."
As we hike back down the river bank, we take an opportunity to scout for deer sign for the upcoming archery season, which is just over two months away. The Clear Fork is surrounded by part of the 115,000-acre Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, which is open with Tennessee's statewide hunting seasons. A number of well-worn trails travel an old roadbed that runs parallel to the river, and there are a variety of good stand sites along the route.
As we hike back up the mountain that leads out of the river gorge, we pass by a waterfall surrounded by dense evergreens. A short climb later, the forest opens into mature oak flats that should hold great squirrel hunting next month if the mast holds true.
Minutes later, we've gotten back to the vehicle, the fish are filete and are awaiting their date with a skillet and some hot oil.
"Lots of folks knock this river because there isn't much chance of a 10-pounder lurking in it," Andrews says. "But take today for example. We caught a lot of fish, we got in some deer scouting, we got to see some awesome scenery, and when we get to the house, these fish will eat good. That's a combination that's hard to beat."
I concur.
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