Caney Fork (Buffalo Valley → Betties Is.)
What to throw right now
Per-species breakdown & tactics
Pick a fish, then Fly, Spin, or Colors. Your last pick is remembered.
Best window: last light
ON THIS WATER (Caney Fork (Buffalo Valley → Betties Island)): Cold tailwater below Center Hill Dam, 53°F year-round from hypolimnetic release. Float fish only — boat launches at Buffalo Valley, takes out at Betties Island. TVA generation rules everything; CHECK THE SCHEDULE before you launch.
Generation OFF: wade the gravel flats between the islands and sight-fish risers with a #18 Sulphur Comparadun + #20 Zebra Midge dropper. The fish key on the seams along the inside of every bend. Generation ON (float): swing a #6 weighted Wooly Bugger from a drift boat through the deep cuts on river-left below Buffalo Valley ramp.
5 wt floating line, 12 ft tapered leader to 6X tippet, dry fly first. Identify the stage (cripple, dun, spinner) by what the fish are eating, not what's in the air. Cast 3-4 ft upstream of the target nose with a reach mend so the fly lands ahead of the line. Strip-set on small flies; lifting the rod high pulls the hook before it sets. If you get refusals, downsize one hook size and check the sub-surface stage with a CDC emerger trailing a comparadun.
Flies: Sulphur Comparadun #16, Pheasant Tail Nymph #18, Zebra Midge #20
Match the hatch by stage. Emerger first, dun second, spinner at last light.
In a few hours
ON THIS WATER (Caney Fork (Buffalo Valley → Betties Island)): Cold tailwater below Center Hill Dam, 53°F year-round from hypolimnetic release. Float fish only — boat launches at Buffalo Valley, takes out at Betties Island. TVA generation rules everything; CHECK THE SCHEDULE before you launch.
Generation OFF: 1/16 oz white grub on 4 lb fluoro cast across the gravel runs, retrieved slow enough to spin the blade. Generation ON: heavier 1/4 oz white jig under a slip float set to 4-5 ft, drifted from the boat through the slack pockets behind islands.
Ultralight rod, 4 lb fluoro all the way through. A #00 or #0 Rooster Tail or Joe's Fly is the only way to imitate emergers on spin gear convincingly. Cast across and down, retrieve just fast enough to spin the blade, anything faster looks fake. Walk the bank between casts to cover water; tailwater trout that see the same lure twice won't eat. Add a tiny float 24" above a #16 nymph if the surface bite is off.
Lures: Small bead-head nymph (#14-18 Pheasant Tail / Zebra Midge) under a pencil bobber, 1/16 oz white grub, small Rooster Tail
Small bead-head nymph under a pencil bobber, or olive spinner through seams.
In a few hours
- Natural / shad Disappears correctly in clear water. Invisible for the wrong reason once stain cuts visibility.
- Watermelon red The clear-water bass standard. Red flake reads as craw without spooking pressured fish.
Best colors right now: sulphur yellow, olive, natural
Good colors for clear water (fall): olive, sulphur yellow, natural pheasant tail
Trout key on size and drift first, color second. In clear water naturals win. In stain, go dark or bright so the fly reads against the murk.
Full color matrix for clear water
- + water temp in target range+22
- + preferred time of day+14
- + hatch active+8
- + barometric trend+6
- + in season+5
- + solunar major window+4
- + cloud cover+3
- + wind speed+3
- + cloud preference+2
- + dissolved oxygen+2
- + flow band+2
- + new/full moon amplifier+1
- – unsafe wading flow, capped at 50-30
Best window: morning
ON THIS WATER (Caney Fork (Buffalo Valley → Betties Island)): Cold tailwater below Center Hill Dam, 53°F year-round from hypolimnetic release. Float fish only — boat launches at Buffalo Valley, takes out at Betties Island. TVA generation rules everything; CHECK THE SCHEDULE before you launch.
Generation OFF: drift a two-fly nymph rig (#16 Pheasant Tail / #20 Zebra Midge) under a small Thingamabobber through the deep slots between gravel bars. Fish stack at the heads of the slots. Generation ON (float): high-stick a heavy nymph rig through the slack behind boulders on river-right.
5 wt floating line, 12 ft tapered leader to 6X tippet, dry fly first. Identify the stage (cripple, dun, spinner) by what the fish are eating, not what's in the air. Cast 3-4 ft upstream of the target nose with a reach mend so the fly lands ahead of the line. Strip-set on small flies; lifting the rod high pulls the hook before it sets. If you get refusals, downsize one hook size and check the sub-surface stage with a CDC emerger trailing a comparadun.
Flies: Sulphur Comparadun #16, Pheasant Tail Nymph #18, Zebra Midge #20
Match the hatch by stage. Emerger first, dun second, spinner at last light.
In a few hours
ON THIS WATER (Caney Fork (Buffalo Valley → Betties Island)): Cold tailwater below Center Hill Dam, 53°F year-round from hypolimnetic release. Float fish only — boat launches at Buffalo Valley, takes out at Betties Island. TVA generation rules everything; CHECK THE SCHEDULE before you launch.
Generation OFF: small Mepps #00 cast quartering up and swung through the seam at the head of each pool. Generation ON: switch to a 1/4 oz curly-tail grub fished from the boat in 4-8 ft of slack behind midstream cover.
Ultralight rod, 4 lb fluoro all the way through. A #00 or #0 Rooster Tail or Joe's Fly is the only way to imitate emergers on spin gear convincingly. Cast across and down, retrieve just fast enough to spin the blade, anything faster looks fake. Walk the bank between casts to cover water; tailwater trout that see the same lure twice won't eat. Add a tiny float 24" above a #16 nymph if the surface bite is off.
Lures: Small bead-head nymph (#14-18 Pheasant Tail / Zebra Midge) under a pencil bobber, 1/16 oz white grub, small Rooster Tail
Small bead-head nymph under a pencil bobber, or olive spinner through seams.
In a few hours
- Natural / shad Disappears correctly in clear water. Invisible for the wrong reason once stain cuts visibility.
- Watermelon red The clear-water bass standard. Red flake reads as craw without spooking pressured fish.
Best colors right now: sulphur yellow, olive, natural
Good colors for clear water (fall): olive, sulphur yellow, natural pheasant tail
Trout key on size and drift first, color second. In clear water naturals win. In stain, go dark or bright so the fly reads against the murk.
Full color matrix for clear water
- + water temp in target range+22
- + hatch active+8
- + preferred time of day+6
- + barometric trend+6
- + in season+5
- + solunar major window+4
- + cloud cover+3
- + wind speed+3
- + cloud preference+2
- + dissolved oxygen+2
- + flow band+2
- + new/full moon amplifier+1
- – unsafe wading flow, capped at 50-20
Dam generation & flow schedule
24h release schedule (table)
| Time | Flow (cfs) | State | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat 1:00 PM | 250 | Spill/Off | |
| Sat 1:00 PM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Sat 2:00 PM | 250 | Spill/Off | |
| Sat 2:00 PM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Sat 3:00 PM | 250 | Spill/Off | |
| Sat 3:00 PM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Sat 4:00 PM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Sat 5:00 PM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Sat 6:00 PM | 3,735 | Spill/Off | |
| Sat 7:00 PM | 3,735 | Spill/Off | |
| Sat 8:00 PM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Sat 9:00 PM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Sat 10:00 PM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Sat 11:00 PM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Sun 12:00 AM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Sun 1:00 AM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Sun 2:00 AM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Sun 3:00 AM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Sun 4:00 AM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Sun 5:00 AM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Sun 6:00 AM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Sun 7:00 AM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Sun 8:00 AM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Sun 9:00 AM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Sun 10:00 AM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Sun 11:00 AM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Sun 12:00 PM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Sun 1:00 PM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Sun 2:00 PM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Sun 3:00 PM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Sun 4:00 PM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Sun 5:00 PM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Sun 6:00 PM | 3,735 | Spill/Off | |
| Sun 7:00 PM | 3,735 | Spill/Off | |
| Sun 8:00 PM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Sun 9:00 PM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Sun 10:00 PM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Sun 11:00 PM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Mon 12:00 AM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Mon 1:00 AM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Mon 2:00 AM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Mon 3:00 AM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Mon 4:00 AM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Mon 5:00 AM | 0 | Spill/Off |
Next 24 hours · weather forecast
Scroll for hourly temperature, wind, and precipitation.
Latest readings
Live telemetry| Air temp (°F) | 72.0°F |
|---|---|
| Cloud cover (%) | 94% |
| Dew point (°C) | 8.3°C |
| discharge cfs | 340 cfs |
| gage height ft | 6.01 in |
| Relative humidity (%) | 41% |
| Chance of precipitation (%) | 3% |
| Barometric pressure (mb) | 1,025.4 mb |
| Rain past 6h (in) | 0.00 in |
| Wind direction | ESE (113°) |
| Wind (mph) | 5.0 mph |
Reading freshness
Source update lag| Barometric pressure (mb) | 6 min ago openmeteo |
|---|---|
| Wind (mph) | 6 min ago nws |
| Cloud cover (%) | 6 min ago nws |
| Air temp (°F) | 6 min ago nws |
| Rain past 24h (in) | 3840.1 h ago openmeteo stale |
| Rain past 6h (in) | 5.1 h ago nws |
Hatch matcher · this month
Active aquatic insect emergences & suggested imitations.
Tailwater staple; year-round on Caney Fork
Cool overcast afternoons
Next few hours · best species
Prime windows for active feeding over the next 12 hours (CDT).
7-day forecast
Composite spot scores over the coming week.
10-day weather & pressure outlook
NWS forecast where it reaches, Open-Meteo beyond it. Days run midnight to midnight, spot time.
| Day | High | Low | Wind | Cloud | Rain % | Pressure | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat Oct 31 | 79°F | 52°F | 4 mph ESE | 88% | 9% | 1,025.1 mb | nws |
| Sun Nov 1 | 65°F | 53°F | 7 mph SE | 96% | 63% | 1,027.0 mb | nws |
| Mon Nov 2 | 73°F | 51°F | 6 mph SE | 83% | 22% | 1,023.7 mb | nws |
| Tue Nov 3 | 77°F | 56°F | 11 mph SSE | 49% | 22% | 1,018.7 mb | nws |
| Wed Nov 4 | 71°F | 61°F | 10 mph SSE | 97% | 74% | 1,012.4 mb | nws |
| Thu Nov 5 | 70°F | 56°F | Calm | 96% | 59% | 1,010.7 mb | nws |
| Fri Nov 6 | 68°F | 50°F | 4 mph NW | 63% | 23% | 1,008.4 mb | nws |
| Sat Nov 7 | 68°F | 45°F | Calm | 75% | 4% | 1,010.8 mb | nws |
| Sun Nov 8 | 56°F | 48°F | 8 mph WSW | 82% | 10% | 1,009.6 mb | openmeteo |
| Mon Nov 9 | 54°F | 41°F | 4 mph WNW | 53% | 13% | 1,011.1 mb | openmeteo |
Trends · 7 days
Hover chart points for telemetry details. Gold dot represents latest reading.
Barometric pressure (mb)
Water temperature (°F)
Fishing regulations (TWRA)
Statewide creel and length limits. Confirm the current rule on TWRA before you keep a fish.
These are statewide defaults only. Many waters have their own creel, size, or season rules that override this list. Check the water you are fishing on TWRA before you go.
TWRA fishing regulations · Water-specific exceptions
Statewide defaults (19 rules)
| Species | Rule |
|---|---|
| Alligator Gar | No harvest allowed. Must be returned to water immediately. |
| Black Bass (includes Largemouth, Smallmouth, Spotted Alabama And Coosa) | No more than 5 black bass per day in any combination may be taken. | None |
| Catfish | Only one (1) catfish over 34 inches may be harvested per day. No harvest limit on catfish less than 34 inches. |
| Crappie | 15 | 10 inches |
| Lake Trout | Only 2 of your 7 total trout may be lake trout. | None |
| Muskellunge | 1 | 36 inches |
| Paddlefish | Paddlefish may be harvested from April 24 through May 31. Daily creel limit is 2 fish per day with no size limit. Culling is prohibited. Exceptions on Center Hill, Cherokee, and Watts Bar reservoirs. |
| Redear Sunfish (shellcracker) | 20 | None |
| Redear Sunfish Or Shellcracker | 20 | None |
| Region 1 Crappie Exception: Unless Otherwise Noted For Specific Waters. | 30 | None |
| Rock Bass Or Redeye And Shadow Bass | 20 | None |
| Sauger Or Sauger/walleye Hybrids | 10 | 15 inches |
| Shovelnose Sturgeon | No harvest allowed. Must be returned to the water immediately. |
| Skipjack Herring | 100 | None |
| Striped Bass Or Hybrid Striped Bass (any Combination) | 2 | 15 inches |
| Trout (all Trout Species Combined) | 7 | None |
| Walleye | 5 | 16 inches |
| White Bass | 15 | None |
| Yellow Bass, Bluegill, Warmouth, Bream, Bullheads, Pickerel, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, And Nongame Species | no limit | None |
Access points & navigation
Water can rise several feet fast, with little or no downstream warning — leave the water at the first sign of rising flow.
Field reports & historical notes
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