Caney Fork at Happy Hollow
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
HATCH-MODE FLY SETUP: 5 wt rod with floating line, 9-12 ft tapered leader to 6X fluorocarbon tippet. Match the hatch by stage, emerger (CDC pattern in the film) first, dun (Comparadun, Parachute) second, spinner (rusty spinner) at last light. Cast 3-4 ft above the rise with a reach mend; the line lands sideways and the fly drifts ahead drag-free. Strip-set on small flies, no rod lift.
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.
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
HATCH-MODE SPIN SETUP: ultralight 6'-6'6" rod, 4 lb fluoro all the way through. Two productive rigs: (1) #00 or #0 Mepps Aglia or Joe's Fly in olive-and-yellow, cast quartering upstream + retrieve just fast enough to spin the blade through the seam; (2) a #16 beadhead Pheasant Tail OR Zebra Midge tied to a 24" tippet hanging below a 1/2" pencil bobber, drifted dead-naturally through the same lane a fly angler would target. The bobber rig outfishes the spinner once trout are keyed on a specific bug.
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.
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
Stained
- Chartreuse Highest visibility in green-stained water. First pick for walleye, sauger, and crappie when stain sets in.
- Orange / flame red Sauger and walleye locate by sight even in stain. Bright contrast beats natural finishes head to head.
Engine pick right now: sulphur yellow, olive, natural
Guide pick for stained water (fall): black wooly bugger, chartreuse egg, hot pink San Juan
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 stained water
ColorClearStainedMuddy
ChartreuseAvoidBestGood
Orange / flame redAvoidBestGood
Black / blueAvoidGoodBest
White / shadGoodGoodAvoid
Fire tigerAvoidGoodBest
PurpleGoodGoodAvoid
Natural / shadBestAvoidAvoid
Watermelon redBestAvoidAvoid
Hatch: 83% (BWO (fall)) Peak hatch. Surface bite is on now.
Why this score
- hatch active+10
- pre frontal surge+8
- barometric trend+8
- in season+4
- wind speed+3
- cloud cover+2
Best window: morning
HATCH-MODE FLY SETUP: 5 wt rod with floating line, 9-12 ft tapered leader to 6X fluorocarbon tippet. Match the hatch by stage, emerger (CDC pattern in the film) first, dun (Comparadun, Parachute) second, spinner (rusty spinner) at last light. Cast 3-4 ft above the rise with a reach mend; the line lands sideways and the fly drifts ahead drag-free. Strip-set on small flies, no rod lift.
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.
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
HATCH-MODE SPIN SETUP: ultralight 6'-6'6" rod, 4 lb fluoro all the way through. Two productive rigs: (1) #00 or #0 Mepps Aglia or Joe's Fly in olive-and-yellow, cast quartering upstream + retrieve just fast enough to spin the blade through the seam; (2) a #16 beadhead Pheasant Tail OR Zebra Midge tied to a 24" tippet hanging below a 1/2" pencil bobber, drifted dead-naturally through the same lane a fly angler would target. The bobber rig outfishes the spinner once trout are keyed on a specific bug.
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.
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
Stained
- Chartreuse Highest visibility in green-stained water. First pick for walleye, sauger, and crappie when stain sets in.
- Orange / flame red Sauger and walleye locate by sight even in stain. Bright contrast beats natural finishes head to head.
Engine pick right now: sulphur yellow, olive, natural
Guide pick for stained water (fall): black wooly bugger, chartreuse egg, hot pink San Juan
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 stained water
ColorClearStainedMuddy
ChartreuseAvoidBestGood
Orange / flame redAvoidBestGood
Black / blueAvoidGoodBest
White / shadGoodGoodAvoid
Fire tigerAvoidGoodBest
PurpleGoodGoodAvoid
Natural / shadBestAvoidAvoid
Watermelon redBestAvoidAvoid
Hatch: 83% (BWO (fall)) Peak hatch. Surface bite is on now.
Why this score
- preferred time of day+14
- hatch active+10
- pre frontal surge+8
- barometric trend+8
- in season+4
- wind speed+3
- cloud cover+2
Dam generation & flow schedule
Gen off, wadeable
Gen on, high flow
Now marker
24h release schedule (table)
| Time | Flow (cfs) | State | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wed 6:00 AM | 250 | Spill/Off | |
| Wed 6:00 AM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Wed 7:00 AM | 250 | Spill/Off | |
| Wed 7:00 AM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Wed 8:00 AM | 250 | Spill/Off | |
| Wed 8:00 AM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Wed 9:00 AM | 250 | Spill/Off | |
| Wed 9:00 AM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Wed 10:00 AM | 250 | Spill/Off | |
| Wed 10:00 AM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Wed 11:00 AM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Wed 12:00 PM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Wed 1:00 PM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Wed 2:00 PM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Wed 3:00 PM | 3,735 | Spill/Off | |
| Wed 4:00 PM | 3,735 | Spill/Off | |
| Wed 5:00 PM | 3,735 | Spill/Off | |
| Wed 6:00 PM | 3,735 | Spill/Off | |
| Wed 7:00 PM | 3,735 | Spill/Off | |
| Wed 8:00 PM | 3,735 | Spill/Off | |
| Wed 9:00 PM | 3,735 | Spill/Off | |
| Wed 10:00 PM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Wed 11:00 PM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Thu 12:00 AM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Thu 1:00 AM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Thu 2:00 AM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Thu 3:00 AM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Thu 4:00 AM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Thu 5:00 AM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Thu 6:00 AM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Thu 7:00 AM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Thu 8:00 AM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Thu 9:00 AM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Thu 10:00 AM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Thu 11:00 AM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Thu 12:00 PM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Thu 1:00 PM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Thu 2:00 PM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Thu 3:00 PM | 3,735 | Spill/Off | |
| Thu 4:00 PM | 3,735 | Spill/Off | |
| Thu 5:00 PM | 3,735 | Spill/Off | |
| Thu 6:00 PM | 3,735 | Spill/Off | |
| Thu 7:00 PM | 3,735 | Spill/Off | |
| Thu 8:00 PM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Thu 9:00 PM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Thu 10:00 PM | 0 | Spill/Off | |
| Thu 11:00 PM | 0 | Spill/Off |
Next 24 hours · weather forecast
Scroll for hourly temperature, wind, and precipitation.
12PM
92°
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1PM
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2PM
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3PM
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4PM
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5PM
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6PM
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7PM
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9PM
80°
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10PM
78°
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11PM
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12AM
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10AM
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11AM
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Latest readings
Live telemetry| Air temp (°F) | 68.2°F |
|---|---|
| Cloud cover (%) | 100% |
| Dew point (°C) | 21.1°C |
| Relative humidity (%) | 51% |
| Chance of precipitation (%) | 5% |
| Precipitation (in) | 0.11 in |
| Barometric pressure (mb) | 1,019.9 mb |
| Rain past 24h (in) | 0.70 in |
| Rain past 6h (in) | 0.00 in |
| Wind direction | ESE (103°) |
| Wind (mph) | 3.0 mph |
Reading freshness
Source update lag| Barometric pressure (mb) | 0 min ago openmeteo |
|---|---|
| Wind (mph) | 0 min ago openmeteo |
| Cloud cover (%) | 0 min ago openmeteo |
| Air temp (°F) | 0 min ago openmeteo |
| Rain past 24h (in) | 2777.1 h ago openmeteo stale |
| Rain past 6h (in) | 0 min ago nws |
Hatch matcher · this month
Active aquatic insect emergences & suggested imitations.
Midge
Sizes 18–24
Recommended patterns:
Zebra Midge #20, Griffith's Gnat #20, WD-40 #20
Tailwater staple; year-round on Caney Fork
Sulphur
Sizes 14–18
Recommended patterns:
Sulphur Comparadun #16, Pheasant Tail #16, Yellow Sally
Weeks 14-39 (Apr-Sep) on Caney Fork tailwater; matches South Holston schedule per shop consensus + thermal profile.
BWO (fall)
Sizes 20–22
Recommended patterns:
RS2 #22, Parachute BWO #20
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.
TREND SPARKLINE (7-DAY BITE SCORE)
Score Range: 0 - 100
10-day weather & pressure outlook
Extended NWS meteorological outlook.
| Day | High | Low | Wind | Cloud | Rain % | Pressure | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 95°F | 70°F | Unknown | — | 0% | 1,024.3 mb | nws | |
| 97°F | 72°F | Unknown | — | 3% | 1,023.6 mb | nws | |
| 98°F | 71°F | Unknown | — | 2% | 1,019.8 mb | nws | |
| 96°F | 70°F | Unknown | — | 4% | 1,015.4 mb | nws | |
| 95°F | 66°F | Unknown | — | 6% | 1,014.1 mb | nws | |
| 93°F | 69°F | Unknown | — | 15% | 1,013.4 mb | nws | |
| 89°F | 68°F | Unknown | — | 24% | 1,014.2 mb | nws | |
| 81°F | 59°F | Unknown | — | 21% | 1,016.1 mb | nws | |
| 82°F | 54°F | Unknown | — | 14% | 1,013.9 mb | nws | |
| 87°F | 55°F | Unknown | — | 11% | 1,016.4 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
Surge travel from dam:
at the dam (no travel lag)
No generation scheduled in the next 24 h.
Water can rise several feet fast, with little or no downstream warning — leave the water at the first sign of rising flow.