Fly fishing the Obey River

Originally published in Midwest outdoors

Tom Brokaw once said that “If fishing then fly fishing is the high church”. Here in Tennessee the TVA has built us plenty of places to “worship” in the form of manmade tailwaters. Way back in 1933 President Roosevelt, as part of his new deal initiative, signed the bill that created the Tennessee Valley Authority or TVA. The TVA was created to help fill the growing demand for hydroelectric power in the Tennessee Valley. Dams were built and generators were installed. The discharge out of the dams are called tailwaters or tailraces in some parts of the country. The best thing was that since the generators pulled water from the bottom of the newly formed lakes it was cold water. You know what loves cold water? Trout and Smallmouth love Coldwater rivers.

Tennessee is home to some of the finest tailwater fisheries in America. One of those rivers generally does not get much “love” and that’s the Obey River Tailwater. I would say the lack of fishing pressure is because of the rivers’ proximity to some world-famous rivers such as the South Holston, Watauga, and Hiawassee rivers. Nonetheless At one time years ago the Tennessee State Rainbow and Brown Trout were caught out of the Obey River near Celina Tennessee.

Today the Obey still fishes very well although there are better places to catch record-breaking trout. However, there are few places you can catch the sheer numbers of trout that come out of the river every day. The obey river tail water, where it flows out of Dale hollow, is a mere seven in a half miles long. It flows into the Cumberland River around Celina Tennessee. It is one of the rivers that get restocked with trout twelve months a year. Its proximity to the Dale Hollow National fish hatchery is the primary reason for this. It’s primarily stocked with rainbows, but the locals tell of some monster brown’s being caught on occasion.

As with all TVA tailwaters one must understand that power generation is the priority and when the generators are running the rivers can kill you. In a short time span the rivers can turn from a pristine trout stream to a very large and roaring river. Fortunately, you can see the generation schedules on the TVA website or via the handy dandy TVA app on any mobile device. It’s also good practice for new anglers to drop in the local fly shop and ask about the river under multiple generators. Some rivers have one, some have several. The number of generators impacts both the flow of the river and the time it takes for the water to move downstream. You just can’t beat local knowledge. When going to the Obey just drop in at Fly South in Nashville or give them a call.

Since the Obey is a quintessential southern tailwater the standard flies will work just fine. Midges are always a staple in Black and Purple. The beauty of the Obey is that the lack of pressure means you don’t have to strain your eyes with size 22 flies. A size 18 midge is just fine. Others are Hares ear nymphs in green, tan, or black. The best pattern I have personally found is a size 16 prince nymph. When placed under an indicator it’s a deadly fly. If you’re a streamer person a number 10 Woolly Bugger or guacamole stick bug in olive will get the job done.

The Obey is unique in that when the generators are not running there is little current and if the dam at wolf creek, on the Cumberland River, is running it can in fact flow backwards. This is because the river is only a scant 7.5-miles long from the dam to its confluence with the Cumberland River. This makes the trout act more like bass whereas they relate more to structure, than current seams and rocks. It is worth noting that this lack of regular flow is the only thing that has saved this river from being severely overused and overcrowded with recreational floating operations.

If you take the time to visit this fine tailwater there is access at the Dale Hollow dam, Moody Boat ramp and in the town of Celina. Be sure to stop at the Obey River Market for Breakfast, lunch, and current fishing reports.

If you’re coming from out of the area there is a fine campground at the Dale Hollow dam. They have everything from tent spots to full blown land yacht accommodations.