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Caney Fork River Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Center Hill’s tailwater: the Caney Fork runs cold trout water through middle Tennessee.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Water temp
~54 F est.
Air / High
101 / 101 F
Wind
NNE 3 mph

Sources: Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

2/5Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Caney Fork River is in transition: bait on the move and predators following. Today brings clear skies, wind NNE around 3 mph, rising pressure near 1013 hPa and a high of 101. Water sits around 54 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Rainbow troutGood

Blue-winged olives and midges on soft seams; streamers on overcast days move the better fish.

Brown troutGood

Pre-spawn aggression: this is streamer season for the fish of the year.

Tomorrow: Similar at 102 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings.

No live gauge on this water

Conditions here are modeled from weather, season and the nearest stations. Water readings appear when a USGS gauge is available.

30405060JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~54 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp101 F
High / Low101 / 71 F
WindNNE 3-4 mph
Pressure1013.2 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 16%
Sunrise / Sunset06:17 / 19:07
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~54 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunset

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Overcast, 101/71 F, wind 6 mph, rain 16%

Slow. 101 F: be on the water at dawn and off by mid-morning, or fish after dark.

Species guide

The species that matter on Caney Fork River: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Rainbow trout illustration

Rainbow trout

Best: Apr-Jun, Sep-Oct

The workhorse of western rivers: riffles, seams and dry-fly eats. Blue-winged olives and midges on soft seams; streamers on overcast days move the better fish.

Brown trout illustration

Brown trout

Best: Sep-Nov

Wary, predatory and nocturnal by preference. The big ones eat streamers. Pre-spawn aggression: this is streamer season for the fish of the year.

When to come: the Caney Fork River calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Rainbow trout
Brown trout
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 54 F (estimated, not a reading).

30405060JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~54 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Caney Fork River today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at good. High of 101 F, wind to 7 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at good. High of 99 F, wind to 6 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at good. High of 97 F, wind to 5 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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Before you go

License

Tennessee requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Tennessee license plus trout stamp. Slot limits and special regulations apply on parts of the tailwater: check current TWRA rules.

Access

Center Hill Dam, Happy Hollow, Betty Ann and Stonewall access areas; commercial float outfitters.

About this water

A cold TVA tailwater below Center Hill Dam through middle Tennessee to the Cumberland River, DeKalb and Smith counties.

Fishing Caney Fork River: the full guide

A tailwater below the dam

The Caney Fork River flows below Center Hill Dam through middle Tennessee to the Cumberland River, and the cold releases create one of the state’s better trout fisheries. Rainbow, brown and brook trout are stocked, with browns growing to genuine size on the abundant forage, and the river fishes year-round thanks to the constant cold water.

Fishing the generation

TVA generation governs everything: on low water the river is wadeable across broad gravel flats, fished with small nymphs, midges and dries; when turbines run it rises fast and becomes drift-boat water for streamer anglers. Check the generation schedule before every trip, and heed the horns: the rise is quick and dangerous.

Trout and the seasons

Stocked rainbows provide the numbers, while brown trout hold the deeper runs and undercuts and reach substantial size. Sulphurs, midges and caddis feed the fishery, with scuds and sowbugs important year-round. Summer is prime here precisely when other Tennessee water warms, which is the tailwater’s great advantage.

DeKalb County logistics

Access at Center Hill Dam, Happy Hollow, Betty Ann and Stonewall serves waders and boaters, with commercial outfitters providing floats and shuttles. Smithville and Lebanon are the nearby towns, with Nashville an hour west. Generation schedules are published by TVA and are the single most important piece of trip planning.

Common questions

How do I check generation?

TVA publishes release schedules: check before every trip, since the river rises fast and changes character completely.

How big do the browns get?

Substantial: the abundant forage grows brown trout that hold in the deeper runs and undercuts.

Is summer good?

Yes, and that is the point: cold releases keep it fishing when the rest of middle Tennessee warms up.

Is fishing good at Caney Fork River right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Nearby waters

Center Hill Lake23 miDale Hollow Lake37 miPercy Priest Lake39 miOld Hickory Lake45 miBarren River Lake56 miTims Ford Lake67 mi
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