Anytime you reduce lake levels and then generate at high levels, you have to be concerned about tailwater temperatures in our southeastern rivers. USACE operates real time temperature monitoring stations just below the dam and at Burkesville, KY which is about 30 miles below the dam. The temperature at the dam is currently 59°F and it is 62°F at Burkesville. These are actually better temperatures than we have seen in Burkesville since the cicada spectacle early in 2008.

Rocky had an opportunity to get on the river last week with a few adventurous clients. Photos included here are from those trips. Eric’s big brown is 21.5”, Glen’s brown is 19”, and Jim’s rainbow is 18”. I might add that some guides may have tried to stretch the fish in their high teens to 20 inchers, but not Rocky. The preferred rig was a hopper/dropper which has worked well for us the last few late summer/early fall seasons.