The Obey River, TN

Recently two friends and I took some time off this fall and went to trout fish the Obey River (TN).  The Obey River is the Tailwater River below Dale Hollow Dam and is only about 7 miles in length.  This trip was a bit of an adventure for us as only one in our group had ever fished the Obey, and that was 20 years ago.  We were anxious to see what had changed and how the river would fish using Trout Magnets.  I had gotten reports from earlier in the summer that the Obey had fished great and we were hopeful that our cooler fall weather would make for another great trip on this river.

Our first stop was at the Dale Hollow 1 Stop where we fueled up, ate breakfast and got caught up on the local fishing report.  They have everything anyone would need to make their fishing trip a good one with a well stocked fishing section, groceries, fuel and fishing licenses.  Of course they have a good selection of Trout Magnets for sale too.  Stop in to visit them the next time you fish the Obey River or Dale Hollow Lake.  Stephen Headrick “The Smallmouth Guru” and owner of the Dale Hollow 1 Stop and Punisher Jigs got us quickly to the ramp and gave us some tips on fishing for smallmouth a bit later in the year on Dale Hollow.  Stephen sells a “float and fly” setup that is deadly on smallmouth.  We were all anxious to try this setup out when the lake temperatures cool down some more.

Within minutes we reached the Moody Boat Ramp Road and had out boat in the water.  A short ride upstream put us just below the dam where we began our fishing day.  We had the river to ourselves and were the only boat on the river that day.  There is a great campground right along the river that had just closed for the season, probably attributing to the low numbers of anglers we saw that day.  We prefer to fish from a boat as this allows us a chance to cover more water and get to more fish in a day.  If you don’t own a boat or have access to one, just move around to different spots along the river as there are several access points for wade anglers.  When we started fishing we immediately noticed rising trout on both sides of the boat, this is always a good sign, and before long we were hooked up with trout.  Early in the day the trout seemed to prefer red Trout Magnets, but as the temps warmed they soon hit a variety of colors including the new Trout Magnet color salmon.  Pink, white, orange, white/orange and black/green to mention a few were also very effective that day.  When the catching slowed we often changed colors to find the best color working at that time of day for this river.  Trout Magnets come if a variety of colors, all catch fish, just some colors work better on certain days and on certain rivers.  Since fishing with Trout Magnets we have been utilizing a fish counter to keep track of the numbers of trout we are catching.  We like a fish counter made by Mr. Crappie that is available at most Bass Pro Shops.  That day on the Obey River we ended up catching and releasing 82 trout.  Most of them were rainbows 12-14” but we did catch a few nice brown trout.    Needless to say it was another awesome day of trout catching using Trout Magnets!  The river is easily accessible and simple to get reach just outside of Celina, TN off Highway 53, the Burkesville Highway.  The area has a lot to offer the family and fisherman alike with nearby camping and motels with great trout and smallmouth fishing.  Be sure to put the Obey River on your list of places to fish!

Trout Magnets

“If you are not fishing the system, then you are just casting”