A nice Tellico rainbow Photo: E. Gibson
The state of Tennessee has a number of fisheries that are stocked with trout for many months out of the year. With the exception of a few trophy managed stretches of local rivers, Tennessee's regulations on stocked trout waters permit anglers to use live and organic baits and to keep the fish they catch (with limits imposed on size and quantity). Delayed harvest regulations are a means of managing certain stocked trout fisheries to appease sport fishermen for a portion of the year.
During delayed harvest, anglers are restricted to using only artificial lures and must safely release all of the trout they catch. The thinking behind this is that the trout in many of these streams will not likely survive the warmer water temperatures of summer and should therefore be kept; but during the cooler months of fall and winter, they can survive and therefore present a viable catch-and-release option for anglers purely seeking the sport of catching a larger, stocked trout. Additionally, trout caught and released on artificial lures are far more likely to survive than those caught on live bait.
This is an exciting time for fly fishermen as streams typically lined with corn dunking anglers trying to catch their limit are now more isolated and offer excellent opportunities for late season trout fishing. And considering that fairly large trout are often stocked leading into the delayed harvest period, fly casters are also provided the possibility for a nice grip-and-grin photo or two! While Tennessee has far fewer delayed harvest streams than other states such as North Carolina, there are a few, and they're all a fairly short drive from Knoxville.
The two with the most immediate interest are Tellico River and Paint Creek. Both are managed under delayed harvest regulations from October 1st through February 28th, and in the case of the Tellico, the normally required daily fishing permit is not required. On both streams, however, a valid Tennessee fishing license and trout permit are necessary.
The Tellico River is located in Monroe County and delayed harvest regulations apply only to the stretch of river from the mouth of Turkey Creek up to the mouth of North River. A road follows the entire stretch and there are ample pull-offs and access points. Paint Creek is located in Green County with delayed harvest regulations applying only from the Paint Creek Campground down to the French Broad River. It too is paralleled by a road with numerous access points.
There are a few more streams managed under this plan but regulations don't go into effect until December 1st. They will be described in a future article.
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