Looking for someone, anyone, who is familiar with smallmouth fishing the Little River out here is east TN.  I’ve always been a wade fisherman ( which I love) but recently got myself a kayak and was hoping to pick someone’s brain who has spent time floating it.  I don’t want to bother anyone but honestly I don’t have anyone else to talk to about it.  I know I can get out there myself but just curious of a few things.

Let’s float! Fished it two days ago 😂 

 

looked stained this morning and straight chocolate below the dam in Rockford 

59 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

Let’s float! Fished it two days ago 😂 

 

looked stained this morning and straight chocolate below the dam in Rockford 

Man! You have no idea how glad I am to hear from you!  I remember the solid advice you gave me a while back about the migration patterns when the bite turned off up in Townsend during the fall, and I was hoping you would come across this.  Sorry if I’m a little slow to get back with you,  I work at denso and I only get my breaks to respond but I would love to get to know this river better and I feel like you could really help me out.   

Yeah man anytime . I’m surprised you ever get to fish working there 😂 

6 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

Yeah man anytime . I’m surprised you ever get to fish working there 😂 

 😂 you already know.  Just got home from a 12 hour shift.  Stinks to have all this stuff and not a ton of time to use it but hey, it is what it is.  The river up here in Townsend is pretty swole, but surprisingly not muddy.  I’m sure it gets worse the further down river you get.  Still haven’t been out on my maiden voyage yet, I’ll probably look like an absolute dork so I might need some practice to keep up with ya.  I’ve seen some nice spots I’ve never been able to get to on the upper side of Perry’s mill around the sunshine bridge area and back towards the walland center, is it worth it to fish that area or would it be way more profitable to go below the dam?  I really want to fish that area behind four corners and the bridge where it dumps out from Martin mill pike.

I’ve started and ended at 4 corners many times, not sure if it’s a legal launch or not…. Haha. And it’s solid poison ivy on a cliff, not an easy carry/drag for canoes and kayaks. I would say it’s definitely worth fishing where you mentioned in walland as well, I’d be shocked if they weren’t starting to chew. There’s a good gauge for river height, volume, and temp that I check daily 

https://waterdata.usgs.gov/monitoring-location/03497300/#dataTypeId=continuous-00065-0&period=P7D

Have we talked about river Jon’s before ? 

 

12 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

I’ve started and ended at 4 corners many times, not sure if it’s a legal launch or not…. Haha. And it’s solid poison ivy on a cliff, not an easy carry/drag for canoes and kayaks. I would say it’s definitely worth fishing where you mentioned in walland as well, I’d be shocked if they weren’t starting to chew. There’s a good gauge for river height, volume, and temp that I check daily 

https://waterdata.usgs.gov/monitoring-location/03497300/#dataTypeId=continuous-00065-0&period=P7D

Have we talked about river Jon’s before ? 

 

Yea I saw where that cliff is super sketch on the Martin mill side, I looked a few times for a way I could get down there because it looks so good  and I was like I’m not walking through that.  But I would more than likely just put in at Perry’s mill or I know a place on sevierville road by the water plant under the bridge that I see people put in a lot.  I was wondering about the bite though, if they had started to move upstream yet of if they were primarily still down Rockford way.  I guess that’s what interests me most.  I’ve caught some decent ones up in Townsend and I’m wondering how far downstream they go cause unless they wait for a big flood and cross the dam at Perry’s then they have to be holed up in some deeper spots in between.  I’ve read a lot on how they migrate and it says they’ll travel quit a distance but wondering if they truly travel from up where I’m at all the way to Rockford area for the cold season.  And I know what river Jon’s is, never been there but I’ve heard from my family you can rent and stuff there.  Is that where you put in at for a float?

I’m sure they migrate some but there are more dams than just Perry’s mill, I think they live in the entire river all year, just eat more when it’s hotter in all the freestone streams around here. People catch nice fish from April-September up around walland and above. I’ve only used River Jon’s a few times when we had a big group float and somebody else was paying haha. 
 

there is a movement to take out the dam at Perry’s mill and also the one at Rockford manufacturing. It’s been in the works for years but rumor has it, it’s gaining strength. Those mill dams don’t serve any purpose except drowning people and preventing fish migration nowadays. 

52 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

I’m sure they migrate some but there are more dams than just Perry’s mill, I think they live in the entire river all year, just eat more when it’s hotter in all the freestone streams around here. People catch nice fish from April-September up around walland and above. I’ve only used River Jon’s a few times when we had a big group float and somebody else was paying haha. 
 

there is a movement to take out the dam at Perry’s mill and also the one at Rockford manufacturing. It’s been in the works for years but rumor has it, it’s gaining strength. Those mill dams don’t serve any purpose except drowning people and preventing fish migration nowadays. 

That helps answer some of my thoughts so I really appreciate that.  I know the best thing to do is get out there and find the hot spots and seasonal habits first hand but having someone with experience and knowledge really helps narrow things in my head, cause all I’ve know up to this point is from the bank.  I plan on really picking it apart and trying to map it out.  I thought about starting at Roddy though, until I get the hang of things.  Must be out of the loop big time because I haven’t heard anyone talk about them removing the dams but I totally agree with you.  Really never understood the purpose in the modern day and age, and as you know there have been plenty of tragedies.  

Brown and swole in Rockford today 

Hey - I’ll come float with you guys!!!

On 4/26/2025 at 9:40 AM, TnRiver46 said:

Brown and swole in Rockford today 

Thanks for the heads up from your direction.  Guess I’ll have to be patient.. got the itch bad though.

Always worth a shot, I’ve caught them in brown water before. Not often but it happens. 

I went to a film festival Friday night and my buddy Drew starred in a short film called “voice of the little river”

 

he’s the head of the little river watershed association 

 

 

11 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

 

Brother that is awesome!  Film and float on the local fishing hole sounds like a great weekend.  Hey, sorry I’ve been MIA the past few days i hadn’t dropped in but I’m thankful you’re keeping in contact.  I’ve been trying to study the river more and I actually got in on the upper side of Perry’s the other day for my first float.  It was super windy, not idea kayak conditions but I had the opportunity so I didn’t want to waste it.  The good news is I didn’t flip, but boy I need practice learning how to maneuver that thing especially when trying to stay positioned at a spot I wanna fish.  And it looks like you had more success than I did!  But it was a good learning experience.  Hope all is well with you and hope Rockford area is clearing up!

It definitely is, looked good yesterday on the way to and from work. Perry’s mill is where we floated Tuesday, was tough fishing 

3 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

It definitely is, looked good yesterday on the way to and from work. Perry’s mill is where we floated Tuesday, was tough fishing 

I thought that stretch looked really good with all the log jams and lay downs, but I didn’t even get a nibble.  I was pretty slow about fishing it and picking it apart but it might have been my approach getting used to everything.  I paddled up beyond the bridge and had to battle the little birds nested in it.  The swarmed me overhead and where crapping all over the place 😂.  Idk if there just isn’t enough current/riffles there or what because it is kind of slow water and it seems like on this little part of the river they like being near that faster stuff in the eddies and stream lines.  Heck I’m not sure maybe they’re still just getting going or they’ve done moved further up but I’m bout to find out.

My wife got video of those little birds and posted it on instagram 😂. We paddled up into the rapids and floated back to the dam, she caught a sunfish right in the parking lot and the smallie I caught was (i think) just above the bridge in the only place I couldn’t see the bottom 

On 5/8/2025 at 9:45 AM, TnRiver46 said:

My wife got video of those little birds and posted it on instagram 😂. We paddled up into the rapids and floated back to the dam, she caught a sunfish right in the parking lot and the smallie I caught was (i think) just above the bridge in the only place I couldn’t see the bottom 

Brother… are we ever going to get some clarity to the rivers around here? 😂 can’t plan any fishing cause it’s raining almost every day at some point and jacking the river up.

Murked up. Holston is the best right now but it’s pretty stained

29 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

Murked up. Holston is the best right now but it’s pretty stained

And looking like rain basically every day next week too.  Been trying to plan a day off to go out but I keep putting it off because the forecast.  Then I get to work and it clears up. 💀 

Always rain even when it’s not predicted 😂 

 

my neighborhood is trees down everywhere from Saturday night storm 

11 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

Always rain even when it’s not predicted 😂 

 

my neighborhood is trees down everywhere from Saturday night storm 

Yea, it was pretty bad Friday night up here in Townsend.  Worked Saturday morning and thought I was going to pop a tire going through the curves with all the debris in the road.  A lot of people had power out.  Watch all this rain then we will have a drought in the heat of the summer river will look like a stream 😂 Mother Nature messing with me.

You’re right , it was Friday night not Saturday