Below a dam the release is the number that matters: the operator's observed release and published schedule are in the readings below, exactly as published.
The Clinch River is a tailwater in Tennessee, listed as Tailwater trout fishery by Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (official Tennessee Fishing Guide, eRegulations edition).
1 guide and 1 shop nearby are listed here.
The Clinch River looking south from Norris Dam, Tennessee. Photo: Brian Stansberry, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Clinch River is a tailwater in Tennessee.
Start from the agency's public access map. Nothing on this page grants or implies access: check the agency map, posted signs and landowner permission before you fish.
Nothing on this page grants or implies access.
Restrooms within 2 miles of Clinch River in a straight line, nearest first, with what anglers found when they went. The map says a restroom is there, not whether it is clean or open today.
Map of 2 restrooms near Clinch River
Skip the map; every place is in the list belowMap of 2 restrooms near Clinch River, numbered as in the list, with the water’s point marked.
Not rated yet — be the first to tell other anglers if it's clean.
Mapped on OpenStreetMap · see or fix it on the map
Not rated yet — be the first to tell other anglers if it's clean.
Mapped on OpenStreetMap · see or fix it on the map
Restroom locations and map details: © OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database License, read Oct 24, 2026. Ratings, answers and photos are members' own; who shared them is never shown, and every photo is reviewed before it appears. Visits older than 18 months no longer count. Distances are straight-line miles, not driving. Nothing here grants access to private land. Community guidelines.
Freestone riverAbrams Creek near the trailhead, Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Photo: Scott Basford (Blinutne), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Tennessee · about 43 mi
Freestone riverLittle River at Three Forks, Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Photo: Brian Stansberry, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Tennessee · about 43 mi
Freestone riverThe West Prong of the Little Pigeon River at the Old Mill dam, Pigeon Forge. Photo: Brian Stansberry, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Tennessee · about 47 mi
Special-regulation trout waterRepresentative photo · not Clear CreekThe lower Hiwassee River at Charleston, Tennessee (downstream of the trout tailwater). Photo: NPS National Trails Office, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Not Clear Creek.
Tennessee · about 2 mi
Tailwater trout fisheryRepresentative photo · not Holston RiverThe Watauga River at Sycamore Shoals, Elizabethton, Tennessee. Photo: Jan Kronsell, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Not Holston River.
Catch and releaseRepresentative photo · not Rock CreekWolf Creek Dam from the air, with Lake Cumberland behind it and the Cumberland River tailwater flowing away below. Photo: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Flickr Not Rock Creek.
Kentucky · about 44 mi
Seasons, limits, special regulations and closures for each reach are on the agency pages below. Read them before you go.
Each comes from the agency's own published list; where the list names a reach it is quoted. A designation applies to the listed reach, not necessarily the whole water. Listed in the finder under trout.
On the Tailwater Trout (TWRA-stocked tailwaters below dams) list (Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (official Tennessee Fishing Guide, eRegulations edition), read 2026-10-16). All waters with this designation
On the Special Trout Regulations (incl. Tellico-Citico Permit Areas) list (Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (official Tennessee Fishing Guide, eRegulations edition), read 2026-10-16). All waters with this designation
Measured from the NHDPlus High Resolution (flowlines and waterbodies) (U.S. Geological Survey, read 2026-11-04) for this water’s own mapped feature. Rounded figures; they describe the channel, not today’s conditions.
Areas the Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), public access (U.S. Geological Survey, Gap Analysis Project, read 2026-11-05) lists as owned or held in easement and open to the public, crossed by the mapped channel. Boundaries are mapped, not surveyed. Nothing on this page grants or implies access: check the agency map, posted signs and landowner permission before you fish.
1.6 of 254.8 mi on public land
Nothing on this page grants or implies access.
Listings marked Unclaimed are built from open map records and the business's own website: confirm licensing, rates, dates and hours directly.
1 guide name it on their website
Knoxville, TN · 18 mi
Float trips · Wade trips · Clinch River
Names this water
What 1 nearby guide website mention: what guides advertise, not a survey or a promise of what you will catch.
Named on 1 nearby guide website
17 hatches charted for the region, not measured on this water. From North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission.
Midges (all year) · Blue-winged olive (February to March, May, October to December) · Early black stonefly (February to March, October to December) · Blue Quill (March to April) · Quill Gordon (March to April) · Black caddis (April to May) · and 11 more on the chart
None of our destination hubs is within 40 miles in a straight line. The trip planner builds a trip around the water itself: the guides and shops listed within 40 miles of it, its gauges and its nearest towns and airports.
No hub within 40 miles
A practical checklist for fly fishing small mountain trout streams: a short 3–4 weight rod, light line, a few buoyant dries and simple wet-wading gear, with estimated prices and where to buy.
7′6″–8′6″ rod, 3–4 weight, floating line · Brook, cutthroat, rainbow and brown trout
Open the checklistSeams, shelves and soft water, shown on real rivers.
Public YouTube videos from established channels, chosen by us to support this page. Not sponsored; the creators are not affiliated with Legendary Fly Gear.
Not sponsored All videos on reading water
Indicator rigs, depth and detecting the take.
Public YouTube videos from established channels, chosen by us to support this page. Not sponsored; the creators are not affiliated with Legendary Fly Gear.
Not sponsored All videos on nymphing
Trip stories anglers chose to share publicly and tagged with Clinch River.
No stories from here yet.
Not a statement of access, fish presence or conditions.
A water page organises discovery. It does not assert public access, legal access, current fish presence, guide availability or fishing conditions.
Flows, gauge statistics and flood stages come from USGS and the National Weather Service when the page is shown. Regulations, stocking, species and season statements link to the agency that publishes them; this page copies only the species names and the quoted sentences. Guide and shop listings come from the Legendary directories. Position: the USGS site record CLINCH RIVER BELOW NORRIS DAM, TN. Water type is our own classification.
Tennessee Valley Authority
Norris Dam, at the head of the Clinch tailwater
Average for the hour ending Nov 5, 6:00 PM EST · Tennessee Valley Authority data as published
| When (as published) | Generators |
|---|---|
| 11/05/2026 | |
| 1 AM - 9 AM EST | 0 |
| 9 AM - 10 AM EST | 1 |
| 10 AM - 4 PM EST | 0 |
| 4 PM - 5 PM EST | 1 |
| 5 PM - 9 PM EST | 2 or more |
| 9 PM - 10 PM EST | 1 |
| 10 PM - Midnight EST | 0 |
| 11/06/2026 | |
| Midnight - 9 AM EST | 0 |
| 9 AM - 10 AM EST | 1 |
| 10 AM - 4 PM EST | 0 |
| 4 PM - 5 PM EST | 1 |
| 5 PM - 9 PM EST | 2 or more |
| 9 PM - 10 PM EST | 1 |
| 10 PM - Midnight EST | 0 |
| 11/07/2026 | |
| Midnight - 1 AM EST | 0 |
TVA: “Water release schedules can change without notice due to unanticipated weather changes or power system requirements.” Next-day schedules are usually posted by 6 p.m.
TVA's daily forecast forecast average outflow 11/05/2026: 1,615 ft³/s; 11/06/2026: 1,500 ft³/s; 11/07/2026: 1,500 ft³/s. Updated by TVA at least daily; not a promise of flows.
Generation scheduled 9 AM - 10 AM EST on 11/05/2026 (1 generator); 4 PM - 5 PM EST on 11/05/2026 (1 generator); 5 PM - 9 PM EST on 11/05/2026 (2 or more generators), and later windows in the schedule: expect rising water downstream; check the release schedule before wading.
“Dams, powerhouses and locks can release large amounts of water with little warning.” Steer Clear of Dam Dangers (Tennessee Valley Authority)
Norris Dam: lake levels and releases Data source (Tennessee Valley Authority)
Dam releases and lake levels are the operators' own provisional numbers, shown as published; observations refresh at most every 15 minutes and schedules hourly. Schedules can change without notice.
Checked Nov 5, 6:18 PM EST; readings refresh at most every 15 minutes and statistics daily. Provisional USGS data can be revised. Conditions change: re-check before you go. This is general guidance, not a fishing forecast, a safety guarantee or a statement about access.
Freestone riverAbrams Creek near the trailhead, Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Photo: Scott Basford (Blinutne), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Tennessee · about 43 mi
Freestone riverLittle River at Three Forks, Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Photo: Brian Stansberry, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Freestone riverThe West Prong of the Little Pigeon River at the Old Mill dam, Pigeon Forge. Photo: Brian Stansberry, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Special-regulation trout waterRepresentative photo · not Clear CreekThe lower Hiwassee River at Charleston, Tennessee (downstream of the trout tailwater). Photo: NPS National Trails Office, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Not Clear Creek.
Tennessee · about 2 mi
Tailwater trout fisheryRepresentative photo · not Holston RiverThe Watauga River at Sycamore Shoals, Elizabethton, Tennessee. Photo: Jan Kronsell, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Not Holston River.
Catch and releaseRepresentative photo · not Rock CreekWolf Creek Dam from the air, with Lake Cumberland behind it and the Cumberland River tailwater flowing away below. Photo: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Flickr Not Rock Creek.
Kentucky · about 44 mi
