Dam discharge

[fischnrod]

When you look at the TVA dam info what numbers are you looking for to have the best fishing conditions? I hate to admit it but I am dumb about this stuff. Do you look at discharge or how many generators are running or what?
I can see when I'm on the water if there's current flow but I want to be able to read the charts and understand them better. Is average flow considered during generation or not?

THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[SpeedFish]

Just do what I do and drive by a buoy and if you see swirls then your good. Lol!

 

[fishinvol]

SpeedFish - 3/7/2012 9:57 AM Just do what I do and drive by a buoy and if you see swirls then your good. Lol!

</p>

Yep. </p>

 

[Hook1]

Ditto!!!

 

[fischnrod]

That's what I am trying to avoid, I'd like to know from reading the charts and info on TVA website...I appreciate it though emoGeezer

 

[EricM]

The average flow is just that - the average for the day (or the estimated average for the next day, etc.). They may pull 40,000 cfs for four hours and 0 cfs for the next four - the average is 20,000 but means little if the flow is dead or decreasing when you're on the water. They DO tell you that the anticipated flow will be 0, 1, or "2 or more" generators for certain times. This helps me the most in my planning. It seems that each generator running is equivalent to maybe as much as 12,000 cfs (my guess), so 2 or more is (for me) the best fishing times for most species, both above the Chick dam and below it. Other dams will have different "good" flow numbers, but on Chickamauga I like to see 25000 to 40000 cfs flows.

Keep in mind that these are ANTICIPATED times and flows, and may change as needed.

 

[fischnrod]

Thanks Eric!!!!!!!

 

[THE WIZARD]

Thanks......i was wondering that myself.

 

[EricM]

Glad to help. This is really what CFF is all about!!!!

 

[SpurHunter]

Well I'll be damned....he IS good for something! Thanks for helping them folks out ya old coot!

 

[EricM]

emoGeezer emoBigsmile

 

[dragfish]

My bad- I thought he was upset about news from his doctor!

 

[rsimms]

Eric's info is good... but to add to it, at Chickamauga Dam they can vary each generator from as little as 6,500 cfs up to 11,500 cfs. Therefore the "0, 1, or '2 or more" info really doesn't tell the whole story. They could run 2 generators and be flowing as little as 13,000 cfs... or up to 23,000.

If they get in a routine generation pattern, and you are a REALLY good mathematician, you can predict what hour-by-hour flow is going to be a day or so in advance.

But for the last year, with all the rain, there hasn't been much of a pattern to generation schedules... which has been extremely frustrating for those of us who fish the tailwaters a lot.

Bottomline.... study generation schedules in advance, then make close observations wherever you are fishing, then check the hour-by-hour generation after you're off the water. Remember that if you're on the lake miles upstream from the dam, there is a significant "delayed reaction" to whatever occurs at the dam. But do that stuff long enough and you can start to put together the pieces of a complicated puzzle.

 

[elwestb]

... if you can go fishing, that's the best time! If you wait on the weather predictions or generation info form the Dam you'll never get make it. Also note, the precticted current flow from TVA, they never lie! Ha! But Eric is right, plain and simple. 40k cfs is good. I like a little more for the SM in the Fall and as the water starts cools down.

 

[MadBomber]

The only bad flow is no flow. TVA is obligated to maintain a minimum flow for water quality. That's seems to be about 12K CFS.

 

[ranger23]

Very educational info! I don't like math, so I'm taking Earl's advice and fishing whenever I can.

 

[fishnboy]

Guess that is his secret for catching all them big cats. And be sure to look a week back to.And water levels drops.I have always done good when they drop the bottom out of it.

 

[Hoggsnatcher]

also dont be fooled about what times the say a certain amount of generators or turbines will be running...this can vary greatly from there projections...remember , untill it happins its only a projection