Fly Fishing - Tailwater Fishery

steelyhead17 · Newbie Joined: May 14, 2006 Posts: 6

I was just wondering what someone means when they say that the creek or river is a tailwater fishery. If someone could pleas explain what this means i would be greatly appreciated.

Marcel_Karssies · Posted: Mon Aug 27, 2007 3:58 am Post subject:

I believe that is what they call the outflow behind a dam or weir.
Usually a fast flowing stretch of water holding trout.

jeremy · Posted: Mon Aug 27, 2007 5:31 am Post subject: great question

great question ... ya know, i never really thought about it .. but, now that you posted your question ... i guess that i don't know either ... whenever someone says to me, "it's a great tailwater fishery" ... i just think of a spot with a big dam and about 2 miles of great trout water below it .... but, maybe i am wrong? ... anyone out there got an absolute definition of a "tailwater fishery" ... i too would love to know .... great question . thx.

waterwhippa · Posted: Mon Aug 27, 2007 7:05 am Post subject:

I think a true tail water is created by a dam that realeases water from the bottom of the reseevoir as opposed to top. This keeps the water temps very consistent.

joey · Newbie Joined: May 31, 2004 Posts: 111 Location: Colorado

What whip said is true. Water is released from the bottom of a resevoir keeping the "tailwater" a consistent tempature all year long. This creates an abundance of insect life in the river. Tailwater rivers are very clear and often hold very large trout. The clarity of the water along with a lot of fishing pressure can make these trout difficult to catch.

steelyhead17 · Newbie Joined: May 14, 2006 Posts: 6

Thanks for answering my question. But if thats what a tailwater fishery means, then what does a headwaters fishery mean.

waterwhippa · Posted: Mon Aug 27, 2007 12:36 pm Post subject:

Headwater refers to the upper most reaches of a river or stream. It's the area where the river begins.

lunchbox · Newbie Joined: Mar 19, 2006 Posts: 32 Location: Utah

The water does not always have to be released from the bottom of the reservoir. Some reservoirs have selective withdrawl structures which allows dam managers to take water out of any depth of the reservoir the choose. Some of the larger, deeper reservoirs would have water coming out that is too cold most of the year, making an infertile stretch of water with very slow fish growth (similar to high elevation lakes).

Not only does the water stay cooler, dams regulate the flows (for the most part) allowing for a more stable environment.