Hello , Ive got an old 1940's era farmhouse within eye sight of the French Broad River in Tennessee. Thinking about offering lodging there for fishermen / kayakers.I am curious in what the interest by local or out of town sportsman would be?
what type of fish
are in the river? how prevalent are they? when are they on the bite? if you’re basing it all on fishing this matters. there are fishing camps that have barely usable potties(woman expert here) but the small mouth are huge and plentiful. would you rent rooms/ campsites/cabins? fishermen don’t care as long as the fishing is good. the more fish, the worse conditions we put up with. worse meaning less comforts of home. hope this helps
what type of fish. French Broad
Smallmouth Bass are the #1 persued species on the French Broad River. It is full of rocky shoals and difficult for propeller engines to navigate on at times. Jet boats and kayak / canoer’s havethe advantage here. You will see license plates from all the surrounding states at the boat ramps in the spring / summer and fall.
French Broad River Tennessee
potties are definitely usable.Not the taj-mahal but a neat old place to stay.Ive stayed in several like it on hunting trips.Kitchen , bath , 3 bedrooms. If you come in the summer i might even cook you something fresh from the garden!
thanks!
Here’s some things I’d wonder
1. Information on put-ins and take-outs.
2. Are shuttles available?
3. How would I get a license and what license(s) would I need?
4. What are the accomodations? Can I set up my tent (more a taj mahal campsite)?
5. How crowded is the water? Are there other liveries dumping hundreds of non-fishing drunk canoeists and tubers on the water, or is it relatively calm?
6. What’s the water like? Is it easy class 1 and 2 ledges, or is it technical water that requires some good skills?
Good luck. It sounds like a neat idea. I hope it works out for you.
- Big D
French Broad River Tennessee
Big D , This section is not heavily commercialized , that one of the reasons im thinking about this.There are many put in / take outs along the river. Fishing license are required to fish here. TWRA offers a 7 day non resident all species license and it covers trout too. If given enough notice when you were coming i could assist with shuttle or have you vehicle placed where you would take out. No problem with a tent here.The rapids arent very technical , class 2 id think? Thanks for the feedback.
Granted this was first posted 10 years ago. Does the offer still exist? Looking for info about paddling my kayak in and around Knoxville where I went to school so many years ago.
There are canoe/kayaks clubs that spend weekends having schools for learning. Check with Tennessee Valley Canoe Club and TSRA in Nashville, Tn. (Tennessee Scenic Rivers Association). Both are on internet. There are others clubs in Knoxville, Atlanta. Local colleges have clubs also.
Accommodations like tent camp and bathrooms/showers. Needing small cook sites with tables if available. Contact the clubs to see if interested.
That was a great weekend with (French Broad) I ever knew 