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Blueways

According to Wikipedia a Blueway is "a water path or trail that is developed with launch points, camping locations and points of interest for canoeists, paddle boarders and kayakers. Blueways are typically developed by state, county or local municipalities to encourage recreation, ecological education and preservation of wildlife resources.  Blueways are usually developed in quiet still water linear bodies of water that are absent of motor powered boats."

We have a lot of Blueways in the Upper East TN area.  I am going to be hitting some of these this summer for some kayaking, fishing, and camping adventures.  Look for my reports on each one as I get to them.

Pellissippi Blueway:

http://web.eecs.utk.edu/~dunigan/blueway/
Google Maps Link (http://web.eecs.utk.edu/~dunigan/blueway/googlebw.php)

Tellico Blueway:

http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/may/31/tellico-water-trail-offers-a-spot-for-people/

Google Maps Link (https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?client=firefox-a&channel=s&ie=UTF8&t=h&oe=UTF8&msa=0&msid=113537330788595960843.0004861c7c2cf0cafd96c)

French Broad Blueway:

http://www.discoveret.org/chota/blueway/fbrbguide.pdf (From the CHOTA Canoe Club)

Tennessee River Blueway:

http://canoetennessee.com

Holston River:

While not a Blueway, the Holston River is a great river to float and offers several access point between Cherokee Dam and Downtown Knoxville.  See (http://www.tn.gov/twra/gis/HolstonRiver.html) for access points.  I usually access the Holston just below Cherokee Dam.  Below are a couple of videos from one of the times we floated the Holston.

TWRA - Region 4Waterways Maps:


These are pretty useful river/waterway access maps for the rivers in this area - http://www.tn.gov/twra/gis/Region4_Waterways.html.

CHOTA Canoe Club Information:
http://www.discoveret.org/chota/
http://www.discoveret.org/chota/blueway/blueway.htm

Kayaks for Fishing

I think that kayaks are a great way to get to fishing areas where few people can get to, have fun on the river, and get a bit of a work out at the same time.  I use kayaks from Wilderness Systems.

This is my 12 foot commander.  This is a great fishing kayak.  It's open faced and has a seat that can be taken out.  I take it out and use it to sit on the bank.  Beats sitting on the rocks.  The spaces in the front and back are great to store gear and it has a rail system where you can add gear such as rod holders.  This is also a very stable kayak and I have been told you can stand up in it, but I don't do that.

This is my 10 ft Pungo.  This is also a good fishing kayak.  It's light and stable.  It doesn't have as much storage space as the Commander does and you have to strap your fishing poles to the side with the straps, but it does have a great compartment in the rear to store gear.