Dam Reach

Songbird, Clear Creek, the Weir Dam landing and Miller Island — four TVA sites off US 441 in the first stretch below Norris Dam.

THE DAM-REACH CORRIDOR Schematic river line · TWRA GIS coordinates (2008 records)

Clinch River Tailwater dam-reach corridor: Norris Dam placed by description, Songbird Canoe Access, the inactive USGS gauge 03533000, Clear Creek, the Weir Dam landing and Miller Island Access on a schematic river line

Three things to get right

What you hear	What TVA, TWRA and USGS actually say
“Read the USGS gauge before you go.”	There is no live one. USGS 03533000, Clinch River below Norris Dam, has no continuous data; its daily record ends 31 Dec 1993. Flow comes from TVA's Norris Lake Levels page or 1-800-238-2264.
“Minimum flow is a steady river.”	TVA writes the schedule in generators, not cfs. On 17 Oct 2026 TVA's page read outflow 20 cfs at 8 a.m. and 3,322 cfs at noon, against a predicted daily average of 2,912 cfs. What “Minimum flow only” is in cfs is not on the page — status pending.
“It's the statewide seven, no size.”	Seven, with this water's slot. TWRA: “14–20 inch PLR on all trout. Seven (7) trout creel limit, only one (1) trout may be greater than 20 inches.”

TWRA's own access records, verbatim

Weir Dam comment field: “Access to Weir Dam area. Provides wade and bank access to river. Canoe launch.” Clear Creek comment field: “Access to Weir pool at Clear Creek.” Songbird directions: “Norris Dam Rd off of US 441.” Miller Island directions: “River Rd off US 441.” Every record was collected in 2008; fee 0 on all four.

Generation sets this river, and a weir crosses it

TVA: “Water release schedules shift with weather and power demand. Large amounts of water can be released at any time.” TWRA: “Use caution below dams. Call TVA at 1-800-238-2264 to check dam discharge and generation schedules.” A low weir dam crosses the river below Norris Dam with a TWRA-listed landing beside it; know where it is before you launch above it. Whether Norris has horns and strobes: not stated on any page we read.

LIMESTONE DRIFT

CLINCH RIVER TAILWATER Access & limits

Dam-reach access sites (TWRA GIS, read 17 Oct 2026; 2008 records)

Site	Launch	Notes
Songbird Canoe Access 36.22187, −84.09051 · TVA	None — carry-in	Paved road and lot, under 25 spaces, trailer spaces under 5, handicap parking flag set, no restroom. Collected 16-May-08.
Clear Creek 36.21203, −84.07441 · TVA	None — bank, pier	Fishing-pier flag set; paved, under 25 spaces. The creek itself is closed to all fishing Nov. 1–Mar. 31 (TWRA). Collected 12/18/2008.
Weir Dam 36.20900, −84.07394 · TVA	“Landing”, to 17 ft	Restroom and pier flags set; motorized flag set; paved, under 25 spaces. Wade, bank and canoe launch per the record. Collected 12/18/2008.
Miller Island Access 36.20424, −84.08831 · TVA	Concrete, 1 lane, to 17 ft	Paved, over 25 spaces, trailer spaces 5–10, handicap parking flag set, no restroom, no courtesy dock. Collected 16-May-08.

Trout: this water's own rule (TWRA, read 17 Oct 2026)

Water	Daily	Size
Clinch River, Norris Dam to Hwy. 61 bridge, incl. tributaries — all trout	7	14–20 in PLR; only 1 over 20 in
Statewide default (for comparison)	7 any combination	None; 2 lake trout max
Clear Creek, Hwy. 441 up to the second dam	Closed Nov. 1–Mar. 31 to all fishing; bait harvest and bait-harvest gear prohibited

PLR is TWRA's abbreviation for protected length range: a trout inside the range goes back (our gloss; the guide PDF's definition was not readable). No bait or tackle restriction is listed for the Clinch River on TWRA's trout regulations page. Species stocked: brook, brown, rainbow, March through August (TWRA).

Everything else — black bass, walleye and the rest fall under Tennessee's statewide table in the 2026–27 guide, which we could not read this run: status pending. A Tennessee licence with trout privilege is required; no price is printed here.

Flow: TVA Norris Lake Levels page (observed headwater, tailwater, outflow; the release schedule in generators; next-day schedule usually by 6 p.m.) or 1-800-238-2264. USGS 03533000: 36.21563, −84.08214, drainage 2,913 sq mi, inactive since 1993. Norris Dam: no published coordinate; placed by description on the map.

Sources: TVA (Norris Lake Levels, Norris hydroelectric and Hazardous Waters pages), TWRA (Tennessee Statewide Trout Regulations page; Boating & Fishing Access Sites GIS layer, read 17 Oct 2026; tailwater trout page), USGS NWIS 03533000.
Conditions change. Check TVA's schedule or call 1-800-238-2264 before you go. Built October 2026.

limestonedrift.comAlerts and the water page

Water alerts. We email when the release pattern, the access or the regs on this tailwater actually change. limestonedrift.com/alerts/?w=clinch-river-tailwater