Approximately 200 feet of Hatchery Creek in Russell County will close to fishing this week as part of an ongoing stream restoration project. The upper 150-foot section of the creek will remain open for fishing. The overall project involves construction of a 6,000-foot channel to divert the creek’s flow away from the heavily eroded ravine which introduces large amounts of sediment into the Cumberland River. Construction on the new channel will feature a naturalized course with pools and riffles designed to reduce sediment; the project is scheduled for completion in the spring.
The creek is fed by Wolf Creek National Fish Hatchery, which draws its waters from the dam at Lake Cumberland. Because the hatchery’s outflow is so cold, the creek is stocked with trout and is a popular trout fishing area. Currently, Hatchery Creek forms a T-intersection with the eroded ravine. Contractors will build a temporary shortcut to allow the creek to flow into the ravine just downstream of its current confluence. This shortcut, once completed, will be open for fishing while contractors rebuild the T-intersection as part of the new creek channel. The upper ravine will be closed to access during the project. The lower section of the ravine will otherwise remain open to angling.
This story is a reprint from Southern Trout Newsletter written by my good friend Don Kirk.