Melton Hill Dam Tailwater — Attraction in Lenoir City

There are CERTAIN PEOPLE who have destroyed Melton Hill over the years. It is not the same place it was back when I was a kid... roughly 20 years ago. People are overfishing, badly. Boat tours for striper are killing them off daily because they keep them out of the water too long to take pictures...dddeeerrrr.... I saw 3 go belly up.in one day, for that reason alone. Let's just say people who are not from around here are keeping and eating everything they catch. Even the small ones for fish soups and fish tacos. People are not honoring the throw-away your own trash policy even though there are trash cans both above and even below the dam and in the parking lots. Trash and dead carcasses are everywhere, leaving the park rangers with their hands full constantly to the point they can't keep up with it all. Even saw a dead bobcat someone shot and left halfway down the road going out. It's an ecosystem like any other. If people keep killing the predators (striper, bass, yellow belly stripe, crossbreeds, musky, pike, bobcats, coyote) that feed on the bait fish and other wild life, then your left with a bunch of vultures feasting on carcasses, carp and drum eating the predatory fish eggs and gunk off the bottom, and these same fish bully the game fish away from the area. I also saw more bait fish below the dam today than i have in a long time because theres not nearly as many predatory fish to eat them like there used to be. I remember seeing guys pull 40 to 50 pounders out of there all the time back when i was young. Now, your lucky if you catch a 3 or 5lb stripe bass and even luckier if an entire family doesn't harrassed you to give it to them to keep and eat... Oh, and don't even get me started on the water quality. Nothing but muck above the dam and trash and dead fish along the banks below. Something needs to be done A.S.A.P. before the entire ecosystem is...

Stopped here to look at the boat ramp but went up to the look out. The urinal stalls are a bit tight, but the rest of the area at the look out was nice. You can see some of the history of american nuclear experimentation in the distance as this is on the other side of the Clinch from Oak Ridge National Labratories. It looks like it has a nice park, and campground. It is just off I 40 past Knoxville. Easy to get to. Another nice tributary to the...

A very great place to go for a day out fishing, Kayaking, or with you boat Playing on the water. Lot of nature, trails, and of course the dam itself. There is also a Bert’s few natural area to see some special birds coming over the water, nesting etc. I did not take the time to observe it because I saw a great Baldeagle diving in the water catching a fish. Plenty of parking places, fishing spots, toilets, the whole 9 yards. Really...