Duck River (Tennessee) access closed thru October

[Jack Hise]

This is an FYI for those of us located in Middle Tennessee who fish the Duck River. The access at Courtners Mill will be closed until November and MAYBE it will be open at times November thru March. We can thank those wonderful people that love to kayak the river for this.
As many as 30 vehicles at a time would take up the restaurant customers parking lot waiting for their owners to paddle down stream and take out leaving the owner no choice.

[rainbowchaser]

Of course, none of those cars belonged to fishermen. Actually it might offer them a business opportunity. One store near me offers free parking for customers but the outer part of their lot is a pay to park area for the popular bridge access they are located on. Long term parkers in the free area or without tags in the pay area are towed at their own expense and also have to pay a storage fee if not claimed the same day. I think the tow company makes more on it than the store does but they don't have a problem anymore. They may need to consult a lawyer in setting it up as to required warning signs etc.

[Ed_D]

Rainbowchaser,
The few times that I've been to Cortner's Mill all of the anglers parked in the short access path down to the river so as to leave the paved parking lot to the civilized (diners') vehicles. There were never more than a few of us on that stretch of the river at a time. The restaurant owners were clear in their agreement. We were allowed reasonable access but not to degrade their business. I feel that the restaurant owners were very fair with us and I was grateful for permission which they granted to us.

Regards,
Ed

[Jack Hise]

Ed is right. The access path/gravel road would let about 8 cars room to park and BK (Before Kayak's) I never saw a fisherman park in the parking lot. If there was no parking available you found another spot.
I forgot to mention that someone posted the owners phone number on a local paddling site with a "Call for permission" note. I think when his phone started ringing off the hook it put the icing on the cake.
I would sure like to see "Fly Fishermen Only" signs posted!

[Uncle Jesse]

Ed, You know as well as I, that invariably the citizenry will abuse a privileged unless there is someone present to prevent them from doing so.

[rainbowchaser]

I guess I didn't realize that the access was across their property. I have seen problems with popular public access sites where cars are parked across driveways, double parking to block others in or even parking in private drives during peak use times and thought they were experiencing those kinds of idiots. In Michigan the local cops can and will arrange for them to be towed. This seems to be a related breed of idiot.

[Ed_D]

Rainbowchaser,
Access to the river at the mill, just below the mill dam, is down a long, private drive and across the parking lot. Then we would drive to a rough, half washed-out path and down it to park. That is why we tried to be polite and appreciative to the restaurant owners when they allowed us to go to their property to fish.

As for cars double-parked along roadsides, the police seldom tow them. They just leave them there for the car thieves...


Regards,
Ed

[Uncle Jesse]

Looks like an opportunity for an enterprising young man or woman with a pickup to start a taxi service, pick up kayakers and their boats downstream and drop them off at the launch point, no trips launched after 4 p.m. I'd bet you a RC and a Moon Pie the restaurant operator would be agreeable.

[WarrenP]

I fished early this morning from around 7:30am to 12:30pm with Wayne and we saw somewhere around 50+/- kayakers and others in canoes come down the river past us. I asked one group of about 6 kayaks where they started from on the river and they said Cortner's Mill. I told them I had heard that you could no longer park there and they told me there was no sign stating that they could not park there, so, I do not know what the story is on Cortner's Mill. Maybe they close it to customers only parking when they have a large group using the restaurant.

[Jack Hise]

It could be they can't take out there which would explain why it was so quiet at the dam. The ones that put in there normally take out at Courtner Mill.