The Clinch and Powell Rivers join in the valley of the Appalachian Mountains in Southeastern Virginia and Eastern Tennessee. The Indian nations of the time called the river “Clinch’s River” and “Pelisipi River”. Now, it is simply the Clinch River which is dammed in two locations: Norris Dam and Melton Hill Dam.
The 13 miles of tailwaters below Norris Dam river are among the best trout fishing in Tennessee. The icy waters flowing from Norris Dam never get much higher than 60 degrees or so. .
Clinch River, one of America’s premier trout streams. The Clinch is most noted for turning up good numbers of large brown trout. The state record brown trout weighing a little more than 28 lbs was caught on the Clinch River.
The Clinch flows through Clinton and Oak Ridge as Melton Hill Lake. There are numerous boat launch, docks and parks along its shores. It is also the location of one of the premier 2,000-meter rowing venues in the United States at Oak Ridge Park on Melton Hill Drive.
Downstream from Oak Ridge is Melton Hill Dam and Melton Hill Park. The dam is only TVA dam with a navigation lock that is not located on the main channel of the Tennessee River.
The Clinch River finally merges with the Tennessee River at Southwest Point in Kingston.
Southwest Point was an early frontier fort important to Cherokee Indian Nation.. A treaty between the Cherokees and the white settlers was signed there which allowed the Capital of Tennessee to be moved there. However, the Tennessee General Assembly only met there for one meeting. At that meeting they voted to move the state capital back to