Another volley today in the battle over some of the state's best fishing waters.  U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander says he'll file a bill next week to put the brakes on an army corps of engineers' plans to ban fishing near its dams along the Cumberland River.  These waters just below old hickory dam are home to some of the best fishing in middle Tennessee.  "Some of the fish get caught in them turbines and get chopped up and it's a free meal for the fish so the big fish go up there and congregate," said Paul Sibert who has been fishing the waters near Old Hickory Dam since the 1960's.
  If the Army Corps of Engineers has its way, fisherman like Sibert will soon be kept as far as a thousand feet away from the corps ten cumberland river dams in the name of safety.  Too far anglers say to catch the monster fish just below the surface.
  The issue came to a head Thursday with Senator Alexander announcing plans to file a bill that would require the corps to conduct an enviornmental impact review before spending millions to construct barriers to keep fishermen away.  "If the legislation i'm introducing doesn't work i have other legislation i can introduce.  i'm on the appropriations committee that overseas corps funding," Alexander said during a news conference at Old Hickory Dam.  Alexander said the Corps' argument amounts to closing a closing a street to vehicle traffic because there's a railroad track crossing.  He says the water only flows at Corps dams about 20-percent of the time.  "The track's not dangerous if the train's not coming and this water's not dangerous if the water's not spilling."
  The legislation Alexander promised is the break fishermen in Tennessee and Kentucky have been waiting for.  It will maintain the status quo for at least a year to give politicians in two states, the twra and the corps time to consider a compromise.  To this point, however, the Army Corps of Engineers has shown no willingness to compromise.
   The corps issued a statement Thursday afternoon saying it couldn't comment on pending or proposed legislation.
  There have been fourteen fatalities at or around Army Corps of Engineer dams along the Cumberland River since 1970.  Three of those have occurred since 2009.  The Corps announced plans to enforce distance restrictions near its area dams in late 2012.  The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and the Tennessee Wildlife Federation are both against the Corps' new restrictions.  Both believe there are other less restrictive options that would provide for safety while still allowing access to some of the best fishing waters in the Southeast.
Scott Couch, scouch@fox17.com Twitter:  @scott_couchSen. Alexander Hooks Corps. Plan to Restrict Fishing - Scott Couch