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Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 6:40 am, the temperature outside 30.7 degrees. The Knoxville Airport reported .71” of rain yesterday, while one of our local personal weather stations in Townsend only registered .52”.

That was enough rain to significantly raise the streams in the Park and helping to reduce the rain deficit for the year, so far.

The high temperature today will be in the mid-40’s. Expect high temperatures in the 40’s to low-60’s this week, with lows dipping to the upper 20’s to low 40’s. Rain returns tomorrow night, lasting through Wednesday. We may get an additional inch of rain in this weather event. More rain is expected Saturday and Sunday.

We need the rain and it is happening. This year’s deficit is 2.68” right now, and it is early in the year. We are making up a lot of ground right now.

Little River is flowing at 468 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 2.67 feet on the flow gauge. Median flow for this date is 385 cfs. The water temperature is 41.4 degrees this morning.

Most of the roads in the Park are open, with one exception being Highway 441 (Newfound Gap Road). As of yesterday morning, there was still 8” of snow on the ground at Mount Leconte and 5” at Newfound Gap. That information has not been updated this morning.

So, we have fairly high water in the streams, but they are receding. Fishing and wading is doable, but be careful wading. The streams are chilly, even in the low elevations. Fishing will be slow for a few days. Fishing could be much better this weekend, as water temperatures rise. It is too early to know for sure. Friday through Sunday will be warm, day and night. High water may be one condition to contend with this week, and through the weekend.

If you go, start with nymphs. The streams are flowing high, so you may need to use plenty of weight to get them down. You may see aquatic insects hatching, probably blue wing olives. Depending on the day you are fishing this week, trout could be rising. Be prepared to switch to dry flies, should that occur.

I mentioned in yesterday’s report that Paula and I attended the Atlanta Fly Fishing Show last weekend. At a special event, five friends of mine and I were inducted into the Southern Trout “Legends of the Fly” Hall of Fame. It was a true honor for me and my friends. You can read more by CLICKING HERE. My name is spelled wrong on the page. That happens often. I’m used to it.

Those inducted other than me were:

Alen Baker – Alen is responsible, along with others, for founding the Fly Fishing Museum of the Southern Appalachians, and continuing to expand this great museum. The museum moved from Cherokee, to Bryson City, North Carolina. A live fish aquarium building is under construction now. The aquarium will open this year. I plan to visit as soon as the aquarium opens. They will feature both trout and warmwater species. Visit the Museum’s website by CLICKING HERE.

Jim Casada – Jim was raised in the Smoky Mountains, in Bryson City. He now lives in South Carolina. Jim has written many books about fly fishing and hunting, including “Fly Fishing in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Visit Jim’s website by CLICKING HERE. We have sold hundreds of his books. He is an excellent author and speaker.  

Kevin Howell – Kevin owns Davidson River Outfitters, an outstanding fly shop and guide service located in Pisgah Forest, North Carolina. He leases private water on the Davidson River, where clients can fish for trophy trout. Visit this shop and meet Kevin. He is an expert fly fisherman, who has won many casting and fly fishing competitions. CLICK HERE to visit Davidson River Outfitters website.

Roger Lowe – Roger is a professional fly fishing guide and author, who is known to be an expert angler and fly tyer. He grew up in the Smokies, and owned a fly shop for many years in Maggie Valley, North Carolina. Now he guides out of Brookings Anglers in Cashiers, NC. You can visit their website by CLICKING HERE. Book a fly fishing trip with Roger. It will be an experience you will never forget.

Walter Babb – Walter and I have been friends for nearly 25 years. He teaches both fly fishing and fly tying at Little River Outfitters. Walter is a walking encyclopedia on the subject of fly fishing. He is a gifted angler and fly tyer. Walter makes and sells beautiful and excellent casting bamboo fly rods. He lives in Sweetwater, Tennessee. I’ve spent a lot of time with Walter. He is very smart and an excellent story teller. He always catches two or three trout to my one.

What an honor it was for me to be included with these truly worthy inductees. These guys are the “Real Deal”.

Southern Trout Magazine, and other fly fishing magazines, are owned and edited by Don and Lea Kirk. Don wrote the first Smokies fly fishing book I read. I probably read every word ten times and referred to the book often, while trying to learn to fly fish in the Park. Thanks to his book, and many fishing trips to the Smokies, before moving here, I finally learned it was possible to catch a trout on a fly, in the Smoky Mountains, after all.

Selection for these awards were made by voting on the Southern Trout Magazine website. I personally want to thank everyone who voted for me.

Have a great day and thank you for being here with us.

Byron Begley
February 5, 2018

Respond to: byron@littleriveroutfitters.com