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Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. It is cool and cloudy this morning. A list mist was in the air when I was outside. We are supposed to be free of the rain today but more is in the forecast for the rest of the week.
Water levels are much lower this morning but still too high for fishing in the Smokies. The gauge is giving a reading of 3.67 feet or 1200 c.f.s. The daily normal is 273 c.f.s. I've been told that the kayakers like the level on Little River to be 3 feet for a good run. We cancel our Onstream Beginning Fly Fishing Class between 2.5 and 2.75 feet. Once the water is over 2.75 feet you have to be a little creative for fishing. You have to pick and choose your spots and stay out of the water as much as possible.
Water temperatures actually dropped a few degrees yesterday. This morning the gauge is reading around 47F. Warmer days should cause the temperatures to rise. Once it stays around or above 50F for about a week the bugs should begin to hatch.
In search of somewhere else to tell you to look for fishing I checked out the release schedules on the local tailwaters. They aren't looking like a good option right now either. The Clinch River / Norris Dam is "Sluicing 5000 c.f.s. till further notice". The Holston River / Cherokee Dam is running 1 to 2 or more generators all day. South Holston Dam is "Sluicing 450 c.f.s. until further notice". The Caney Fork / Center Hill Dam is running 2 or more generators. The sluicing and spilling can deceive you if you don't know about it or look for it. The main part of the page we are used to looking at will say no generators but higher up in a different section is where they put the sluicing and spilling info.
We had a great Smoky Mountains Fly Patterns Fly Tying Class this last Saturday. In that class they learned how to tie a Quill Gordon, a #20 Parachute, the Blackburn Tellico, a George Nymph and Speck.
The George Nymph is a pattern created by Eddie George who was one of the most influential fly fisherman in the East Tennessee area. Eddie passed on several years ago. I don't think I ever got to meet him. Byron was fortunate enough to have known him. We have a shadow box of flies that were tied by Eddie. Next time you are at the Shop you should check it out.
The George Nymph. Many of you may never have seen this pattern before as it doesn't get tied by any of the big commercial tying companies. We have several sizes in the fly bin that we are getting from Brian Courtney. (the Brian Courtney of Green Weenie fame.) The George Nymph has also been called a Cotton Top Nymph (I'm not sure if that is a knock-off name) because there is a wingcase of white sparkle yarn on the back. I've heard that Eddie used the white so he could see it in the water. We don't have George Nymphs on the Online Catalog but they can always be ordered over the phone.
Next weekend we have a Beginner Fly Tying Class. There is still space to get in on the class. The price is just $85.00. It is an all day class. If you've been thinking about tying flies this is a great way to start. Give us a call to reserve your spot 865-448-9459.
At the end of March, Saturday March 24th to be exact, we are having a women's only fly fishing class. This is going to be a beginner class for the ladies, by the ladies. It is going to be taught by Melissa Harrell, Jessica Callihan, MK Resio and some others. There is no cost but space is limited to 24 women so PLEASE give us a call to reserve a spot. The class will be broken up into three sections, Gear and Tactics, Fly Casting, and Fly Tying. They will rotate through these sections for a complete learning experience. We won't be getting out in the water on this class so it won't matter what the weather does. We have some great, hardcore lady anglers in the area so if any of you have friends who have been thinking about giving fly fishing a go have them come to this class!
The rivers are likely to still be too high to fish this weekend so make plans to come by the Shop and check out the Free Fly Tying Demos from 10 am till 2 pm. Buzz Buffington, Steve Brown and Will Davis will be here. It is going to be a full day!
Have a great day and thank you for being here with us.
Daniel Drake
February 13, 2018
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