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Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 6:05 am, the temperature outside 63.4 degrees.

Every day, through Saturday, we will enjoy high temperatures in the 70’s with lows at night in the 50’s and 60’s. The chance for rain is low to medium during the period. Expect rain Sunday.

Little River is flowing at 421 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 2.58 feet on the flow gauge. Median flow for this date is 338 cfs. At 2.5 feet, Little River is considered to be on the high side of good. The water temperature is 55.0 degrees this morning. Yesterday, that number reached over 56 degrees.

The streams are somewhat high this morning, but they have begun receding quickly. The water temperature is perfect for trout and aquatic insect activity.

Jack came by yesterday, and told me he saw Quill Gordons on the water in Little River. The conditions are right for Blue Quills and Quill Gordons to be very active, at least in the lower elevations. Fishing conditions will improve as the week progresses. It is just going to get better, every day through Saturday.

If you go fishing in the Smokies, take some Quill Gordon and Blue Quill dry flies with you. You will need them. You may see other aquatic insects on the water, including Blue Wing Olives. You should also try Quill Gordon wet flies. You could drop one of those off a Quill Gordon dry fly to increase your strike rate. Or, swing the wet flies. Sometimes trout will take a wet fly while they are not feeding on top.

It is going to be partly cloudy today through Saturday. That is another good condition, favorable to the angler.

Some rivers are swift. Be careful wading.

Overall, we are blessed with good Spring fishing conditions in the Great Smoky Mountains.

Terrestrial insects are active too. Last night, Paula and I were sitting on the front porch, after dark. Bats were flying all around us, sometimes as close as 2 feet from our heads. We are used to that. We don’t think much about it, except, this is February. Those bats have plenty to eat and they were feeding like crazy.

Mourning doves have paired separately from their flock. Wild turkey gobblers are fanning and strutting, though I have not heard one gobble so far this year. Maybe they are practicing.

Whirling disease has been found in infected trout, in the South Holston and Watauga Rivers. Both brown and rainbow trout are infected. This is bad news. You can read more on the WBIR website by CLICKING HERE. We need to be disinfecting, cleaning and drying our gear, to keep this from spreading. Boats, waders and wading boots need particular attention.

One of our neighbor’s cows passed away yesterday morning, after giving birth to a calf. Now, we have an orphaned newborn angus heifer to raise. This calf will be bottle fed, 2 to 3 times per day, for months, from what I’ve read.

I volunteered to help. I’m buying an extra bottle and nipple today. I think we will alternate days but this is going to be a commitment. Thankfully John likes to play golf on sunny days and I like to fish on cloudy days with a threat of rain. We’ll work it out.

Daniel just called. He said customers are reporting good hatches in the Park. He said the trout are not feeding great on top. That activity will increase each day. It takes time for the trout to realize the bugs are on the water’s surface.

So, get out there and fish!

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

Byron Begley
February 21, 2018

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