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Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 5:43 am, the temperature outside is 36.0 degrees.

Today will be beautiful, sunny with a high temperature in the mid-60’s. Tonight will be warmer, with a low in the mid-40’s. Easter Sunday will be warm again. It will be cloudy, with a low chance for rain and a high temperature in the low 60’s.

Little River is flowing at 431 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 2.52 feet on the flow gauge. Median flow for this date is 346 cfs. The water temperature is 49.5 degrees this morning.

I think fishing will be good this weekend in the Smoky Mountains. The water temperature in the low elevations is beginning the day at near 50 degrees. I was afraid it would be colder.

It will be sunny and warm today. The water temperatures will rise today, and not fall much tonight.

Tomorrow should be perfect. It will be overcast. Water temperatures will be well within the trout’s preferred range. Take a rain jacket, just in case.

Flows are at the high side of good this morning in Little River, at slightly over 2.5 feet. The streams will be receding all day. Some anglers prefer lower water flows. Others do not.

Nymphs will probably work best early today. A Pheasant Tail is a good choice.

As the water warms, aquatic insects will become active. You may see many different bugs on the water. I would have Parachute Adams dry flies in an assortment of sizes. I would have sizes #12 to #18 in my box. If you see a mayfly hatch, choose the size that matches what you see. Small black caddis patterns, in sizes #16 and #18 should be in your box.

It would also be a good idea to use wet flies as emergers, if you see adult mayflies on the surface but trout are not rising to them. Drift and swing a Hare’s Ear wet fly. That pattern looks like many early Spring mayflies.

I am guessing, the water temperature will reach 54 degrees today. If it reaches 58 degrees, you will be fishing in perfect conditions.

The National Park will be well visited this weekend. Spring break and Easter combined, has brought many visitors to the Smokies. You may see quite a few fly fishermen too. With over 800 miles of fishable trout streams in the Park, finding solitude will not be a problem. Most anglers tend to fish near roads. If you take a short hike up a trail, you won’t see as many anglers.

Today is opening day for turkey hunting season in Tennessee. I talked to Will last night. His brother and two more friends are here now to hunt. They are probably up and walking around in their camo right now.

Today is our day to feed Jefferson, the orphaned calf. We take turns with John and Vicky, our neighbors. Jefferson is at least a month old. We have been bottle feeding him since birth. He is healthy and gaining weight quickly, drinking 2 gallons of milk each day, one gallon per feeding.

The milk is powdered, made specifically for calves, by Land O Lakes. We mix two, 2-quart bottles using hot water so it mixes well. Then we wait for the milk to cool to about 100 degrees and walk to their barn to feed him.  

Jefferson is playful. He is behaving like a puppy, a big puppy. When he butts us with his head, we think it’s cute. Soon, he might be knocking us down, if we are not careful. He occasionally steps on my foot and it is no big deal. Soon, that will change too. He likes to lean against me or Paula while he is eating. He slaps us with his tail, when he is happy.

This has been a fun experience for us. Plus, we have talked to John and Vicky almost every day. We have become closer friends, sharing the “Jefferson Project”. Paula and I like to fish on cloudy weekdays. John and Vicky enjoy playing golf, on sunny weekdays. That will make scheduling easier this Spring and early Summer.

Tomorrow is Easter Sunday. The shop will be closed. I will not be writing the Fishing Report.

I hope you all have a wonderful Easter weekend. I think it’s going to be a good one around here.

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

Byron Begley
March 31, 2018  

Respond to: byron@littleriveroutfitters.com