If you do not see today’s Fishing Report, please refresh your browser to empty your cache.

Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 4:50 am, the temperature outside is 71.6 degrees.

Today will be warm, in the mid to upper 80’s. Thunderstorms are likely today and tonight. Tomorrow and Thursday will be mostly sunny with a high in the upper 80’s. It will be less humid beginning tomorrow. Rain returns Thursday afternoon.

Thunderstorms dropped rain in many areas of the Park yesterday and last night. All streams that have USGS gauge sites are flowing above normal, though none are flowing too high to fish at the moment. That may change as more thunderstorms are predicted today.

Little River is flowing at 256 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 2.12 feet on the flow gauge. Median flow for this date is 128 cfs. The water temperature is 68.2 degrees this morning.

Fish the higher elevations where the water is cooler. My favorite haunts nearby have always been Lynn Camp Prong and the East Prong of Little River above Elkmont. The further you hike, the cooler the water will be.

I have always enjoyed Fish Camp Prong, that runs along the Goshen Prong Trail. Fish Camp Prong is a beautiful stream, with populations of rainbow, brown and brook trout. The Goshen Prong Trail joins the Little River Trail about four miles upstream from the trailhead near Elkmont.

Once you reach the Goshen Prong Trail, you can hike about 3 miles further along Fish Camp Prong to a backcountry campsite. I’ve camped there many times. Goshen Prong joins other tributaries near the campsite, and holds populations of mostly brook trout.

You can catch all three species of trout in that stretch in one day, if you are willing to hike that far.

If you go today, be mindful of pending thunderstorms and rising water, wherever you go.

I would fish a dry fly, probably a Yellow Neversink Caddis, small Yellow Stimulator or a black foam beetle pattern. I would drop a Green or Pink Weenie off the dry. Of course, other patterns may work as well or better.

We are blessed with mostly great stream flows, and that has been the case this Summer, thanks to the almost daily scattered thunderstorms. Today is a perfect example. I hope this weather pattern lasts through Fall.   

The Clinch River Chapter of Trout Unlimited is seeking volunteers for the annual Clinch River Cleanup. It will be held Saturday, July 21st. This is one way to give back to that beautiful river and excellent trout fishery. Volunteers will be walking, wading, canoe/kayaking and use powerboats to get this done.

The Chapter folks appear to be shorthanded this year and your help is needed. You can read more about he Cleanup by CLICKING HERE. To sign up as a volunteer online, CLICK HERE. Please help by volunteering to continue keeping the river clean. It will be a fun day for you and all involved. Make new friends. Learn more about the Clinch River. Sign up to walk, wade or bring your boat.

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

Byron Begley
July 17, 2018