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Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 5:33 am, the temperature outside is 68.7 degrees. It is raining this morning. The weather radar indicates a small band of heavy rain will reach us in a few minutes.

It will rain off and on today, and there is a chance for thunderstorms this afternoon. The chance for thunderstorms will be lower tomorrow, then increase Sunday.

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PREDICTED HIGHS AND LOWS TODAY

Heavy rain missed much of the Park yesterday. Townsend recorded .35 inches while 1.57 inches fell at the Knoxville Airport. That was a record for the date.

Little River is flowing at 458 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 2.57 feet on the flow gauge. Median flow for this date is 115 cfs. The water temperature is 64.6 degrees this morning.

All streams in the Smokies are flowing above median flow this morning. Additional rain today could cause the streams to rise further. You can find fishable water now, but I’m not sure what will happen later. Streams may rise and become stained, temporarily.

Otherwise, fishing should be good today. Be careful wading. You don’t have to wade in deep water to fish in the Smokies. Stand close to the bank, where you can make casts. You will do best if you can learn to cast over your body, from the other side. If you are facing upstream, on the right side of the river, cast your rod across your body, with the rod tip and line doing the work on your left side. You can cast short distances just as well, and stay out of the trees on your right. If you are on the left side of the stream, cast normal, if you are right handed. If you cast left handed, reverse everything I just wrote.

The streams were flowing higher yesterday. The Fishing Gauge read “Slow”. That takes into consideration, conditions for the average angler and the fact we were under a flash flood watch. Flash floods did not occur. Yesterday turned out to be a good day to be fishing near the bank, nymphing for large trout, especially brown trout. The higher somewhat stained water provides cover for you and the trout. You have to be careful wading under those conditions. But, you can fish and do well.

Today, the Fishing Gauge is pointing at “Good”. That means the chances are favorable to good fly fishing in the Smokies today. However, you may find conditions that are not good, due to high or stained water. Everything depends on how much rain we get, and where.

Guide David Knapp took a client into the Park yesterday afternoon, targeting big browns. He knows what he is doing and would not let his client do anything dangerous.

I talked to a lady yesterday, who is new to fly fishing in the Smokies. We discussed the need for wading shoes, but not necessarily waders. It is August. It is warm. Wet wading is preferred this time of the year. After she left the shop, it occurred to me, I did not explain wading and fishing in the Smokies well.

By wading, I didn’t mean she would have to wade waist deep or deeper. I didn’t get the chance to explain that we cast short distances, from shallow water. I told her she needed wading boots, but I did not tell her why. She needs felt soles, so she will be less likely to slip and fall even in very shallow water or on wet rocks near the stream.

Other guys in the shop talked to her and hopefully they got that point across. She will be fishing here for a month. If I see her again, I will offer more details. I suggested she hire a guide to teach her the tricks to catching trout in the Smokies, to cut the learning curve quickly.

We are not in the guiding business, but we do recommend guides who we work with closely. We do not make a commission or anything like that at all. You will be hiring and paying the guides directly. Some of the guides we recommend teach at our school. They are, Rob Fightmaster, David Knapp and Josh Pfeiffer. If you are new to the area and you are serious about learning to fish the mountain streams, you should hire a guide for the day. That can change your life forever.

If you fish today, nymphs will be a good choice, due to the higher water you will be fishing. I would use a Bead Head Pheasant Tail, Green Weenie or many other reasonable nymph patterns. You may want to add extra weight. If you are not accustomed to “High Sticking” without a strike indicator, use one to make it easier for you to detect strikes.

If you find suitable water for dry fly fishing, I would use any Yellow Sally Stonefly pattern, a black foam beetle or a small Yellow Stimulator.

It is raining hard right now, in Townsend. Heavy rain is not falling in the Park. It may later. Watch for rising water today and be careful wading.

UPDATE 9:44 AM - OVER 1 INCH OF RAIN HAS FALLEN IN TOWNSEND. SOME STREAMS IN THE PARK ARE RISING QUICKLY, INCLUDING LITTLE RIVER, LITTLE PIGEON RIVER AND OCONALUFTEE. OCONALUFTEE APPEARS TO HAVE PEAKED. YOU MAY FIND HIGH AND STAINED STREAMS IN THE PARK. FOR NOW, THE RAIN HAS STOPPED.

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

Byron Begley
August 3, 2018

Respond to: byron@littleriveroutfitters.com