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Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 6:15 am, the temperature outside is 67.6 degrees.

It will be cooler today, mostly cloudy, with a chance for showers and thunderstorms this afternoon. The chance for rain continues each day, through the weekend and through Tuesday of next week. It will also be cooler through the period.

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PREDICTED HIGHS AND LOWS TODAY

Little River is flowing at 170 cubic feet per second (cfs), or 1.85 feet on the flow gauge. Median flow for the date is 115 cfs. The water temperature is a very warm 68 degrees, at the low elevations USGS gauge site, just inside the Townsend Park entrance.

You will find most streams in the Smokies flowing higher than normal today. Factoring in the expected rain over the next few days, we will see that trend continue. This has been a wet Summer. Fishing has been very good all year, except during periods of high water. The long term weather forecast indicates this trend will continue through the end of August.

September is normally much cooler than August. Historic rainfall amounts for the month have been slightly less than August. October is normally much cooler, and drier than August. We expect lower stream flows in October. That may not happen this year.

Fishing is good in the Smoky Mountains. Considering the warm water temperatures in the low elevations, fish the mid to high elevations today. Try the East Prong of Little River near and above Elkmont. You may want to hike up the Little River trail above the campground. The trout will be happy and active there.

Lynn Camp Prong is another option. Drive to the end of the gravel road along the Middle Prong of Little River. Hike along the left trail, to the cascade and a mile or so above. There you will find pure Southern Appalachian strain brook trout.

There are many mid to high elevation streams in the Smokies for you to choose from.

It will be mostly cloudy today, which is an advantage for anglers.

Dry flies and nymphs will work. I would be tempted to start with a foam beetle, with a trailing Green Weenie or possibly a floating ant. That combination works well in August. Trout are used to feeding on terrestrials. You may not be able to see the ant, so watch your larger beetle and where you think the ant is trailing behind. If you see a swirl or rise behind the beetle, a trout probably ate your ant. Set the hook!

Other dry flies will work too. It’s hard to beat a Parachute Adams or Yellow Stimulator. Trout are still attracted to Yellow Sally Stonefly patterns. Pheasant Tail, Hare’s Ear and other reasonable nymph patterns will work for you.

Stealth is important, especially due to the fairly low flows we have now. Getting a good drift is of the utmost importance. You can’t always get a good drift in these streams. The more often you do, the better the fishing will be.

This will be a great lake fishing day, except for the expected rain and possible thunderstorms this afternoon. Overcast or mostly cloudy days are awesome lake fishing days. The same is true in the lowland rivers. You might do well fishing for smallmouth bass, rock bass and sunfishes in the lowland rivers.

This will be an excellent day to fish a tailwater, depending on the generation schedules. Check the TVA website to determine their scheduled dam releases.

The water wheel at the historic Cable Mill in Cades Cove is worn out. A replacement is under construction, by a preservation expert at Great Smoky Mountains National Park. There is an interesting story and video on the subject. Visit the WBIR website to learn more by CLICKING HERE.

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

Byron Begley
August 17, 2018

Respond to: byron@littleriveroutfitters.com