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Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. We are going to end 2017 with a cold, cloudy day. Tomorrow...the first day of a new year is going to be sunny and bright.

The water temperatures have remained steady over the last couple of days. That should help fishing today. They are still cold at about 38F. Water levels on Little River are good at 2.03 feet or 199 c.f.s. This is still below the daily normal of 299 c.f.s. The rivers are very clear this time of year so don't forget to be stealthy.

Fishing in the Smokies and other mountain streams will continue to be tough due to cold water temperatures. Fish nymphs deep. Your best time of day to fish is going to be from about noon until 3 or 4pm. The warmest part of the day will offer up the best fishing opportunities. I would stick to lower elevations, especially areas where the sun can shine on the water.

There might be some fishing to be done up on the Clinch River. Looking at the TVA site they are showing no generators in the afternoon today. Tailwaters can be a good destination for winter fishing.

We will be CLOSED tomorrow, Monday January 1. Tuesday will be business as usual, except for the challenge of writing 2018 on everything.

I finally got the schedule posted for the FREE Saturday Fly Tying Demos. You can see the schedule by clicking HERE. These are a fun way to spend a cold Saturday. We will have different fly tyers coming in to demonstrate fly tying and to talk about fishing. The demos start at 10 am and go to about 2 pm. Next weekend, January 6, things will get started with Jack Gregory. Jack is one of the best fly fisherman in the area. I'm not sure what he will be tying. It could be patterns for the mountains....but could just as easily be something to catch permit on the flats in Belize. Even if you don't tie flies these events are still a great way to learn more about fly fishing.

Fly Tying Classes have started also. The first Beginner Fly Tying class is coming up Saturday January 13. This all day class will teach you about tools and the basic techniques to get started tying your own flies. The cost is just $85 and includes everything you need for the day. There is still plenty of space available but you still need to call and reserve your spot.

Another class we have scheduled this year is a Smoky Mountain Flies class. This is an intermediate class so you have to have fly tying experience before signing up. It isn't necessary to be a professional fly tyer but Walter will skip over all the basics and jump right into tying the flies. This class is $75 and is already half full so if you are interested give us a call right away.

2017 is ending well for the Shop. 2018 is going to be even better. We are interested in your suggestions. What do you want to see in emails? What kind of events would you like? How can we do things better? Just email us info@littleriveroutfitters.com

There won't be a fishing report posted tomorrow, January 1 as it is an official shop is closed day. The report will be back on the 2nd.

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

Daniel Drake
December 31, 2017

Respond to: byron@littleriveroutfitters.com