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Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 4:55 am, the temperature is 48.6 degrees.

There will be scattered rain showers early today, then gradual clearing later and a high temperature in the middle 40’s. Lows tonight will be in the upper 20’s. It will be partly cloudy tomorrow with a high in the upper 40’s with lows in the lower to middle 30’s overnight.

Little River is flowing at 437 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 2.53 feet on the gauge. Median flow for this date is 319 cfs. The water temperature is 45.7 degrees this morning.

Stream flows in the Smokies are at or slightly higher than normal. Water temperatures are chilly but stable for now.

Fishing in the mountains will not be very good however you may catch a trout or two by using weighted nymph rigs. They streams are chilly but with the temperatures in the mid-40 in some, you have a chance. You also have a chance to catch a post-spawn brown trout. Fish in the lower elevations where the water is warmer.  

Lowland river fishing for stocked trout may not be great, but they can be caught. Nymphs are good fly choices. You may want to try egg patterns as well.

Tailwater fishing might be good if you can find a suitable generation schedule to work with. I am clicking through the list now. There appears to be a break in generation at Center Hill Dam this afternoon. I never know if I can believe that one because sometimes, sluicing is not reported. If you fish there, you may know.

There is a break in the schedule at South Holston Dam this afternoon. I did not see others but I didn’t check every one. If you are boating or floating with a guide, there are more options. Check the TVA site yourself to see what your options are before going.

Now I am looking at the long term weather forecast, hoping for 60+ degree days and warm nights that will improve fishing. I don’t see any. This is January. Expect highs in the 40’s with lows in the 20’s and low 30’s through the 19th. I see the word “snow” mentioned but we probably will not see much if any in the valley unless the forecast changes and it may. We should get snow in the mountains during the next 10 days.

Business is slow at the shop, which is expected now that the holidays have passed. It will be like this until at least February.

Will and I will be ordering and stocking the fly tying department today and all week long. Our suppliers have been slow to respond because they have been closed often during Christmas and the New Year holidays. On top of that, the shippers have been playing catch-up from the holiday rush. Hopefully orders that were placed before Christmas will arrive today. Orders that were placed last week will arrive this week.

In a week or so, the fly tying department should be re-stocked to a very high level. I placed the largest Wapsi order yesterday that I can remember.

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

Byron Begley
January 5, 2021   

Respond to: byron@littleriveroutfitters.com