Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. The sun is rising this morning as I'm writing this report. The sun rises every morning but lately here in East Tennessee actually getting to see the sun has been a special treat lately.

We are looking ahead to a dry, sunny week here in the Smokies. It is a welcome sight. Since December 1 we have recorded 8.62 inches of rain at the airport. This is over 5 inches above normal. I know drought is not a good thing....but a little less rain would be nice for a bit.

Updating the highs and lows on the chart below it is going to be a very nice day around the region today. Temperatures are above normal and very comfortable. It will be a great time to be outside.

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PREDICTED HIGHS AND LOWS TODAY

US 441/Newfound Gap Road over the mountains is currently closed due to ice and snow. The Little River Road from the Y to Metcalf Bottoms is still closed. I haven't heard the actual cause but it must be a rock slide or downed trees. You can access the upper part of the river and Elkmont Campground by going in the Wear Cover Entrance (Lyon's Spring Road).

The Little River is flowing at a gauge height of 3.12 feet or 801 c.f.s. This is higher than the daily normal of 303 c.f.s. Water temperatures cooled overnight to 46.76 F. With today's sun and warmer temperature the water should warm and conditions will improve.

Water levels around the region are very high. Checking the TVA site for dam releases looks like all the tailwaters are either generating, sluicing, spilling or a combination of the three. Even though some of the charts show no generation looking higher on the page will show the rate of water flow not running through the power generators.

A few adventurous anglers braved the high waters in the mountains yesterday. They did surprisingly well considering the conditions. One came back and had caught five. The fly of the day for him was a Barbie Bug. If our parking lot was any indication, a worm pattern was a good choice. The ground is so saturated that worms were coming out in droves.

Kris Nichols showed me a photo yesterday of a beautiful rainbow he caught on the lower reaches of the Middle Prong. It measured out at 17 inches. Don't let any one convince you that there are only small trout in the Smokies.

If you head to the river today nymphs are going to be your best bet. Worm patterns like Barbie Bugs, San Juan Worms, Squirmy Worms etc are a good choice. The classic nymphs such as Prince Nymphs, Tellico Nymphs and Pheasant Tails are also good choices. Don't be afraid to try some larger flies also like Pat's Rubberlegs.

We had a great time yesterday watching Melissa and Dave Harrell tying flies. If you haven't ever been able to make it to one of our Free Fly Tying Demos on Saturdays you should really try to come by. Especiallly when the water conditions aren't ideal it is a fun way to spend a winter day.

Be careful if you head to the mountains today. Have a great day and thank you for being here with us.

Daniel Drake
January 6, 2019

Fly Tying Classes January, February and March 2019 Taught by Walter Babb and Brian Courtney Beginner to Advanced CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

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