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Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 5:32 am, the temperature outside is 40.8 degrees.

Today will be cloudy, fairly warm, with a chance for rain. There is a lower chance for rain tonight.

Light freezing rain is possible in the high elevations, mainly above 3,000 feet. Slippery road conditions are possible at those elevations.

Rainfall amounts of .44” during the past 24 hours fell at the Knoxville Airport. We got .70” in Townsend during the period.

Highway 441 (Newfound Gap Road), from Gatlinburg to Cherokee is temporarily closed due to snow and ice according to the Park’s Roads Twitter page. Additionally, Little River Road from Metcalf Bottoms to the Townsend “Y” is closed due to a rock slide and trees on the road.

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PREDICTED HIGHS AND LOWS TODAY

Little River is flowing at 479 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 2.64 feet on the gauge. Median flow for this date is 303 cfs. The river appears to have crested. The water temperature is 46.2 degrees this morning.

At Sevierville, Little Pigeon River is flowing at 800 cfs, 2.59 feet, which compares to median flow of 464 cfs.

Oconaluftee River at the Birdtown gauge is flowing at 1,190 cfs, 2.75 feet, compared to median flow for this date of 534 cfs. The water temperature there is 42.8 degrees.

Tellico River is flowing at 632 cfs or 2.42 feet this morning at the Tellico Plains gauge. Median flow is 259 cfs. The river is rising right now.

Cataloochee Creek is receding, and the current discharge is 250 cfs, compared to median flow of 117 cfs. The water temperature is 41.7 degrees.

Some streams are flowing high while other are flowing fairly high. Wherever you go, the current will be swift. Be careful wading.

Water temperatures are fairly warm, especially lower Little River. Trout may be somewhat active and feeding.

I would fish a low elevation stream where the water is warmer. And, I would be prepared to fish with heavily weighted nymphs or streamers. A blue wing olive hatch is possible and maybe likely, due to the overcast conditions and intermittent light rain expected today. Be prepared for that too.

I don’t think fishing will be good for all fishermen today, but you may catch a few trout and possibly a larger brown trout. This seems like a good day for that. I know some fishermen who will be out there today.

I will be working today, ordering to re-stock the fly tying department. That department is very busy this Winter. To keep things stocked, it requires weekly ordering.

We have a lot of Renzetti fly tying tools in the studio, waiting for me to photograph. I will have them on the online store soon. One tool is the clamp version of the Renzetti Presentation 2000 vise, something we have not stocked before. I bought several Renzetti R-Evolution tools, that will be photographed, then displayed in the tying department this week, and they will be on our online store. The R-Evolution hair stackers look awesome.

You can see the Renzetti tools I have photographed and placed on the web by CLICKING HERE. There are many more to go. I think this project will take at least a week and maybe more to finish. Every tool has multiple photos, which takes a lot of time to shoot and prepare for the web.

I have always been a huge fan of the Renzetti thread bobbins. They are all I have used for years. It is hard to describe the feel of Renzetti bobbins but I’ll try. They are smooth. The thread spool slides smoothly, when releasing or rewinding as you tie.

Tension is controlled by holding the thread spool with your fingers. You can release thread the way you do with most bobbins, by loosening your grip on the spool. As with most bobbins, taking back an inch or more of thread requires turning the spool with your fingers. But, with these bobbins, the in and out transitions are so smooth. It feels good holding these bobbins in your hand as you tie. That is the best way I can describe these bobbins.

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

Byron Begley
January 13, 2019

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

Respond to: byron@littleriveroutfitters.com