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Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 5:28 am, the temperature outside is 25.3 degrees.
It will be partly sunny today with a high temperature in the low to mid 30’s, falling to the low 20’s tonight. The outlook is similar tomorrow. Wednesday and Thursday will be warmer. Rain is back in the forecast Friday.
At Mount Leconte, the high today is predicted to be 21 degrees with a low tonight of 10 degrees.
Little River is flowing at 567 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 2.81 feet on the flow gauge. Median flow for this date is 302 cfs. The water temperature is 42.3 degrees and falling.
Little Pigeon River is flowing at 1,110 cfs, 2.88 feet, compared to median flow of 498 cfs.
Oconaluftee River is flowing at 1,060 cfs, 2.67 feet, which compares to median flow of 566 cfs for this date. The water temperature is 40.1 degrees and falling.
Tellico River is flowing at 623 cfs, or 2.34 feet at the Tellico Plains gauge. Median flow is 291 cfs for this date.
Cataloochee Creek is flowing at 240 cfs, 3.04 feet, compared to median flow of 120 cfs. The water temperature is 37.4 degrees this morning.
The streams are flowing much higher than normal. The water temperatures are falling quickly. I think fishing will be slow in the Smokies today, tomorrow and Wednesday.
If you go, be careful wading. The streams are swift. You don’t want to fall in when the air and water are this cold. I would also stay close to my truck, just in case. Have some dry clothes to change into if you get wet.
Nymphs, heavily weighted, will probably work best but don’t expect too much action if any. Fish the low elevations where the water is warmer. Wait a while before you go. The water temperatures are falling which can cause fishing to be slow. Maybe they will level off later today. The streams will still be cold when they do.
When water temperatures fall into the low 40’s or colder, trout are normally lethargic. Their metabolism slows and they don’t need food. Post spawn brown trout can be active even when the water is colder.
TVA and the Corps of Engineers are generating around the clock at most dams today, nearby. I don’t see any tailwater fishing options around here. Generation at some dams in upper East Tennessee will have breaks in their generation schedules today. Check them out.
We are preparing for Spring at the shop. Everyone is working on getting our inventory set for the upcoming fishing season. In some years, Spring fishing starts in mid to late February. That is not far off. It may happen again, or it may occur earlier. We want to be ready for you.
When the word gets out, that we are experiencing our Spring hatches, fly fishermen from the north take note and plan their early Spring fishing trips. Anglers in the Southeast US do the same. Those are exciting times but we never know when it will happen.
Not too long ago, when I was very young, trout season was closed in Tennessee and many other states during the Winter months. The season opened in April I most cases. Everyone looked forward to opening day. In those days, fly anglers missed some great hatches, especially in the South, like Quill Gordons, Blue Quills and other aquatic insects.
The Spring mating activity of aquatic insects is party driven by water temperature. Trout feeding activity is driven by water temperature.
We know now, when the water temperature nears 50 degrees for a few days in February or March, the bugs start coming off and the trout are feeding on them.
I have been in the fly fishing business for 25 years. Especially in the early Spring, I would keep a close eye on the water temperature in Little River. I used to go down to the river with a thermometer every day to check the water temperature. Now, we can see that information for some streams, online.
In the near future, when the streams begin to warm, we’ll know what is coming. We will be ready for you.
Have a great day and thank you for being here with us.
Byron Begley
January 20, 2020
Respond to: byron@littleriveroutfitters.com |
