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Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 6:02 am, the temperature outside is 33.1 degrees.
Today will be partly sunny and a little warmer than it has been lately. Tomorrow will be sunny and warm.
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PREDICTED HIGHS AND LOWS TODAY
LOCATION |
HIGH |
LOW |
TOWNSEND |
46 |
30 |
GATLINBURG |
45 |
30 |
ELKMONT |
41 |
28 |
CADES COVE |
43 |
29 |
NEWFOUND GAP |
36 |
24 |
MOUNT LECONTE |
28 |
19 |
CHEROKEE |
46 |
28 |
SMOKEMONT |
40 |
27 |
BRYSON CITY |
47 |
26 |
MAGGIE VALLEY |
43 |
27 |
COSBY |
45 |
29 |
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Little River is flowing at 598 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 2.84 feet on the flow gauge. Median flow for this date is 318 cfs. The water temperature is 40.6 degrees and falling.
Little Pigeon River is flowing at 1,080 cfs, 2.91 feet, compared to median flow of 659 cfs.
Oconaluftee River is flowing at 1,150 cfs, 2.7 feet, and that compares to median flow of 541 cfs. The water temperature is 38.3 degrees and falling.
Tellico River is flowing at 656 cfs, 2.47 feet, which compares to median flow of 314 cfs.
Cataloochee Creek is flowing at 260 cfs, 3.13 feet, compared to median flow of 118 cfs. The water temperature is 36.9 degrees and falling.
Stream flows are still high. If you go, be careful wading. Water temperatures are cold, especially in the high elevations. They will warm some today and tomorrow. I think fishing will be slow but you may catch a trout or two.
I would use heavily weighted nymphs or streamers. Get your flies down near the stream bottom.
There is a chance you will see a blue wing olive hatch or other aquatic insects on the water. I really don’t think you will enjoy dry fly action today, but there is a chance, or at least a hope.
We have noticed more fly tyers are buying small jig hooks, those that are designed for euro type fishing, or what I call, “high sticking”.
We have also noticed fly tyers are buying more tungsten slotted beads, that are used on these hooks. The slot allows the bead to be mounted perfectly, on a jig style hook. Flies tied this way are less likely to snag the stream bottom, because the hook is more likely to ride up.
We stock these hooks from two manufacturers, Daiichi and Fulling Mills. I will be ordering this style hook from Umpqua on the next order in several sizes.
Paula and I attended a ceremony yesterday, for our nephew Jonathon. Jonathon achieved the rank of Eagle Scout. Paula and her sister prepared the food for about 50 people who attended. Our niece, Hope, designed and built a wonderful display in his honor. It was a very well done event, and emotional at times. Some of his teachers were there, other scouts, including Eagle Scouts, friends and family.
We are both very proud of Jonathon. He joins approximately 2.5 million young American men, who have achieved this rank, which was first awarded by Boy Scouts of America in 1912.
Only 4% of Boy Scouts become Eagle Scouts. I talked to the troop’s scout master yesterday. Our nephew was the 69th Eagle Scout he has led and mentored. He said he will be awarding #70 soon. That man has obviously spent a lot of time as a scout master. I am proud of him too.
Neil Armstrong, the first person to set foot on the moon, was an Eagle Scout.
Jonathon and Hope both play in their high school marching band. We are very proud of Hope too.
I will be at the shop today, working on the fly tying department. Then, I will come home and work on the fly tying tool department on our online store.
The fly tying department is a team effort at the shop. Almost everyone working there, is involved in this very labor intensive department. I place the orders, several every week. As you can imagine, there are many small items arriving. They have to be received and displayed quickly, so I can order again. The cycle takes about one week.
That is the only way we can keep materials, hooks and tools in stock. We also package our spooled items, which takes a lot of time. During the first three weeks of January, our fly tying business was up 44.6% over the same period last year. The fly tying tool department, which includes vises, was up 97.1%. Materials and hooks were up 28.4%. We are planning to expand the already large space devoted to fly tying.
Have a great day and thank you for being here with us.
Byron Begley
January 27, 2019
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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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Respond to: byron@littleriveroutfitters.com
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