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Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 5:52 am, the temperature outside is 36.1 degrees.

Air temperatures yesterday peaked at 64.0 degrees at the Knoxville Airport, and 64.9 degrees in Townsend.

Today will be partly cloudy and warm again. Tomorrow will be even warmer, around 69 degrees, with temperatures expected to rise over 70 degrees, Wednesday and Thursday.

Lows at night will range from the low 50’s to low 60’s through Wednesday night.

There is a chance for rain today and tomorrow, with a higher chance Wednesday.

Little River is flowing at 239 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 2.10 feet on the flow gauge. Median flow for this date is 373 cfs. The water temperature is 44.4 degrees this morning. The water temperature peaked at 45.9 degrees yesterday afternoon.

Stream flows are great in the Smoky Mountains, and they are flowing below median flow for the most part.

The water is warming and that trend will continue through Thursday. I noticed yesterday, the snow on the mountains we see from our house had melted. Snow was seen yesterday morning on the north side of Mount LeConte. That should be gone today.

The warmer streams will improve fishing this week. Fishing will be good. When the water reaches or exceeds 50 degrees, fishing will be very good. I don’t know if that will happen today, but there is a chance it will in the low elevations.

I would fish on the East Prong of Little River, from Metcalf Bottoms to Elkmont. The Middle and West Prongs of Little River are good choices. Try Abrams Creek. Try Lynn Camp Prong. Heck, try any low to mid elevation stream.

Beyond today, fishing will get better at least through Thursday. It will be overcast most of the week. Warm rain may enter the streams, raising the water temperatures. If fishing is not good today, through Thursday, I will be very surprised. I don’t expect to be surprised.

Start with nymphs, weighted. You may see aquatic insects on the water at times. They will likely be Blue Wing Olives, but other species may appear as well. Later this week, we may see early Spring bugs on the water. There is a chance you will find Quill Gordons and Blue Quills.

So, be ready for anything you would normally prepare for in the early Spring.

Weather forecasts indicate warmer than average daily and nightly temperatures through February 18th. The normal high temperature in February is 53 degrees. The normal low is 28 degrees.

I ran sales numbers for February last year, by the week. Our business was slow the first week in the month. Sales increased dramatically the second week. Sales during the third week and the fourth week, doubled the first week of the month. The numbers were similar in 2017.

That means, fishing was much better after the first week, both years. I remember when February was slow, all month long.

Paul told me yesterday, they are having trouble getting Korkers wading boots right now. They won’t be available until the end of February.

I have seen that before. I always attributed it to where we are and how our manufacturers plan their production or incoming shipments.

Where else would demand for waders and wading boots be high in early February? Where does Spring trout fishing begin in February? Not many places. These days, in freestone streams, trout fishing can get good in Western North Carolina, North Georgia, Southern Virginia, and Tennessee this early in the year. Maybe it happens in Kentucky. Fishing for trout can be good in the tailwaters, this early in the year, in the south and elsewhere.

I checked, just now and the temperature in the Catskills in Roscoe New York is 28 degrees. It is 28 degrees in West Yellowstone and they are expecting a high temp today of 30 degrees. It is 45 degrees in Montrose Colorado and they are expecting a high of 46 degrees today. Later this week, temperatures will drop to 7 degrees.

It will be 72 degrees today in Mountain Home Arkansas. It will be warm there until the weekend. I bet fly shops there will be selling wading boots and waders, like we are.

We will have good trout fishing in the Smokies this week, with fair fishing likely through February 18th, unless the weather patterns change.

But, Winter may not be over yet. We have to get through the end of February and March. We have had hard freezes in early April.

If I were you, and you live here or nearby, I would try to go fishing this week in the Smokies.

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

Byron Begley
February 4, 2019

NOTICE: Great Smoky Mountains head fisheries biologist Matt Kulp will be giving the State of the Park Fisheries Address at the Little River Chapter of Trout Unlimited's February meeting. Date: Tuesday February 26th.

The chapter meetings are held at Barley's Restaurant in downtown Maryville, Tennessee. Social hour begins at 6 pm. The meeting starts at 7:00 pm. You do not have to be a TU member to attend. Newcomers are welcome and encouraged to attend.

The Little River Chapter of Trout Unlimited has partnered with Great Smoky Mountains National Park, voluneering and raising funding, since 1993.

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