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Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 4:45 am, the temperature is 19.9 degrees.
It will become cloudy today with warm air pushing the high temperature to around 50 degrees. Showers will move in tonight, bringing up to a quarter of an inch with a low temperature slightly below freezing. The rain will end tomorrow morning. Expect a low tomorrow in the middle 40’s. Saturday will be sunny and warmer.
Some roads remain closed in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Laurel Creek Road and Little River Road have re-opened. I assume Cades Cove Road, Newfound Gap Road and other roads are still closed. Snow in the mountains has not melted. The mountains we see from our home were still snow covered last evening.
Little River is flowing at 411 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 2.48 feet on the gauge. Median flow for this date is 362 cfs. The water temperature is 37.4 degrees and falling. Water temperatures are in the mid to low 30’s in the higher elevations.
Streams in the Smoky Mountains are flowing at about normal. Water temperatures are very cold. Trout will be lethargic. Fishing will be slow.
The same is true for the lowland rivers exiting the Smokies. The water is cold. Fishing conditions are not good for all lowland river species.
There are not many tailwater fishing options today, at least not nearby. TVA and the Corps will be generating at many dams all day. Check the predicted generation at Center Hill Dam. Unless they plan to sluice there, you may be able to work with that one, especially if you are boating.
It will be warmer this weekend. Water temperatures will rise. I don’t think the streams will warm enough to improve fishing much, but it could. Snow in the mountains will be melting, which can temporarily chill the water.
If you check the long term weather forecast, you probably won’t see much relief from the cold conditions after this weekend through February 18th. Winter will hang on until then unless the weather pattern changes.
If fly fishing Spring comes early to the Smokies, it will probably be late in February or early March.
We are ready. We spend our Winters getting ready.
Have a great day and thank you for being here with us.
Byron Begley
February 4, 2021
Respond to: byron@littleriveroutfitters.com |
