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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 44.2 degrees.

Rain will end this morning. Almost one inch fell during the past 24 hours in Townsend. Today’s high temperature will be in the upper 40’s. More rain is predicted tomorrow.

Little River is flowing at 944 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 2.91 feet on the gauge. Median flow for this date is 316 cfs. The water temperature is 50.2 degrees this morning.

I do not know how much rain fell in the Park last night, but all the streams that have USGS gauges are rising.

Between 3 and 7 inches of rain is predicted over the next few days. Flash flooding is possible. Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is preparing for the rain, by sluicing, spilling and generating, to create water storage in the reservoirs. This is not good news for anglers. You can read more on the WBIR website by CLICKING HERE.

My best guess is, fishing conditions will be poor in the Smokies today, with high water being the cause. If the Park got as much rain as we did in Townsend, the rivers will continue to rise to high levels.

TVA’s tailwaters are flowing very high today and that will continue indefinitely.

If you go fishing in the Smoky Mountains today, expect high and possibly stained water. You could stand near the bank and high stick nymphs or streamers. If you go, be careful.

Today will be a good one to visit the shop. Guide Josh Pfeiffer and Jimmy Jones will be tying and talking about their fly fishing experiences. This event is free. All you have to do is show up. They will be demonstrating between 10 am and 2 pm.

Jimmy is an excellent fly tyer and an avid Smokies fly fisherman. I have watched him tie. He is good. If you enjoy fly fishing in the mountains, come to the shop to watch and talk to him.

Josh guides for trout and warmwater species in our area. His passion is fly fishing for smallmouth bass. He is also an excellent trout guide. He teaches at our fly fishing school. You can visit his newly updated website by CLICKING HERE. He partnered with Gary Troutman, another great guide in our area. I have fished with both of them, and Josh several times. They are experts.

Little River Road will be repaved this year beginning next week, weather permitting. The entire stretch, between the Townsend “Y” to Sugarlands will be subject to traffic delays throughout the Summer and early Fall, on weekdays only. The work will cease at noon on Fridays and start again Monday mornings. You can read more on the Daily Times website by CLICKING HERE.

It is good to be home. Paula and I spent the past week at Sea Pines on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. We took our bicycles and rode every day. We had a great time.

I have been riding bicycles for over 60 years. I never bought those black, tight fitting and padded shorts until week before last, when I bought a pair at Cycology Bike Shop in Maryville. Those things make a huge difference. I wore baggy shorts or long pants over mine. My backside didn’t get sore like it used to.

I also spent a lot of time re-learning the sunglasses business. I used to do the ordering for that department years ago. Now, I’m doing it again. It began by reading the catalogs and visiting manufacturers websites. Next, I built a spreadsheet with a list of every model from two manufacturers.

We have a new point of sale computer system (POS), that operates on a remote server. Now, I can see everything that is going on at the shop, in real time, from anywhere there is an internet connection. Each sunglass and reader was entered into the POS from Sea Pines. I set them all to re-order automatically. So, once a week, I can re-order in minutes, from home or anywhere.

I placed a large order with Fisherman Eyewear, a company in California who I used to buy from and did well. Most of their sunglasses sell for about $20. They are shipping us a new display. I also ordered from Suncloud. Their sunglasses sell for about $50. I’m looking at Smith right now. Polarized sunglasses have changed over the years. The technology has improved. We are seeing more models with mirrored lenses.

Next, I will put the new sunglasses on our online store. That department will be turned off until the new sunglasses arrive. When they come in, I’ll flip the switch so you can see and buy them. We have never sold sunglasses online. We will need to order some new shipping boxes for eyewear.

So, that is how I spent my week off, working, biking with Paula and eating her great meals. We only ate out once the entire week.

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

Byron Begley
February 16, 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: info@littleriveroutfitters.com