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Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 5:47 am, the temperature outside is 43.2 degrees.

Light rain is falling this morning. The rain will continue today and tonight, with up to 1 ½ inches possible. The high temperature today will be in the low 50’s, dropping to the upper 30’s tonight. Tomorrow will be mostly sunny with a high temperature around 50 degrees, dipping to the upper 20’s tomorrow night.

Little River is flowing at 617 cubic feet per second (cfs), or 2.87 feet on the flow gauge. Median flow for this date is 367 cfs. The water temperature is 48.6 degrees this morning.

Other streams in the Smoky Mountains, that have USGS gauge sites, are reporting similar flows, compared to median flow. Water temperatures are similar too.

Right now, the water is fairly high, not blown out, just swift. If you go, be careful wading. Stay in safe water and use weighted nymphs or streamers. Watch for hatches of mayflies, blue wing olives or black stones.

The water temperatures are not bad. The streams are fairly warm, within the trout’s active range at near 50 degrees. I don’t know what to expect today. The temperatures could rise some or maybe not at all.  

The problem I see is the pending rain today and tonight. Another dose of rain may raise the water levels further. If we get the high estimate of 1 ½ inches, the streams will be flowing high tomorrow morning, which is a holiday. If we get lucky, fishing may be fair.

TVA is flushing water through the dams to create more storage capacity in the reservoirs. Tailwater fishing below Douglas, Cherokee and Norris is not a great option today. Though fishing conditions are not ideal in the Smokies, you might try the mountains, and hope for the best.

The National Weather Service is still predicting heavy rain later this week, up to 7 inches between Tuesday and Friday. We don’t need that!

We had a great time at the shop yesterday. Jimmy Jones and Josh Pfeiffer held fly tying demonstrations. Jimmy tied trout flies and Josh tied smallmouth bass flies. I watched both for a while.

I have fished for smallies with Josh several times. We have been friends for a long time. Josh is an excellent guide, who has smallmouth bass in rivers, “dialed in”. Client anglers travel here from long distances to fish with Josh. He is a fun person to spend the day with. I highly recommend Josh or his partner, Gary Troutman. I fished with Gary last year and had a great day.

I have not known Jimmy that long, maybe two or three years. But, I have watched him tie trout flies. He is an excellent fly tyer. Yesterday, he created an extended body mayfly, with a CDC dubbed body. The wings were created using dyed mallard flank feathers. The mallard fibers were curved and attached to the fly. This is hard to describe. Those wings were so realistic. The finished fly was a work of art.

I have seen flies in photos, that were similar. Tying that fly requires intricate movement and manipulation of materials, attention to detail and a steady hand. Tying that fly would be frustrating and impossible for me. Jimmy can do it and I could tell, he has done it many times. “If a trout would not eat that fly, the trout is not going to eat anything.”

Future fly fishing anglers are already signing up for our beginner fly fishing classes. The classes begin in April. April is not that far off. We have been holding beginner fly fishing classes for over 20 years, every year. I know a lot of our customers who got their start with these classes.

CLICK HERE to see the schedule and learn more about our school. Maybe you or someone you know would love to become a fly fisherman. You can begin the journey with us.

Learning to fly fish is a journey. I began mine in 1962. Nobody learns it all. There is always something new. It is the same with fly tying. I started tying flies in 1962. I learned more yesterday. We still have some fly tying classes scheduled this year. We hold those during the Winter. I don’t know if those classes are full, but you can call the shop to find out.

Call the shop at 865-448-9459 today. We will be open from 9 to 5. You can sign up for any of our classes by simply calling.

I am going to spend the day ordering fly tying materials and tools. I do that every week, usually on Sunday. The orders arrive by Friday. Then, I order again on Sunday. You may think I live a boring life. I don’t. I love it.

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

Byron Begley
February 17, 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