Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 4:51 am, the temperature is 60 degrees.
It will be cooler today with a high temperature around 60 degrees and a low tonight in the upper 40’s. Showers are likely tonight. Rain is predicted tomorrow, with a high in the upper 50’s and a low in the high 40’s. Sunday will be warmer with a chance for showers. The high temperature will be in the low to middle 60’s. More rain is predicted Monday with a high in the low 70’s.
Little River is flowing at 315 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 2.35 feet on the gauge. Median flow for this date is 350 cfs. The water temperature is 55.6 degrees this morning. Yesterday, the water temperature rose to 58 degrees.
Most streams in the Smokies are flowing near normal. Water temperatures are warm and well within the trout’s preferred range. Fishing is good. I talked to several customers yesterday and each one reported good fishing.
Anglers are seeing some aquatic insects on the water, including caddis, midges, blue wing olives and blue quills. I did hear of a few sightings of quill gordon mayflies. There have been no reports of large hatches that I heard.
Trout are taking dry flies but most anglers are probably doing better using nymphs. That could change today. If you go, be prepared for anything.
Fishing is very good for stocked trout in the lower elevations. Nymphs will likely work best for you, but you may encounter trout feeding on the surface during a hatch.
Spring fly fishing has arrived early this year. The long term weather forecast indicates warm temperatures will linger through early March.
TVA and the Corps of Engineers will be generating, sluicing or spilling all day at each dam I checked this morning. If you are hoping to fish on a tailwater today, check the TVA website from the links below to see if you can find suitable flows.
Jack Gregory will be holding a Free Fly Tying Demonstration at the shop tomorrow between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm. This is a demonstration and a chance to get to know Jack, something you should not miss. I think he is the best fly fisherman I have fished with and we have fished together a lot. He is also an excellent fly tyer. Jack will be tying his favorite Spring patterns for fishing in the Smokies where he grew up fishing since he was a youngster.
Justin Pugh will be demonstrating Sunday between 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm. Justin is a professional guide at Blackberry Farm and Blackberry Mountain resorts in Walland. He and the other guides he works with are avid fly tyers. I see them often in the shop and learn from the time spent with them. They are all experts and very nice people.
You do not need a reservation to attend these free demonstrations. Just show up and the shop and learn from these guys.
Have a great day and thank you for being here with us.
Byron Begley
February 24, 2023
Respond to: byron@littleriveroutfitters.com
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