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Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 4:41 am, the temperature is 46.2 degrees.
We have a chance for rain today and a high temperature in the middle 50’s falling to the upper 40’s to 50 degrees tonight. Showers are likely tomorrow morning. Expect a high temperature near 70 degrees and a low of 55 to 60 degrees. Rain and thunderstorms are likely Sunday. Rainfall may be heavy through Monday morning. Rainfall totals in this storm may reach 3 inches to 5 inches. Flash flooding is possible late Sunday. The high temperature Sunday may reach 75 degrees.
Little River is flowing at 442 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 2.53 feet on the gauge. Median flow for this date is 340 cfs. The water temperature is 47.5 degrees this morning.
Streams in the Smokies are flowing at or above normal. Water temperatures have been rising all week. Little River’s water temperature rose to 49.3 degrees yesterday. It will be warm, day and night, all weekend with warm rain entering the streams.
Water temperatures in the low elevations will rise into the trout’s preferred range. Trout will be more active than have been in a while. Fishing will improve to fair and possibly good. Nymphs and wet flies will probably work best. Dry fly fishing may be possible.
Rainfall is the big question. There is uncertainty in the forecasts I read this morning. We have a chance for heavy rain, especially late Sunday. We could get heavy rain today and tomorrow. There is a chance the streams could be blown out and stained at times. Or, maybe they will be fine until later Sunday. The weather pattern has been described as “unsettled”. I would call it “uncertain”.
The forecast may become clearer as we move into the weekend. All I know for sure is, it is not raining in Townsend right now.
Lowland river fishing will improve this weekend unless we get the heavy rain that is possible. Fishing will be best where trout are stocked in these rivers exiting the mountains. If we do get the heavy rain, lowland rivers may be flooded before or by Monday.
TVA or the Corps of Engineers plan to generate all day at most dams in the area. I did see a short break this afternoon at Cherokee Dam and a break this morning at Chatuge. Check the generation schedules yourself from the links below. You may find something you can work with.
I wish we knew more about what to expect in the Smokies this weekend. We are now blessed with warmer water temperatures and the potential for much better fly fishing conditions. On the other hand, rain could spoil our weekend or at least part of it. I would go today. If everything looks good tomorrow morning, go then. Sunday could be fine early. It will probably be windy Sunday.
The long term weather forecast indicates warm temperatures through March 12th.
Have a great day and thank you for being here with us.
Byron Begley
February 26, 2021
Respond to: byron@littleriveroutfitters.com
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