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Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 5:30 am, the temperature outside is 43.3 degrees.
Today will be mostly cloudy with a high temperature in the mid-50’s. No rain is expected. Tomorrow will be a little cooler and wet. Rainfall of three quarters to one inch is predicted. Sunday night will be colder, with a low near the freezing mark. We may see snow flurries Sunday night and early Monday morning. It will be cold Monday through Thursday and warming by the weekend.
It rained yesterday. We got .57 inches in Townsend while the Knoxville Airport reported .45 inches. The additional rain kept the rivers and streams from continuing to recede.
Little River is flowing at 519 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 2.71 feet on the flow gauge. Median flow for this date is 345 cfs. The water temperature is 51.8 degrees this morning.
Little Pigeon River is flowing at 1,450 cfs, 3.25 feet, which compares to median flow for this date of 585 cfs.
Oconaluftee River is flowing at 1,400 cfs, 2.96 feet, compared to median flow of 628 cfs. The water temperature at the Birdtown gauge is 50 degrees this morning.
Tellico River is flowing at 849 cfs, 2.87 feet, compared to median flow of 325 cfs.
Cataloochee Creeks is flowing at 310 cfs, 3.27 feet, compared to median flow of 134 cfs. The water temperature is 48.2 degrees.
What is the difference between “fair” fishing conditions and “good” fishing conditions?
I try to gauge that for most anglers, beginner, seasoned or advanced, pertaining to stream flows. I am also assuming the angler is fishing without the benefit of a professional guide. A guide could turn a fair day into a good day for many anglers.
I know, most anglers prefer Little River to be flowing below 2.5 feet. We consider 2.5 feet at the Townsend gauge to be on the high side of good. Other fly fishermen like higher water. If the Townsend gauge is reading above 2.5 feet, I rate the fishing to be “fair” for most anglers. If the flow is much higher than 2.5 feet, I rate the fishing “slow”.
The second component is water temperature. When the water temps are slightly below 50 degrees, fishing is usually fair, with some exceptions. At 50 degrees or above, fishing is usually good. At near 40 degrees, fishing is slow.
You can see, looking at Little River’s numbers, we are right on the edge, between good and fair. And, that will change slightly today, probably for the good.
Some streams are still swift. Be careful wading.
I would start today with weighted nymphs. I would fish in the lower elevations where the water is warmer. Watch for hatches, with bugs on the surface and trout feeding on them. Those bugs could be many different species, with the most likely being Quill Gordons, Blue Quills or Blue Wing Olives. Be prepared with dry flies, wet flies or emerger to match what you see.
You should be at the shop today. Walter Babb and Jack Gregory will be holding fly tying demonstrations, and talking about their fly fishing experiences and techniques. They are experts. They grew up fly fishing in the Southern Appalachians. Their knowledge about our sport is paramount. You could not learn from two better sources.
They will be tying between 10 am and 2 pm. The event is free. All you have to do is show up.
Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) has been in the news often recently. The Tennessee Valley got almost 12 inches of rain in February, the wettest February in history. TVA was founded in 1933, and began building dams for flood control and hydroelectric power. I found an interesting story on the WBIR website, showing models of what would have happened this February, if they did not have the dams to hold back water, to prevent flooding. You can see it by CLICKING HERE. This is a video so turn your sound on.
Appalachian Bear Rescue (ABR) is hidden a short hike from our home. ABR is not open to the public. It is a non-profit organization, that takes bear cubs that would otherwise die, and get them healthy again, older, and eventually returned to the wild.
Two tiny cubs, victims of flooded water in Louisiana, were flown to Gatlinburg, and driven to Townsend, to be raised at ABR.
The airplane was loaned for their transport. The pilots were volunteers. Two state agencies were involved. Now, the cubs are being bottle fed. They will be transferred to large pens, away from human contact, to eventually be released in Louisiana as young adults, able to fend for themselves. This is a great story, found on the Daily Times website by CLICKING HERE.
I’m going to be at the shop today, hanging out with you, Walter and Jack. I hope you are there.
Have a great day and thank you for being here with us.
Byron Begley
March 2, 2019
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Fly Tying Classes January, February and March 2019
Taught by Walter Babb and Brian Courtney
Beginner to Advanced
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE |
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Respond to: info@littleriveroutfitters.com
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