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Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 4:42 am, the temperature is 40.8 degrees.

It will be sunny and cool today with a high temperature in the lower 50’s, falling to around 30 degrees tonight. It will be sunny tomorrow and slightly warmer with highs in the low to middle 50’s and cold again tomorrow night, around 30 degrees. Monday, through next week will be warm. Expect highs in the 60’s to 70 degrees. Nights will be warmer, in the 40’s and 50’s.

Little River is flowing at 474 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 2.59 feet on the gauge. Median flow for this date is 414 cfs. The water temperature is 44.6 degrees.

Streams in the Smokies continue to recede every day, which will continue through next week. There is an increased chance for rain later next week.

If you go fishing in the Smokies today, you will find flows higher than normal. I would go later, when the water is warmer. Weighted nymph rigs will probably work best. This is going to be another nice day in the mountains.

Lowland rivers flowing out of the mountains are flowing higher than normal but receding. Wading is probably limited depending on where you fish. I would fish in the areas that are stocked with trout and use nymphs, egg patterns and possibly streamers. Smallmouth bass fishing will likely be slow today.

TVA and the Corps will be generating around the clock at most dams today. I checked several generation schedules and saw no wade fishing opportunities. Visit the TVA website from the links below and you may find a fishable tailwater somewhere in the area.

Water temperatures in the freestone streams will warm next week. There is no doubt in my mind that fishing is going to improve each day beginning Tuesday. We should see water temperatures in the 50’s, which will be within the trout’s preferred range. Fishing will be much better and maybe good. I think you will find sporadic hatches of aquatic insects, and probably trout feeding on the adults.

Warm days and nights should continue through March 20th, according to the long term weather forecast.

It looks like Spring fishing will begin next week, finally.

The wild turkeys at our house are very active. I don’t know where the older gobblers stay during the Winter months, but they are coming out of hiding now. There are less birds attracted to our bird feeders, which always occurs just before warm weather is coming. It is about time to bring in the bird feeders until next Winter.

We have not seen a bear at our house since last Fall. It would not surprise me to see one or two next week, probably males. They would destroy our bird feeders. That has happened before. We have learned when to end the bird feeding season and now is the time.

I have never seen the shop better organized and prepared for Spring. I think we will see more customers in the shop this weekend, doing the same thing.

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

Byron Begley
March 6, 2021  

Respond to: byron@littleriveroutfitters.com