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Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 7:08 am, the temperature outside is 41.4 degrees.
A cold front will move across the Smoky Mountains today, bringing some rain and even snow late today and tonight in the highest elevations. Highway 441 may become snow and ice covered late today and tonight.
The high temperature today will be in the low to mid 50’s in Townsend. Tomorrow will be warmer and breezy.
Little River if flowing at 260 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 2.16 feet on the flow gauge. Median flow for this date is 396 cfs. The water temperature is 47.1 degrees this morning, down from 49 degrees yesterday at the peak.
I have been thinking for about a week, that this weekend would offer us excellent fishing. The warm front that will move in Sunday, was thought to arrive earlier. Friday and Saturday night are going to be chilly, but not as cold as it was earlier this week. Saturday, Sunday and Sunday night will be warm.
And now, there will be rain, especially this afternoon, and snow in the high elevations. This is not what I was hoping for.
I am getting mixed reports from fishermen and guides. Two good fishermen didn’t catch trout day before yesterday. I was surprised by that. Other anglers and guides are catching trout, but not like they hoped for.
The problem is the water temperature. Fishing is usually fair when the water temps are in the upper 40’s, and good when that number is in the 50’s. I expected the water temperatures in the low elevations to reach or exceed 50 degrees but that has not happened.
I am calling fishing “good” because it is much better than it has been in a while. “Fair” may describe the fishing more accurately. I am still holding out hope that fishing was good yesterday and will be today.
The hatches have been intermittent and short lived. The Quill Gordons are about gone for this year in the lower elevations. Midges are active. Blue Quills are fairly active. It is about time for Hendricksons. Some March Browns have been spotted. You may see Blue Wing Olives. Today would be a good day for them.
Everyone agrees this has been a period of uncertainty. It has been a strange Winter. The Spring hatches started early, then it turned cold with high water, and fishing slowed.
I don’t know what to expect this weekend now. I think fishing will be good in the Smokies Sunday and Monday and hopefully Saturday.
The trout tailwaters in the area remain high due to sluicing and generating at the dams. They are still spilling at many dams, including Wolf Creek Dam in Kentucky, which is an excellent trout tailwater. The Corps is sluicing at Center Hill Dam. The dams on the Tennessee River are spilling.
This has been a tough time for many fly fishermen.
Considering the total state of the trout waters in the Tennessee Valley, the Southern Appalachians are probably your best choice right now. Anglers should be able to enjoy some fair to good trout fishing in East Tennessee, Western North Carolina and Northern Georgia.
Smallmouth bass fishing is on the verge of improving in the lowland rivers. I have not been and I have not heard. Flows are great but water temperatures are chilly. I doubt if the bass are very active. A few degrees of warmth would help.
I hope those of you who are fishing here today and through the weekend do well.
Have a great day and thank you for being here with us.
Byron Begley
March 21, 2019
Respond to: byron@littleriveroutfitters.com
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