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Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 5:19 am, the temperature outside is 57.2 degrees.
More rain fell yesterday and last night. Rainfall at the Knoxville Airport totaled .47 inches while in Townsend, 1.05 inches fell during the past 24 hours.
Showers are likely again today, with thunderstorms possible late this afternoon. It will be cooler today, with a high in the mid-60’s. Showers and thunderstorms are likely again tomorrow and Friday. The chance for rain diminishes somewhat this weekend.
Little River is flowing at 1,300 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 3.72 feet on the gauge. Median flow for this date is 209 cfs. The water temperature is 57.2 degrees this morning.
Little Pigeon River is flowing high at the Sevierville gauge. Flow is currently 2,860 cfs, 4.25 feet, compared to median flow for this date of 344 cfs.
Oconaluftee River is flowing at 1,270 cfs or 2.82 feet at the Birdtown gauge. Median flow for this date is 443 cfs.
At Tellico Plains, Tellico River is flowing at 331 cfs, 1.79 feet, compared to median flow of 203 cfs. The river is receding quickly.
Cataloochee Creek is flowing at 178 cfs, 2.87 feet, compared to median flow of 94 cfs.
West Prong of the Little Pigeon River at Gatlinburg is flowing at 599 cfs or 5.07 feet, which compares to median flow of 34 cfs.
Most streams in the mountains are flowing high with many that are not safe to wade. More rain is expected over the next three days. Fishing opportunities are definitely limited in the mountains today.
Lowland rivers are flowing high and some are likely stained. Most are probably not fishable.
I just checked several of the TVA and Corps dam schedules. I didn’t see any wade fishing opportunities in the area. You might check yourself from the links below and find a fishable tailwater.
Tourists are returning to the Smoky Mountains. There will be many visitors to our towns and the Park this weekend. Those of us who live near Townsend know, black bears live here and they can be pests if we are not careful with food. Bears are always looking for food. If they get food from people, they come back for more. And, to make matters worse, bears are expanding their range. The population is growing according to biologists.
Visitors often do not understand that a fed bear is a dead bear. Bears that are habituated to humans and human food, may have to be euthanized. Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency spends time and money trying to educate people who live in or visit bear country. CLICK HERE to watch a video and read the story that has been repeated many times on the WBIR website.
Fishing and gardening have become very popular due to the virus. Less people are working. More people want to get outside. Yesterday I mentioned an article I read about the heightened interest in fishing and how bait shops are having a hard time finding bait to sell. Demand has exceeded supply.
We have a small spin fishing department in our store. The department has been moved around in our shop for 25 years. It has always been here. That department is especially busy during the tourist season. We sell tackle to adults for their own use and for their children’s use. We do not sell bait so until I read the article, I had no idea what is going on out there, until yesterday.
I do the buying for that department. A week ago, I ordered twenty spin fishing outfits from our distributor. The company is huge, with distribution centers in several locations in America and one in Canada. I expected to get those outfits yesterday. I checked our order online and learned, it was delayed. I called the distribution center in Minnesota and learned, they are a month behind on filling orders. What usually takes a week, now takes four weeks.
One reason is, demand is extremely high. And, the center in St. Cloud cut their staff by 50%, for protective distancing reasons. I called another company we buy from. They are behind because the factory that makes some of their products was shut down temporarily. I placed an order with them over a week ago and it will be shipped to us today.
Fly fishing gear has been much easier to get, thankfully. Some fly tying materials have been in short supply. One of our fly tying suppliers reduced their staff in Oregon for protective distancing reasons. They have the materials. They just can’t get it packaged quickly enough to keep the supply chain flowing. I used to order from them every other week. Now, I will be ordering weekly. Some fly tying hooks we sell, that are made in Japan, are impossible to get right now.
Have a great day and thank you for being here with us.
Byron Begley
May 20, 2020
Respond to: byron@littleriveroutfitters.com |
