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Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 4:40 am, the temperature is 59.0 degrees.

It will be warm and dry this weekend. Expect highs in the middle to upper 80’s today and tomorrow. Lows will be in the high 50’s to the low 60’s. Monday through Wednesday will be hot, in the low 90’s during the day. No rain is expected during the period.

Little River if flowing at 164 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 1.89 feet on the gauge. Median flow for this date is 193 cfs. The water temperature is 61.7 degrees this morning.

All streams in the Smokies that have USGS gauge sites are flowing at or slightly below normal. Water temperatures are good this morning. As the days go by in the near future, you may find warm water in the lower elevations. Fishing could be best in the middle to higher elevations, later each day. Dry flies are working well. Choose a Yellow Sally Stonefly, Elk Hair Caddis or Light Cahill or small Yellow Stimulator dry fly pattern and you should do well. You might want to drop a Green Weenie off your dry fly.

Lowland river fishing is good. Water temperatures have reached the preferred range for smallmouth bass. Fish early or late when the sun is off the water or concentrate on the shaded areas of rivers during the day. Streamers, nymphs, poppers and foam floating flies will work for you.

We have many tailwater fishing options today. Some generation schedules are angler friendly for wade fishing anglers. Others are good for those who are boating. You will find a tailwater you can fish to suit your preference today by visiting the TVA website from the links below.

I’ve got a feeling the lakes will be crowded this weekend with recreation boaters. Go early or late to avoid the traffic. Fishing will also be best when the sun is off the water, another reason for going at these times. Streamers, swimming nymphs, poppers and foam floating flies will work for bass and panfish.

I have not seen the first Brood-X Cicada. They are coming! From what I have heard, they are late due to the cool temperatures we have had this May. The cool days are over for a while. Maybe it is time.

There is an app you can download, that shows you where the cicadas are emerging. It is called “Cicada Safari”. You can read more about this year’s emergence and the app on the WATE website by CLICKING HERE.

Anglers are anxiously awaiting the emergence. Trout and just about any species of fish will be going crazy when and where this happens. We have been selling a lot of fly tying materials for tying cicada patterns during the past few weeks.

I have not seen Bigfoot lately either. I may today. Townsend is hosting the Smoky Mountain Bigfoot Festival today starting at noon at the Townsend Visitors Center and the Heritage Center. A few weeks ago, I saw Bigfoot at our store, with a film crew creating promotional video for the festival. I forgot about it until a couple of days ago. You can read more about this event by CLICKING HERE.

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

Byron Begley
May 22, 2021

Respond to: byron@littleriveroutfitters.com