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Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 5:26 am, the temperature outside is 66.9 degrees.
It will be warm today, in the upper 80’s. We have a chance for scattered thunderstorms in the area later today. It will be slightly cooler tomorrow, with a chanced for showers and thunderstorms.
Little River is flowing at 426 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 2.50 feet on the flow gauge. Median flow for this date is 185 cfs. The water temperature is 59 degrees this morning. A gauge reading of 2.50 feet is what we consider on the high side of good.
Most streams in the Smokies are flowing higher than normal. Many are fishable and can be safely waded. You will find swift areas in some streams so be careful wading.
Fishing is good for the most part in the mountains. Trout are enjoying water temperatures that are perfectly within their preferred range. They are actively feeding.
Dry flies and nymphs are both working. I would choose Yellow Sally Stonefly, Yellow Stimulator, Yellow Neversink Caddis, Light Cahill and other Sulphur dry fly patterns. My nymph choices would be Prince, Tellico, Hare’s Ear, Pheasant Tail and Green Weenie or Pink Weenie patterns. Squirmy Worms will likely produce for you.
Thunderstorms, should they pass over a watershed in the mountains, could temporarily raise water levels and stain the water.
Lowland rivers are flowing higher than normal. Some may be fine but wading could be limited in others. Use nymphs or streamers for trout. Do the same for smallmouth bass, though top water bugs, poppers and foam floating flies may work well. Of course this could change due to thunderstorms, especially tomorrow.
Once again, tailwater fishing is limited today. I did see breaks in the generation at Center Hill Dam early this morning. A guide told me yesterday he could not remember having so few fishing opportunities on the tailwaters on Memorial Day weekend. I agreed. This has been a very wet year, with rainfall amounts at least 15 inches above normal since January 1st.
One weather website I refer to every morning predicts a good chance for rain every day through the end of the month, mostly due to scattered thunderstorms.
Lake fishing is probably good, but the lakes are very crowded this weekend, despite the chance for rain or thunderstorms. A friend of ours told Paula and I last night, she and her son drove along some of the lakes on the Little Tennessee River. She said the lakes were packed with people, in boats, kayaks and paddleboards.
We heard a story early yesterday from a customer at the shop that was not too surprising. Tremont road was scheduled to open early yesterday morning. We heard, there was a mass of vehicles, including those pulling horse trailers, mired in traffic. The customer told us the upper Tremont Road had not opened. That is where the horse trailers were headed, to the end, to ride their animals up Lynn Camp Prong and beyond. Upper Tremont Road was listed as one that was to open yesterday morning. Evidently, vehicles pulling the trailers were trying to turn around to go home.
I don’t know how this ended. Hopefully the gate was opened to allow anglers and others to access Lynn Camp Prong and Thunderhead Prong. It seems to me, the gate to the upper road should have opened first, if it was in fact opened.
I read this morning the Park was packed with people, which is also not surprising.
I would still be tempted to try to fish along and above Tremont Road today or tomorrow. You will probably see a lot of people with the same idea. Hopefully the upper road is open now.
Have a great day and thank you for being here with us.
Byron Begley
May 24, 2020
Respond to: byron@littleriveroutfitters.com |
