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Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 4:38 am, the temperature is 62.2 degrees.

Rain that fell in the area yesterday amounted to only 1/10th of an inch in Townsend but the Knoxville Airport reported .42 inches.

It will be cloudy early today, with partly cloudy conditions this afternoon. The high temperature will be in the low 80’s, with only a slight chance for a stray shower or thunderstorm. Tomorrow will be sunny in the morning with increasing clouds arriving in the afternoon with only a slight chance for rain. We have a higher chance for showers and thunderstorms Sunday and a high in the low 80’s.

Little River is flowing at 154 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 1.82 feet on the gauge. Median flow for this date is 167 cfs. The water temperature is 61.2 degrees this morning.

Most streams in the mountains are flowing slightly below normal this morning. Tellico River is rising slowly and flowing barely above normal.

Fishing is good in the Smokies. Trout are taking dry flies and nymphs. Yellow Sally Stonefly, Light Cahill, Yellow Stimulator and Elk Hair Caddis dry flies will work for you. Small bead head nymphs and Green Weenies are good choices for sub-surface fishing.

Stealth is paramount to your success. Wear muted clothing that blends with the forest. Stay hidden from the trout and you will catch more.

Lowland river fishing is good, for smallmouth bass and other species. Fish the shaded areas on sunny days or go early and late when the sun is off the water. Poppers and foam floating flies will certainly work for you though streamers and nymphs will too.

TVA and the Corps are continuing on their usual generation schedules of long periods with little flow early in the day, then longer periods in the afternoons at many dams. These are schedules tailwater anglers can work with, whether you are wade fishing or boating. Check the TVA website from the links below to see what your options are today.

It will be cloudy early today, making for good lake fly fishing conditions at least until later. Smallmouth bass, largemouth bass and panfish are taking poppers and foam floating flies. Streamers and swimming nymphs will work too. Fishing will probably be best early or late, when you know the sun will be off the water and there are less recreation boaters.

The long term weather forecast reinforces the fact that we are entering a time of the year when we expect scattered thunderstorms. After tomorrow, we have an increased chance for thunderstorms every day through at least April 13th, according to the long term forecast. These storms are helpful at keeping water levels normal in June. June is normally an excellent fishing month in East Tennessee. This year, the weather has been fairly normal.

Normal rainfall and temperatures were raised by NOAA a few weeks ago, something that has not been done in a decade. The new normal is wetter and warmer, with less snow in the colder months in our area. CLICK HERE to read what NOAA has to say about changing climate norms in the US.

Average stream flow used on USGS gauge sites is based on the age of the actual data. For instance, the gauge site on Little River near Townsend is based on 57 water years of record.

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

Byron Begley
June 4, 2021

Respond to: byron@littleriveroutfitters.com