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Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 5:07 am, the temperature outside is 68.0 degrees.
It will be sunny and hot today with a high temperature in the low 90’s. Tomorrow will be partly sunny with a high in the upper 80’s. No rain is expected both days. The chance for showers and thunderstorms will return Tuesday and Wednesday.
Little River is flowing at 156 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 1.79 feet on the flow gauge. Median flow for this date is 161 cfs. The water temperature is 65.5 degrees this morning.
Most streams in the Smokies that have USGS gauge sites are flowing above normal. Little River is an exception. Flows are good throughout the Park. Water temperatures will be warm in the lowest elevations today. Fish at a higher elevations if the water temperature where you are fishing reaches or exceeds 70 degrees.
Dry flies and nymphs are both working. Trout are actively feeding. Yellow Sally Stonefly imitations will serve you well in your dry fly selection. Most reasonable nymphs will work, including Green and Pink Weenies as well as Squirmy Worms.
Lowland river fishing is good for smallmouth bass and other warmwater species. Nymphs, streamers and top water flies will work. Go early or late when the sun is off the water unless you are fishing in shaded areas.
There are breaks in the generations schedules at some dams in the region today offering many anglers tailwater fishing opportunities. Refer to the TVA website from the links below to see if and when your favorite tailwater can be waded. Boating on many is another option. We have been waiting for this to happen. The Corps is spilling at Center Hill Dam and we do not understand why. The lake level is slightly below Summer pool this morning.
The lakes are fishing well. Go early or late when the sun is off the water and you will do best using flies. Streamers and top water flies, including poppers, hair bugs and foam floating flies will work. The lakes are crowded during the day so I would be at the ramp at daybreak, fish for a few hours, then go home.
I did something yesterday I swore I would never do again. Paula and I descended into a cave, down a ladder. I hate caves. That comes from some scary incidents I remember well, from my childhood. The water at our garden and our neighbor’s garden is pumped from the cave. Our neighbor thought the pump may have been clogged because water was not reaching one area. The water pressure at our garden is fine. We went underground to clean the intake. It didn’t need cleaning. I was glad to be back above ground.
We live in Dry Valley, named so because most of the water runs underground. We have caves everywhere around us, including Tuckaleechee Caverns. Two underground streams emerge from the ground and run through our property. The water in that spring creek has always been around 58 degrees when I checked, even in August.
We could pump water from the creek, but it’s a long way from our garden. We may have a shallow well dug at some point.
The US Geological Survey spent weeks surveying the caves around our home a few years ago. They gave us maps showing the result of their work. One of them told me they could hear us driving overhead on our gravel road while they were working. That provoked some interesting thoughts in my mind.
Have a great day and thank you for being here with us.
Byron Begley
June 7, 2020
NOTICE:
The following roads and campgrounds will re-open Monday June 8th:
Cave Cove and Smokemont Campgrounds
Abrams Creek Road, Forge Creek Road and Cataloochee Road (To Palmer Chapel)
The following roads and campgrounds will open Monday June 15th:
Elkmont Road
Elkmont Campground
Respond to: byron@littleriveroutfitters.com |
