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Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 6:59 am, the temperature outside is 69 degrees.

It will be warm and muggy today, with a high in the mid to upper 80’s. There is a slight chance for thunderstorms early today and that chance grows to 60% this afternoon. Tomorrow, showers and thunderstorms are very likely, an 80% chance. The threat of thunderstorms continues through at least Thursday. Heavy rain is possible in some storms.

Little River is flowing at 105 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 1.59 feet on the flow gauge. Median flow for this date is 161 cfs. The water temperature is 69.1 degrees this morning.

The streams are flowing low. That may change later today or later this week. The thunderstorms will be mostly scattered. The trout will be spooky due to the low water. Dress to blend in with the forest. Try not to “line” the trout you are fishing to. Fish the choppy water, in riffles and plunge pools.

The streams are warm in the low elevations and they will warm to over 70 degrees today. Catching and releasing a trout in warm water stresses the fish and they could die. Fish further upstream where the water is cooler. Look for temperatures in the mid-60’s for better fishing and healthier trout.

Dry flies and nymphs will work. I would use a black foam beetle for my dry and trail a Green Weenie as a dropper. Other dry flies and nymphs will catch trout too. My second dry fly choices would be a small Yellow Stimulator or a Yellow Neversink Caddis. A weighted Green Weenie is an excellent choice for a sub-surface fly. Pinch on a #6 split shot a few inches above the fly and fish it alone. Vary the depth by raising or lowering your rod.

There will be breaks in generation schedules at some dams today. There are opportunities to wade and fish some of the trout tailwaters. Refer to the TVA website and see if their schedules work for you.

Lowland River fishing is fair. Higher flows would improve the conditions. Go early or late unless it is overcast. If you are fishing midday, cast to the shaded water. Poppers are a good choice for bass. Nymphs or streamers will be best for trout.

It is partly cloudy so this could be a good day to fly fish on the lakes. Watch out for thunderheads and storms. I would stay close to the boat ramp this week, in case you are chased off the lake by a storm. Fish the shaded banks with poppers or Knuckleheads if it is sunny. If it is overcast, fish anywhere. If smallmouth or largemouth bass are not taking your flies, move somewhere else that has different structure or bank/bottom features. Sometimes the bass can be found on wooded banks, while at other times they prefer rocky areas.

Big bluegill and shellcrackers will be deep. A Rubber Legged Dragon is a great way to catch them at that depth. You may catch larger panfish on poppers when the sun is off the water, but I like going deep to catch the larger fish.

I tie Dragons in many colors and sizes, using bead chain for the eyes. Using a 9-foot fluorocarbon leader, I cast to likely areas and let the Dragon sink for several second, sometimes as much as 30 seconds. Then, I start a slow retrieve. Keep your rod pointed to your fly and your line and leader tight. When you feel a “bump” set the hook. I try not to set the hook hard. If the fish is missed, the fly will stay deep where you want it to be.

I use barbless hooks. And, I’m going to start tying Dragons on Hanak Barbless Jig hooks for big bluegill and shellcrackers. The hook will ride up and being barbless, I can get the hook out without killing the fish and ruining my fly. If you fly fish in warmwater, you know how those bluegill suck in a fly, deep into their mouths. I hate harming a fish I intend to release.

We have only been stocking Hanak barbless competition hooks for a few months but anglers are finding out we have them and they are selling well.

The weather is going to be iffy this week but we need the rain so we should be happy with the forecast.

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

Byron Begley
June 17, 2019

Respond to: byron@littleriveroutfitters.com