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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 70 degrees.

We got more rain yesterday. A personal weather station near our home recorded .44 inches while the Knoxville Airport got .91 inches. This year, rainfall at the Airport is 12.99 inches above normal.

We have a 50% chance for showers and thunderstorms today but it will be partly sunny. Showers and thunderstorms are more likely tonight and tomorrow through tomorrow night. More rain is predicted Saturday and Sunday. Highs will be in the low to mid 80’s with lows in the 60’s through the weekend.

Most streams in the Park were somewhat affected by rain yesterday.

Little River is flowing at 134 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 1.71 feet on the USGS gauge located in the Park near Townsend. Median flow for this date is 138 cfs. The water temperature is 68 degrees this morning.

Little Pigeon River is flowing above median flow at 359 cfs or 1.90 feet. Median flow for this date is 233 cfs.

The flow on Oconaluftee River shot up yesterday but the river is receding and the water is clear. I know it is clear because that gauge site has a turbidity monitor. Flow is currently 408 cfs, 1.79 feet, compared to median flow of 337 cfs.

Tellico River is flowing at 204 cfs, 1.35 feet, compared to median flow of 137 cfs.

Cataloochee Creek is flowing at 79.3 cfs, 2.46 feet, compared to median flow of 67 cfs.

Right now, stream flows are very good. Fishing is good in the Smokies. Trout are taking dry flies or nymphs, whichever you prefer. A good combination is a black foam beetle with a Green Weenie dropper. Green Weenies are favored flies right now, due to the abundance of sourwood worms in the forest, dropping into the stream to be devoured by a trout.

Other reasonable dry flies or nymphs will work. The trout are hungry and seeking food.

Fishing in the lowland rivers should be at least fair today, and maybe good. Poppers and streamers will work for smallmouth bass and rock bass. Nymphs and streamers will catch trout where they are stocked in these rivers.

TVA is still blowing water through the turbines at Cherokee Dam, around the clock. They are doing this to keep the lake level at the top of their operating guide, where it is now.

The generation schedule at Center Hill Dam looks promising today. You should be able to squeeze in some time on the Clinch today. Other tailwaters may be fishable. Check the TVA website yourself before going.

This looks like a perfect lake fishing day to me. It is overcast now and hopefully it will stay that way. I would use poppers and Knuckleheads first. If that does not work, I would switch to a large weighted black Wooly Bugger or a Puglisi Threadfin Shad. For bluegill and shellcrackers, I would use either poppers or Rubber Legged Dragons. Watch for thunderheads!

Blount County Commissioners listened to many Townsend residents, who are concerned about the outcome of the swinging bridge issue. The two swinging bridges have been closed, as they need repairs. These bridges were replaced by the County after the 1994 flood, using grant money. But, it is unclear who owns the bridges and who is responsible for repairs. There was talk about tearing one or more of them down. The Dark Island Bridge, which is where I have spent many mornings looking up and down the river, spans from the Townsend city limits to Blount County on the other side of the river.

You can read more on the Daily Times website by CLICKING HERE.

I hope this gets worked out soon and we get our bridges back for residents and tourists to enjoy.

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

Byron Begley
June 19, 2019

Respond to: byron@littleriveroutfitters.com