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Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 6:53 am, the temperature outside is 68 degrees.

Today will be sunny and hot with a chance for thunderstorms late this afternoon. Tomorrow and Friday will be similar to today. Some weather forecasters believe the chance for rain is 30% today and 40% tomorrow and Saturday.

Little River is flowing at 146 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 1.76 feet on the gauge. Median flow for this date is 124 cfs. The water temperature is 68.5 degrees this morning and the low elevation gauge site near Townsend. Yesterday that number rose to over 71 degrees.

All streams in the Park that have USGS gauges are flowing at or above median flow for this date.

Streams levels are relatively good for June. However, they are flowing low. Stealth is paramount to your success. Don’t let the trout see you. Dress to blend with the forest, stay low if you can, and hide behind boulders and trees. Wade as little as possible. The trout will be spooky, mostly due to the low water, and because they are naturally that way.

Fishing will be best in the mid to higher elevation streams where the water is cooler. Look for water temperatures in the upper 60’s or cooler.

Go early or late when the sun is off the water or find shaded areas to fish.

I would use 5X tippet. If you are fishing with nymphs, fluorocarbon tippet is recommended. Fluorocarbon has about the same reflective characteristics as water. The trout are less likely to see it. If you are fishing with dry flies, use monofilament which does not sink as quickly as fluorocarbon.

I would probably use terrestrial dry flies and sub-surface patterns. A black foam beetle with a Green Weenie dropper is a great combination. Or, fish them separately if you don’t like dropper rigs. A Green Weenie can be fished deep with split shot for weight and that often works well.

Other good dry fly choices include Yellow Stimulator, Yellow Neversink Caddis, Rob’s Hellbender, Elk Hair Caddis, Smoky Mountain Candy or a Parachute Adams. Additional nymph choices should include Pink Weenie, Tellico, Pheasant Tail, Hare’s Ear, or Prince patterns.
 
It is supposed to be mostly sunny through Saturday. I would do my lake fishing early or late to avoid the sun. We are fishing with flies in shallow water. The sun drives most gamefish deeper. When fishing shaded banks with shallow water flies, fishing will be good. I would use poppers and possibly streamers.

I would also fish the lowland rivers early or late to avoid the sun. On some wooded rivers, including Little River, you can find shaded banks and riffles to fish.

TVA has still not slowed down on the generation at Cherokee Dam. They have cut back at Douglas Dam. They are sluicing around the clock at Norris Dam. The generation schedule at Center Hill Dam may work for you today. The turbines are churning at 15,300 cfs at Wolf Creek Dam, midnight to midnight. We do not have as many trout tailwater opportunities and we would like to see. Maybe that will change by the weekend.

Tourist season has begun and I’m driving in the left lane again on highway 321. It is that way every Summer. I have to turn left off the highway coming to work and going home. Often, drivers pull up next to us and slow down, making it almost impossible to turn left. So, that is what we do. I don’t mind at all.

Some people get upset with me because I drive in the left lane at the speed limit. Those people don’t understand why. Maybe they are the reason why.

Townsend is busy this tourist season. We are busy too. Our economy here is tourism driven. So, we all try our best to make visitors feel welcome. People who live here are friendly. Townsend is a friendly place. I love living here and being part of a larger team, making our visitors happy and enjoying their stay.

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

Byron Begley
June 27, 2019

Respond to: byron@littleriveroutfitters.com