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Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 4:46 am, the temperature is 62.8 degrees.

It will be mostly sunny today with a high temperature in the middle 80’s with a slight chance for thunderstorms later this afternoon. Tomorrow will be hot with a high around 90 and again, a slight chance for afternoon thunderstorms. Showers and thunderstorms will move into the area Wednesday, with a good chance for rain every day through the weekend.

Little River is flowing at 178 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 1.91 feet on the gauge. Median flow for this date is 125 cfs. The water temperature is 64.8 degrees this morning.

Streams in the Smokies that have USGS gauge sites are flowing at about normal. Little River and Tellico River are flowing higher. The streams are warm in the low elevations and they will warm further today and tomorrow. Fish the higher elevations where the water is cooler. Fishing will be better and the trout you catch and release will be less stressed in the colder water.

Dry flies and nymphs will work. Terrestrial dry flies such as beetles and ants are good choices. Other dry fly patterns will produce as well. Drop a Green Weenie or small bead head nymph off your dry fly. Fish the broken water in riffles, runs and plunge pools where the trout are hiding.

Stealth and fly presentation are essential to your success. Don’t spook the fish and get a good drift. You will catch more trout.

This is the last day of the holiday weekend. You can expect to see many people tubing and swimming in the lowland rivers flowing out of the mountains. Fish further downstream where there are less people. I would go early or late when the sun is off the water, or fish the shaded areas of the rivers. Smallmouth bass, rock bass and panfish will be in the deeper pools and runs entering the pools. Poppers and foam floating flies will work but you may want to try streamers or nymphs if the fish are not responding to your top water offerings.

TVA and the Corps will be generating at the dams I checked in our area later, some later this morning and others this afternoon. You can plan around these schedules to fish your favorite tailwater whether you are wade fishing or boating.

I think the lakes will be packed with pleasure boaters today. Go early. I would be at the ramp right now launching our boat. Fish the banks with poppers, foam floating flies, streamers or swimming nymphs, until the sun rises higher. Look for shaded banks to fish. After a few hours of fishing, I would go home to avoid the crowd.

Yesterday evening Paula and I were sitting on the deck under the trees. I walked out to the driveway and saw a blacksnake lying motionless on the concrete drive. Paula came over and we watched the snake. It did not move at all. I nudged the snake with my foot and within a split second, it bit the toe of my house shoe. I even heard a thump when it struck. The snake then turned and slithered away back to the forest. I won’t do that again. I’m glad I was not wearing sandals.

Long ago we were down at the creek behind our house. We saw a water snake swimming with a small rainbow trout in its mouth. I grabbed a stick and waded in, hoping to encourage the snake to release the trout. It did, but then swam toward me and actually chased me around the pool before I finally got away. That snake was mad. I won’t do that again either.

The brood of four wrens we have been watching for days flew from the nest yesterday. I wish we could have watched that.

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

Byron Begley
July 5, 2021

Respond to: byron@littleriveroutfitters.com