If you do not see today’s Fishing Report, please refresh your browser to empty your cache.
Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 4:41 am, the temperature is 65.7 degrees.
It will be mostly sunny and very warm today, with a high temperature in the upper 80’s. The chance for showers and thunderstorms increase significantly beginning tomorrow and every day through the end of the week. The chance for daily rain will be between 50% and 70% through the period. July is normally a wet month.
Little River is flowing at 156 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 1.83 feet on the gauge. Median flow for this date is 135 cfs. The water temperature is 66.2 degrees.
Streams in the mountains are flowing very close to normal, some slightly higher and others slightly lower. Normal is low. Stealth and fly presentation are very important to your success. Stay hidden from the trout, don’t spook them by casting your fly line over the fish, and get a good drift. You will catch more.
The streams are warm, which is also normal. During the Summer month, especially in July and August, we should fish the higher elevations where the water is cooler. In Little River for instance, I would fish around Elkmont, Lynn Camp Prong, Thunderhead Prong or Abrams Creek. Abrams Creek is cooler near the Falls Trailhead where springs enter. The high elevation streams are also excellent choices. It is also a good idea to go early, when the water temperatures are cooler.
Fly selection is not as important right now. The trout are looking for food. Their metabolism is elevated. Terrestrial insects are active and trout are looking for them and aquatic insects. Beetles and ants should be in your fly box, as well as Green Weenies. A small Yellow Stimulator with a Green Weenie dropper will work. Fish the broken water in riffles, runs and plunge pools.
The lowland rivers exiting the mountains are flowing at about normal. Smallmouth bass, rock bass and panfish can be caught in the deeper pools and runs. I would go prepared with poppers and foam floating flies. Streamers and nymphs may work well too. Fish early or late on sunny days or find shaded areas in the rivers that have tree canopy.
If you plan to fish on a tailwater today, check the TVA website and you will find varying generation schedules you can hopefully work with. The generation times and duration of discharge at the dams in our area are fairly typical today, less early and more later. Plan accordingly whether you are wade fishing or boating. If you are drift fishing with a guide, they know what to do and how to plan your day.
It will be mostly sunny today so I would go lake fishing early or late. I would be tempted to fish top water offerings, poppers or foam floating flies. Hit the banks with them. If that is not working, switch to streamers or swimming nymphs. Stealth is essential to your success. Don’t bang the boat with anything. The fish can hear boat noise more than you may think. They don’t like it.
Have a great day and thank you for being here with us.
Byron Begley
July 6, 2021
Respond to: byron@littleriveroutfitters.com
|