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Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 6:38 am, the temperature outside is 74 degrees.

There is a 60% chance for scattered thunderstorms today and a lower chance tomorrow. It will be cooler this weekend, with highs in the mid 80’s.

Little River is flowing at 291 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 2.21 feet on the flow gauge. Median flow for this date is 146 cfs. The water temperature is 71.2 degrees this morning.

Little Pigeon River is flowing strong at 708 cfs, 2.44 feet, compared to median flow of 265 cfs.

Oconaluftee River is flowing at 367 cfs, 1.65 feet, compared to median flow of 303 cfs.

Tellico River got a little bump from rain this morning. It is flowing at 144 cfs, 1.12 feet, compared to median flow for this date of 130 cfs.

Cataloochee Creek is receding from a high point yesterday, currently at 87.2 cfs, 2.50 feet, compared to median flow of 61 cfs.

Most stream flows are good, with a few flowing fairly high. That bodes well for fishing. Stream flows are typically low in July. Water temperatures are warm in the lowest elevations. Fish the mid to high elevation streams where the water is cooler.

Fishing will be good in the Smoky Mountains unless a thunderstorm happens to affect the river you chose to fish. Watch for rising water today.  

I would use a dry with a dropper rig, and a two nymph rig today. Terrestrial flies are good choices. Try a black foam beetle with a Green Weenie dropper.

Though the water is higher than it has been, stealth is still important. Dress to blend with the forest. Hide from the trout. Fish the choppy water in riffles, plunge pools and runs.

This may be a good lowland river fishing day. Poppers for smallmouth bass would be my choice. It is supposed to be mostly cloudy today, which is beneficial to the angler. Little Pigeon River is flowing fairly strong, so your wading choices may be limited. More rain could raise the river further. Little River is flowing at a good level for wading and fishing, at least for now.

This will probably turn out to be a good lake fishing day. The lakes may be very crowded, but the lack of sunshine makes for better fly fishing in shallow water. Try poppers and streamers.

There are some tailwater opportunities today. Evidently, there will be minimum generation at Norris Dam this morning, due to the river cleanup. You can check the TVA website for more info.

Center Hill Dam is operating on a different schedule than usual. They are generating there, midnight to midnight. They will be generating at Cherokee Dam later this morning, until tonight. They are still cranking around the clock at Wolf Creek Dam. Visit the TVA website to check the schedule on your favorite tailwater before going.

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

Byron Begley
July 13, 2019

Respond to: byron@littleriveroutfitters.com