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 4:51 am, the temperature outside is 71.4 degrees.
Scattered thunderstorms moved through our area yesterday, dropping .38 inches of rain in Townsend and .48 inches at the Knoxville Airport. It will be mostly sunny today with a high temperature in the upper 80’s with a chance for more thunderstorms this afternoon.
Thunderstorms are likely to very likely every day through this week.
Little River is flowing at 98.1 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 1.55 feet on the gauge. Median flow for this date is 139 cfs. The water temperature is 69.8 degrees at the low elevation Townsend gauge.
Little Pigeon River at Sevierville, Oconaluftee River at Birdtown, Tellico River and Cataloochee Creek are all flowing higher than normal this morning.
Normal stream flows are low in July here in the Smokies. The trout are spooky. Stay hidden and you will catch more. Dress to blend in with the forest. Fish the broken water in riffles, plunge pools and deep runs. Fish the higher elevations where the water is cooler. Look for water temperatures in the mid-60’s.
Lowland rivers are flowing low. I would go early when the sun is off the water and to avoid swimmers. Bass and panfish will be feeding in the deeper pools. Try poppers, hair bugs and foam floating flies, casting to the shaded areas. If that does not work, switch to streamers or nymphs.
There are many tailwater fishing choices today. Check the TVA website from the link below to see what options you have. They are sluicing at some dams, and pulsing at most. Heavier generation will begin later today at some dams.
Lake fishing is fair. Go early when the sun is off the water. I would start by casting poppers, hair bugs and foam floating flies to the dimly lit banks. If that fails, switch to weighted streamers or swimming nymphs. I would expect the lakes to be crowded later today.
You do have many fly fishing choices to consider today. That is usually the case in our part of the world. The Tennessee River Valley is a water lovers wonderland. Lakes, tailwaters, lowland rivers and freestone mountain streams offer fly fishing anglers a tempting and diverse fishery that is almost a year-round playground.
We have over 800 miles of wild trout streams available to us in Great Smoky Mountains National Park alone, with more in the adjacent national forests in Tennessee and North Carolina. Where else could you find more impoundments, small streams, and large rivers than in the Tennessee Valley?
I found Townsend 40 years ago, and ten years later, I moved here. Why? I moved here to enjoy fly fishing and the Smoky Mountains for the rest of my life!
Have a great day and thank you for being here with us.
Byron Begley
July 26, 2020
NOTICE: FLY TYERS WEEKEND HAS BEEN CANCELLED THIS YEAR. WE ARE PLANNING FOR THE EVENT TO BE HELD IN 2021.
Respond to: byron@littleriveroutfitters.com |