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Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 4:50 am, the temperature is 70.5 degrees.

It will be cooler today, with highs in the low 80’s falling to the low 60’s tonight. We have a chance for scattered thunderstorms today. Tomorrow and Sunday will be cool and dry. Expect high temperatures in the low 80’s falling to the low 60’s and maybe upper 50’s at night.

Scattered thunderstorms moved through the area last night. We got .42” of rain in Townsend. The Knoxville Airport reported .46 inches.

It is raining now and small storms are moving east into the Smokies.

Rain may have missed the Little River watershed overnight. Currently, flow is 159 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 1.83 feet on the gauge. Median flow for this date is 91 cfs. There is a chance the river will rise later as it may not be showing the effects of the rain that fell overnight or this morning at the gauge in Townsend.

Little Pigeon River is rising slowly. Flow is 305 cfs or 1.80 feet at the Sevierville Gauge. Median flow for this date is 174 cfs.

Oconaluftee River is not rising. Flow is currently 447 cfs or 1.74 feet. Median flow is 206 cfs.

Tellico River is flowing at 218 cfs, 1.41 feet, compared to median flow of 79 cfs. The river is not rising now.

Cataloochee Creek is rising slowly. Flow is 89.2 cfs, 2.53 feet, compared to median flow of 47 cfs.

Most if not all streams in the mountains are flowing higher than normal. Some are rising. They are all flowing at good fishing levels this morning, so far. There is a chance for rising water and possible stained water later. This may be a great fishing day in the mountains, unless we get a lot of rain, which is not predicted.

Lowland rivers are flowing higher than normal but at good levels currently. Again, this could be a very good day to fish the larger rivers outside the Park for smallmouth bass and other species. There is a chance for rising or stained water at some point. Stained water is more likely further downstream from the Park. You won’t know until you go.

Check the TVA website from the links below to see the planned generation schedules. There are some tailwater fishing opportunities, especially this morning.

This may be an excellent lake fishing day due to the cloud cover we have now. We may see the sun at times today so going early is a good idea. If it remains cloudy, you will enjoy better fishing near the surface. I would plan on casting to the banks with poppers, foam floating flies or hair bugs. If the fish are deeper, switch to streamers or swimming nymphs.

I have been tying deer hair bugs every day. I’m tying at least one daily. It takes me over an hour to tie one. They are looking better. The first ones I tied look awful. There are a lot of tricks to learn and doing this is something I have put off for decades. It is very enjoyable and I’m glad I finally decided to do learn.

Deer hair is hollow, but there are baffles in the hair to keep water out, even if the hair is cut, which it is when you are spinning or stacking deer hair flies. I wondered if they would float for long periods of time without adding fly floatant to them. Yesterday morning before driving to work at the shop, I placed one of my new bugs in a glass of water. I pushed it under and held it there. When I released it, the bug floated to the surface. I tried again several times, and it always floated back to the top.

When I got home from work yesterday, I checked the bug in the glass. It was still floating after hours in the water. The bass bug didn’t float high in the water. The eyes glued to the body were visible from the side of the bug under the surface. But it did float all day. I was happy to see that.

We received a big box of Whiting capes and half capes yesterday. I will be putting them out in the tying department this morning. We now have more Whiting hackle than we have had in a long time. It’s been hard to get. Most orders have taken at least a month to receive after they have been ordered.

I also bought some huge Whiting schlappen, dyed from grizzly feathers. Some are up to 10 inches long, perfect for tying monster streamers. I didn’t get all the colors I ordered but I got a few.

I will order more Whiting next week, to be delivered in October. For now, we have plenty.

It is still raining and judging from what I see on the radar, it may rain for a while this morning and it is still moving into the Park.

Little River is rising.

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

Byron Begley
September 4, 2020

Respond to: byron@littleriveroutfitters.com