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Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 5:46 am, the temperature outside is 67.8 degrees.

Today will be hot and humid with a chance for scattered thunderstorms this afternoon. After we get through today, the heat wave will be over, at least for a while. Tomorrow and Sunday’s high temperature is predicted to be in the low 80’s, though it will still be warm at night. Cooler day and night temperatures are expected to prevail next week  and through September 21st. It is going to feel like Fall, sort of. I didn’t see snow in the long term forecast this morning. That may happen later in October. Right now, I would enjoy a nice day with snow on the ground.

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PREDICTED HIGHS AND LOWS TODAY

Little River is flowing at 105 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 1.62 feet on the flow gauge. Median flow for this date is 95 cfs. The water temperature is 70.2 degrees this morning.

Most streams in the Park are flowing at or above median flow today.

You should fish in the higher elevations today and probably through the weekend. In our area, think about fishing near or upstream from the Elkmont Campground on the East Prong of Little River. Hiking up Lynn Camp Prong to fish for brook trout is another good idea. Abrams Creek may be a good choice, especially near the Falls Trailhead, where springs seep cool water into the creek.

The streams are very warm in the low elevations. Catching a releasing a trout in 70 degree water could be lethal for the trout. Find water temperatures in the mid-60’s or cooler, for better fishing and for giving the trout a break. We should see declining water temperatures after we get though this weekend.

The streams are flowing low. That is normal in September. For your fly fishing success, it is essential to hide from the trout. Wear clothing that blends with the forest. Stay low if you can. The low water game requires stealth. If you don’t pay attention to this, you probably will not catch many trout and you might get skunked. Nobody wants to get skunked!

Trout will be hiding near cover, to avoid being detected by predators, including us. Fish the broken water or near natural cover. You will probably do best fishing shaded streams. Smaller streams with thick canopy can be found in the backcountry. Go early or late, when the sun is off the water.

Broken water is an advantage for us too. We are less likely to be seen by the fish that are hiding there.

Try your favorite Summer dry flies and nymphs. Mine are, foam beetles, Yellow Neversink Caddis, Yellow Stimulator, Green Weenie and Pheasant Tail patterns. The trout are looking for food. Aquatic insect activity is fairly low right now. Terrestrials are an important food source for trout this time of the year. The trout’s metabolism is in high gear, due to the warm water conditions. They need food.

I thought about fishing a lake today. It’s just too uncomfortable to be out there. I’ll go next week and find out what is going on. Lake fishing should improve in the coming days, as the water temperatures fall. If you go this weekend, and it happens to be overcast, you may do well using fly fishing gear. If it is sunny, go early or late.

Today, like on most Fridays, I will be ordering fly tying materials and hooks. Our suppliers are all in western time zones. Orders placed early today will be at least entered into their computers, and hopefully shipped Monday or Tuesday. The fly tying department will be replenished by next Friday, just in time for next week’s order day.

When we get really busy in the fly tying department, during the cold months, we ask for 2nd day air shipping from our largest supplier, Wapsi. The winter fly tying orders are large. An extra day to get this stuff entered into our computers and out on the floor, helps keep us on schedule.

Park Burson, our Orvis Regional Business Manager was in the shop yesterday. He got a kick out of watching me wash windows and vowed to tell the Orvis National Sales Manager, what a great window washer I am. The sales manager at Orvis is a good friend of mine. His name is Bill Reed. Bill lives in Vermont. He grew up working in his family’s fly shop in Buffalo, New York. Bill knows what it is like to be us. That is very helpful.

Park showed Daniel, Paul and Dave the new gear, which will be available for sale next year. I watched and listened to his presentation at times. He is a good guy, a person we have worked with for over two decades. It is always good to see Park.

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

Byron Begley
September 7, 2018

Respond to: byron@littleriveroutfitters.com