Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 4:42 am, the temperature is 58 degrees.
Today is going to be another beautiful day, with plenty of sun and a high temperature in the upper 70’s, dropping to the middle to upper 50’s tonight. Tomorrow will be a little warmer, with a high in the low 80’s and a low in the upper 50’s. We have almost no chance for rain this week.
What we have now is ideal camping weather.
Little River is flowing at 103 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 1.62 feet on the gauge. Median flow for this date is 76 cfs. The water temperature is 62.6 degrees this morning.
Most if not all streams in the mountains are flowing higher than normal. Normal in mid-September is low. The streams have cooled, even in the low elevations, to within the trout’s preferred temperature range. Yesterday, the water temperature at the low elevation USGS gauge site near Townsend topped out at less than 65 degrees. The high temperature at Cataloochee Creek’s gauge never reached 61 degrees yesterday and it is only close to 59 degrees this morning.
The streams are slowly receding and that will continue for several days.
Fishing conditions in the Smokies are good, though the water is low. Key to your fishing success is stealth. Dress to blend with the forest. Don’t spook the trout and you will catch more. Fish the broken water where the trout are hiding.
Trout are taking dry flies and nymphs.
The lowland rivers are flowing low and clear. Fishing for smallmouth bass, rock bass and panfish is fair. Fish in the deeper pools and runs. Streamers and crayfish patterns should work best though you may also catch them on poppers or foam floating flies.
Lake fishing is fair. Go early or late when the sun is low. Fish the dimly lit banks and cover with weighted streamers or swimming nymphs. Let your flies sink as deep as possible using a slow retrieve. You could try poppers or foam floating flies. They might work, especially for smaller fish.
There will be pauses in the generation today at some dams, especially this morning. The generators will be churning all day at others. There are some tailwater fishing opportunities today. Visit the TVA website to see what your options are.
I was making a deposit at CBBC Bank yesterday. Brent, the manager of the bank and I were chatting about fishing near the front door. He looked outside and said, “It’s a fox”. We walked outside for a closer look. Sure enough, the head of a red fox was peering at us from the drainage ditch near the parking lot. Someone in a Jeep warned us, “Be careful, it’s a fox”.
I have lived here almost 30 years and I have never seen a red fox. I’ve seen gray fox, but never the red species. This one was right in the middle of town.
What was also unusual, the people in the jeep were driving slowly on the sidewalk and grass, following the fox.
The fox took off, running toward the bank next door. The poor animal was limping and looked to be starving. Maybe the fox was rabid.
That was an interesting visit to the bank I won’t soon forget.
Have a great day and thank you for being here with us.
Byron Begley
September 14, 2022
Note: We have a very large and well stocked fly tying department located on the second floor of our shop. Our fly tying materials and tools can also be found and bought on our online store with Free Shipping.
Respond to: byron@littleriveroutfitters.com
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