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Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 4:49 am, the temperature is 66.4 degrees.

It will be partly sunny today with a high temperature in the mid-70’s. No rain is predicted today. Tomorrow will be partly sunny with a high in the mid to upper 70’s. There is a low chance for rain.

Four inches of rain fell in the Townsend area over a 27 hour period ending yesterday morning. All rivers in the Smokies that have USGS gauges rose to record levels for yesterday’s date. The rivers receded quickly but further lowering of the water will be slower, which is normal.

Little River is flowing at 617 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 2.86 feet on the gauge. Median flow for this date is 75 cfs. The water temperature is 60.8 degrees this morning. Yesterday, the river peaked at almost four feet.

Little Pigeon River is flowing at 1,650 cfs or 3.41 feet. Median flow is 122 cfs. The river peaked yesterday at over six feet.

Tellico River is flowing at 623 cfs, 2.41 feet, which compares to median flow of 71 cfs. The river peaked yesterday at almost six feet.

Cataloochee Creek is flowing at 175 cfs, 2.88 feet, compared to median flow of 38 cfs. The river peaked yesterday at over 3.5 feet.

Streams in the Smokies will continue to recede today and tomorrow. Some are fishable, but care should be taken when wading. If the river you are fishing is flowing high, stand near the bank and “high stick” weighted nymph rigs. You might do really well. Weighted nymph rigs are probably your best option in all streams today.

As the water levels fall, fishing will improve, and that will occur over time, today, tonight and tomorrow.

Lowland river fishing conditions vary by watershed. Some may still be stained by muddy tributaries that are entering outside the Park. Top water flies might work. Streamers and nymphs are probably your best option today.

TVA and the Corps of Engineers are holding back water at some dams today and generating or sluicing at others. There are some tailwater fishing options in the Tennessee Valley. Check the TVA website to see what they are.

Some lake levels are rising while others are not. You may find stained water on some reservoirs and others will be clear. We may have some cloud cover today, which is beneficial to those fishing with flies. If the lake you are fishing is slightly stained, tie on a big black weighted Wooly Bugger and cast to the banks. If the water is clear, try top water flies. I would still go early when we know the sun will be off the water.

I work six days a week and take off on Saturdays. I spend much of my time ordering and receiving fly tying materials and tools. Saturday is usually our busiest day of the week. We always have a lot of staff working on Saturdays. I do write the fishing report, go to the shop to disinfect what I know people touch, check and print a report on our online store sales, then go home around 9 am.

When the store is busy, I try to stay out of the fly tying department for safety distancing reasons. I want to give customers plenty of room to shop. I am usually pushing around a big rolling cart laden with materials or a laptop, hogging space from customers.

That is the most compelling reason Saturday is my day off. Though the tying department is large by most fly shop standards, 650 square feet, it is still tight because we stock a large selection.

We are knocking out a wall and expanding the fly tying department late next month. That will allow us to display more materials and tools on walls, and less on fixtures out in the floor area. That will give everyone more room to shop, we can add to our selection, and things will be easier to see and find. It will be more organized. Shopping there will be a better experience for you.

I am really looking forward to this renovation and expansion. Our fly tying department has grown a lot over the past three years. It grew sgnificantly in 2018. It grew by leaps and bounds in 2019. That is happening again in 2020. The more I can do to improve, the more it will grow. The fly tying department is my favorite part of our store. Fly tying is my favorite part of fly fishing. To prove my point, I was tying a fly this morning at 4:00 am.   

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

Byron Begley
September 26, 2020   

Respond to: byron@littleriveroutfitters.com