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Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 6:15 am, the temperature outside is 39.9 degrees.

Today will be sunny and chilly. Tomorrow will be sunny and several degrees warmer. Wednesday will be very warm, with highs near 70 degrees, falling to the upper 50’s at night. Rain is once again in the forecast Thursday.

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PREDICTED HIGHS AND LOWS TODAY

Little River is flowing at 295 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 2.25 feet on the flow gauge. Median flow for this date is 98 cfs. The water temperature is 52.9 degrees at the low elevations gauge site inside the Park near Townsend. The water temperature is falling right now in the river and that should continue for a few hours.

The water is colder in the high elevations and falling too. Cataloochee Creek’s gauge site is reporting 48 degrees and falling. The same is true at Oconaluftee River at Birdtown.

Trout have preferred temperature ranges. Water temperatures affect the fish’s metabolism. When the water is colder, trout do not need much to eat. When the water is really cold, the fish may not eat at all. Warmer water speeds up their metabolism. They are hungry. They need food.

As anglers, we can determine whether fishing will be good or slow, simply by knowing the water temperature. There are other factors to consider, one of them being stream flows. Very low water makes fishing more difficult. Extremely high water makes stream fishing difficult or even dangerous. You could factor in the moon phase or barometer too. For me, that is getting a little too picky. If the water temperature is within the trout’s preferred range and the flows are OK, I’m going fishing.

When the water temperature is 50 degrees or warmer, fishing is usually good. Below that, fishing may slow some. When the water temperature is falling, fishing may slow. At 40 degrees or below, fishing is usually slow.

This morning, we have good to slow fishing conditions, depending on where you fish. The low elevation streams are warm enough for good fishing. In the highest elevations, where the water is colder, fishing may be slower or slow.

So, I would fish the low elevations this morning and hope for warmer water later today. Then you could move up to the higher elevations to fish. When the water temperatures are chilly, many fishermen wait until later in the day to fish, after the water has warmed.

We wonder if trout will be looking up to the surface for food. I have found trout are less likely to feed on the surface when the water is cold. We do have some hatches during the cold months, and if the trout are hungry, they will feed on the surface.

I would use nymphs today and hope to see a hatch. The hatch will likely be blue wing olives or midges.

We have great water flows right now. I would start with nymphs, weighted. I would try to keep my fly line off the water, so the fly or flies hopefully move through the current without drag. Make short casts and high stick in the choppy water. That should work. Try Tellico, Prince, Hare’s Ear or Pheasant Tail nymph patterns.

Fly Tyers Weekend 2018 is history. Hopefully the big tent is still standing tall this morning. It was windy last night. Turnout at the event was excellent. We always wonder, but this year, attendance was beyond our expectations. Everyone seemed to have a great time, including the fly tyers. I had a great time myself, talking to old friends and meeting new friends. For me and many others, that is what Fly Tyers Weekend is all about.

The guys at the shop did an excellent job preparing for the event, and taking care of customers. Anthony Hipps, who organizes the fly tyers did an excellent job, as usual. I think everyone who works at the shop, worked all weekend. And, some of our school instructors were fly tying demonstrators during the event. Paula and I were there both days.

Today and tomorrow, I will spend my time re-ordering all the fly tying materials we sold this weekend. If a peg on the wall is empty, I call that a hole. Right now, there are many holes in the fly tying department. I checked last night.

By the weekend, many holes will be re-filled. By next Tuesday, they all will, unless our suppliers are out of some items, which does happen. To properly maintain our fly tying department, I order every week.

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

Byron Begley
October 29, 2018  

Respond to: byron@littleriveroutfitters.com