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Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 4:48 am, the temperature is 34.5 degrees.

It is going to be sunny, dry and cool all week. High temperatures will be in the 50’s for a few days, rising to the mid to upper 60’s by the weekend. Lows will be in the high 20’s to mid-30’s, warming to the 40’s by the weekend.

Little River is flowing at 215 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 2.08 feet on the gauge. Median flow for this date is 138 cfs. The water temperature is 50.2 degrees this morning and falling.

Other streams in the Park are flowing higher than normal. Water temperatures are colder than Little River in the higher elevations, in the 40’s right now at Oconaluftee and Cataloochee Creek.

My advice this week is to wait until later to go fishing when the water is warmer. Cold nights will cause the water to chill, then reverse to warming later in the day. Fishing for trout will be better when the water is warming. Weighted nymph rigs will probably work best.

Lowland rivers are flowing well but the water is chilly. Smallmouth bass will be sluggish though they may become more active later in the days and especially this weekend. Trout fishing in the lowland rivers is good. Streamers and nymphs are good choices.

I saw discharges predicted all day long at the dams I checked this morning. There may be some wade fishing opportunities in east and middle Tennessee so check your favorite tailwater’s flows and you may find some wade fishing options.

Surface temperatures will be falling on the lakes this week. It is going to be sunny every day. Winds should be calm today but not tomorrow. I would go early and cast streamers or swimming nymphs to the banks. Fishing conditions on the lakes are not ideal for fly anglers this week.

I will be placing orders for the fly tying department today. The orders will be larger than they have been because fly tying activity is picking up. We will be stocking more of everything. Fly tying season has begun. Our fly tying department expansion was timed perfectly. More people can now shop without being too close to other people.

Winter fishing in the Smokies is enjoyable. You probably won’t catch the numbers of trout like you did in the Spring, but there will be far less people fishing. You might catch a trout of a lifetime.

The water will be extremely clear. Colder water holds less suspended solids. Stealth is very important to your success. You will become a better nymph angler. You can see more stream features due to the lack of leaves on the trees.

Hold on though. Winter is not here yet. We are going to have some warm days and nights in the near future. This weekend is a good example. We’ll see high temperatures near or at 70 degrees. I’m not putting my short sleeve shirts away yet.

Tailwater fishing can be excellent during the early Winter months, if we have friendly flows. Before moving to Townsend over 30 years ago, I fished the Caney Fork River below Center Hill Dam regularly. December was often a great fishing month there. I usually caught more large brown trout during December.

If the lakes become cold enough, we may enjoy “shad kills” in January or February. Dead and dying threadfin shad are churned through the dams to the waiting trout in the tailwaters below. That is a fly fishing experience like nothing you have seen before.

I remember well the first time I experienced a shad kill below Center Hill Dam. I didn’t know what was happening at the time or why. Being there for that was dumb luck. I caught the heck out of big trout all day long. Your fly needs to be white, shaped somewhat like a shad or part of a shad, and drifting lifelessly.    

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

Byron Begley
November 16, 2020

Respond to: byron@littleriveroutfitters.com