Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 5:48 am, the temperature is 35 degrees.
Today will be sunny and cool with a high temperature in the upper 40’s, dropping to the middle 30’s tonight. A warm front will move into the area tomorrow bringing rain every day through Thursday. Tomorrow’s high temperature will be in the low to middle 50’s with a low tomorrow night in the low 40’s. Daytime temperatures will rise each day, topping out at almost 70 degrees Thursday.
Little River is flowing at 230 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 2.13 feet on the gauge. Median flow for this date is 218 cfs. The water temperature is 48.9 degrees this morning.
I checked every USGS gauge site in the area. All streams in the Smokies are flowing at normal or median flow for this date.
Water temperatures have warmed somewhat to almost 50 degrees at the low elevation gauge site near Townsend.
If you go fishing in the Smokies today, fish in the lower elevations where the water is warmer. Trout should be active. Weighted nymphs or nymph rigs are a good option.
If you see blue wing olives or other aquatic insects on the surface, trout may be feeding on them. Be prepared to switch to dry flies and emergers. As the week progresses and the water warms further, surface activity will be more likely. If we do not get heavy rain this week, fishing will improve significantly due to the warmer water temperatures.
Fishing for stocked trout should be good today. Nymphs will probably work best. Try egg patterns and squirmy worms too. Streamers might work.
Fishing for smallmouth bass in the lowland rivers will also improve as the steams warm. The bass may not be active today but you might want to try. If you do, nymphs and streamers are good fly choices.
TVA and the Corps will be turning off the generators later this morning or early afternoon at several dams, including Center Hill, Norris, Wilbur, Wolf Creek, Dale Hollow and Chatuge. You may be able to work with some of these schedules. Timing and where you decide to fish will require careful planning.
Jimmy Jones tied at the shop yesterday and we had a good amount of people attend the free event. Jimmy put on a very good show, as usual. He has developed some unique fly patterns he uses in the mountains and they work. I’m not sure but I think he will be demonstrating again early next year.
The fly tying department was busy yesterday. It is after all, fly tying season. That department is stocked very well. Another shipment of materials, and maybe more than one, will arrive tomorrow. I will be placing more orders again tomorrow. I order fly tying materials and tools every Monday to replenish what sold the week before. Most orders arrive by Thursday and are processed and displayed by the weekend. Then, the cycle starts over.
Have a great day and thank you for being here with us.
Byron Begley
December 4, 2022
NOTE: THE TOWNSEND CHRISTMAS PARADE WILL BE HELD SUNDAY DECEMBER 4TH. HIGHWAY 321 THROUGH TOWN WILL BE CLOSED BEGINNING AT ABOUT 2:00 PM FOR ABOUT 3 HOURS. YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO TRAVEL THROUGH TOWNSEND DURING THAT TIME.
FREE FLY TYING DEMONSTRATIONS HELD ON SATURDAYS
For the first time since 2019, we will be holding our Free Fly Tying Demonstrations on Saturdays. The demonstrations will begin at 10 am and last until 2 pm. You do not need a reservation. Just show up and enjoy. These demonstrations will kick off November 5th, and last through mid-December. Then, they will resume in January.
Saturday December 10th - Jonathan Yeager - Jonathan is also known as the "Fly Doctor". He is a professor at UT Chatanooga. He ties flies commercially and sells them to his customers. He is an avid fly fisherman who spends his fishing time on wild trout streams in the Appalachians and stocked tailwaters.
Respond to: byron@littleriveroutfitters.com
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