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Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 4:48 am, the temperature is 38.3 degrees.
It rained most of the day yesterday. The Knoxville Airport reported .31 inches while the personal weather station near our house indicated .52 inches accumulated there. We have a slight chance for rain or snow flurries in the valley today with the high temperature being what it is right now. More snow is predicted in the high elevations in the Smokies though it is not expected to be heavy. It will be cold tonight, dropping to the low 20’s. Tomorrow will be sunny with a high in the low 40’s. Saturday and Sunday will be warmer.
Little River is flowing at 585 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 2.79 feet on the gauge. Median flow for this date is 278 cfs. The water temperature is 46.2 degrees this morning.
Other streams in the Smokies are flowing higher than normal. Water temperatures are chilly and they will become colder.
Fishing will be slow in the park today. Stream flows are fairly high and the water is not in the trout’s preferred temperature range. If you go, fish the lower elevations where the water is warmer. Abrams Creek will be somewhat warmer near the Falls trailhead, due to the influx of warmer water from the springs. You might be lucky enough to catch a post spawn brown trout in any of the rivers. They are hungry.
Stand in safe water and cast heavy nymphs fished near the bottom using a high sticking method or Euro Nymphing tactics and you might catch a trout or two.
US Highway 441 (Newfound Gap Road) is still closed this morning due to snow and ice.
Lowland river fishing will be slow except possibly where trout are stocked.
TVA and the Corps plan to generate at most of the dams in our area today. I did see a couple of breaks in the generation schedule at two dams this afternoon. I did not check all of the schedules so refer to the TVA website from the links below to see what is going on at your favorite tailwater.
If you plan to fish on a lake today, bundle up. It is going to be cold and feel colder in your boat out on the water. Wind should not be a problem. It will be overcast so baitfish may be near the surface. This could be a good striper fishing day.
I would not fish on a lake today but some anglers will be out there. Crappie and walleye fishing enthusiasts love winter fishing on the lakes in our area. They are using conventional tackle and some are trolling. It sounds like fun and I have been invited by some of the local guys to go with them. Maybe I will go some day.
When I was a kid, my Dad hired a guide to take us fishing on Lake Cumberland in Kentucky for trout. It was a cold and windy winter day. And, it was overcast. We trolled using shallow running Rapalas and caught a lot of big rainbows right along the rip rap at the dam. I will never forget that day. At that point, it was the best freshwater fishing day of my life. Trout were stocked in Lake Cumberland in the early 1960’s. I don’t think that is done today, probably because stripers were introduced later.
Have a great day and thank you for being here with us.
Byron Begley
December 17, 2020
Buy a Walter Babb made bamboo fly rod or his beautiful 10- dozen flies for charity.
“Due to Covid-19, there will not be a Needy Family Fund Auction this year. I made a rod and tied some flies for the Auction this Spring, so I will be selling them and the proceeds will go to the Needy Family Fund.
Th rod is an 8’ 0” 2 piece 6-weight Stan’s Blackfoot, a great taper from Stan Smartt. This is a single tip rod. The price is $850 plus sales tax.
There is also a box of 10 dozen of my favorite nymphs and wet flies. The price is $253.95 plus sales tax if you are a Tennessee resident.
If interested, call Walter Babb at 423-337-6772. I have many other rods, in case someone wants a rod for lighter lines or a shorter small stream type rod.”
Walter
Respond to: byron@littleriveroutfitters.com |
