Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 4:50 am, the temperature in Townsend is 11 degrees.

The Knoxville Airport is reporting 2 degrees.

It will be sunny today with a high temperature around 30 degrees, dropping to 10 degrees tonight.

Tomorrow will be mostly sunny with a high in the middle 40’s. There is a slight chance for rain or snow tomorrow afternoon. Rain showers are predicted tomorrow night.

There is a slight chance for snow Friday with a high in the upper 30’s. Temperatures are predicted to fall to single digits Friday night.

Most roads in Great Smoky Mountains National Park are closed due to snow, ice and downed trees.

Little River is flowing at 343 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 2.37 feet on the gauge. Median flow for this date is 259 cfs. The water temperature is 34.0 degrees this morning and falling.

Fishing in the Smokies is not advised due to the cold water and air temperatures.

The same is true in the lowland rivers. With water temperatures moving downward toward the freezing mark, trout will be inactive.

The shop will probably be open today. We closed yesterday due to ice on the roads. The road conditions should be much better today. I will find out in an hour or so.

We got only a dusting of snow in Townsend Monday and Tuesday. Other areas got more. We did get a little over an inch of rain on Monday. Yesterday, the fog in the mountains cleared so we could see the mountains from our house. The mountains were totally covered with snow from our view. They are solid white.

Brothers Steve & Tom Brown will be conducting a Free Fly Tying demonstration next Saturday between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm. Steve has been living in the Knoxville area for many years and is very active in the Clinch River Chapter of Trout Unlimited. Tom moved here from Virginia where he retired from Orvis.

Fly fishing guide Rob Fightmaster will be demonstrating Sunday January 21st between 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm. Rob is an excellent guide who works in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. He has come up with some very effective Smokies fly patterns he will share with you.

You do not need a reservation to attend these free demonstrations. Just show up at the shop.

If we need to cancel a demonstration due to bad weather, you can find out on this report.

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

Byron Begley
January 17, 2024

We are hold two all-day Beginner Fly Tying Classes on Saturday January 27th and Saturday February 17th. Taking one of these classes will give you a huge jump start into the wonderful hobby of fly tying. The class costs $100, which includes all the materials you will need for the day and the use of our vises and tools. We will also provide lunch for you. Space is limited so call the shop at 865-448-9459 soon to book your spot.

Join us on the weekends during the Winter for our Free Fly Tying Demonstrations.   You don’t need a reservation. Just show up. You can view our schedule by CLICKING HERE.

WALTER BABB BAMBOO RODS FOR SALE - Buy directly from Walter. CLICK HERE for more information.

Respond to: byron@littleriveroutfitters.com