Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 4:52 am, the temperature in Townsend is 40 degrees.

Today will be mostly cloudy with a chance for showers this afternoon and a high temperature around 60 degrees. Expect heavy rain tonight with a low temperature in the low 50’s.

Tomorrow will bring more rain with a high in the upper 60’s. Rain will continue to fall overnight with a low in the upper 50’s.

Rain will continue through at least Saturday. Rain may be heavy at times. Flooding is possible.

Little River is flowing at 215 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 2.04 feet on the gauge. Median flow for this date is 326 cfs. The water temperature is 38.7 degrees and rising.

Streams in the mountains are flowing lower than normal but that may not be the case for long. Water temperatures are rising quickly. Melting snow may pause the rise temporarily at some point today or tomorrow.

Many roads in the Park are still closed but some have re-opened including Little River and Wears Cove Gap roads. Laurel Creek Road and the Cades Cove Loop Road are open. We should see more road openings today.

Fishing in the Smokies will be slow until the water warms further. That may happen fairly quickly this week.

Fishing for stocked trout in the free flowing rivers will improve as the water warms.

There are pauses in the generation planned at more dams today, something that has been rare during the past very cold days and nights. If you hope to fish on a tailwater, visit the TVA website from the links below to see what options you have.

We have some great Free Fly Tying Demonstrations planned for this weekend. Bob Nanney and Rex Wilson from western North Carolina will be demonstrating Saturday January 27th between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm. These guys are well known long-time Smokies anglers and fly tyers.

Justin Pugh will be demonstrating on Sunday January 28th between 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm. Justin is a fly fishing guide at Blackberry Farm and Blackberry Mountain. He is an avid streamer tyer and fisherman.

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 24, 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