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Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 5:33 am, the temperature outside is 49.8 degrees.

It will be very warm today, tomorrow and Thursday, with high temperatures in the 60’s today and reaching the 70’s tomorrow and Thursday. Colder air will move in Thursday night and remain through the weekend.

Little River is flowing at 228 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 2.07 feet on the gauge. Median flow for this date is 387 cfs.

The water temperature is 47.7 degrees this morning. Water temperatures will warm further today, tomorrow and Thursday. Water temps will reach and exceed 50 degrees at some point in time this week, maybe today.

When it does, fishing will be good in the Smoky Mountains, especially in the lower elevations. Get ready because the time has come.

Nymphs may work best because the trout are probably not looking up, not yet. But, they could be.

Aquatic insects may become active and some could be the early hatches we see in the Spring. I don’t know for sure, when or if, but you could see Quill Gordons and Blue Quills on the water in the low elevations. They may have been active yesterday. You will likely see Blue Wing Olives and other aquatic insects on the water at times.

Trout will certainly be active. When the water temperatures reach near 50 degrees, they always are.

I would go prepared for anything. Nymph selections should include Pheasant Tail, Tellico, Hare’s Ear or Prince patterns.

I would have the following dry flies in my box:
Blue Wing Olive
Quill Gordon
Blue Quill
Parachute Adams in sizes #12 down to #16

All of the above should have you covered.

I would also have a stream thermometer in my vest or pack. Check the water temperature. If the water is cool where you are fishing, below 48 degrees, move further downstream or find another stream to fish. If fishing is good where you are, don’t leave.

Normally, during the early Spring, the water temperatures start out cold. They are still falling early due to cold temps in the high elevations. We usually wait until later in the day, after the water has warmed some, to go.

That is not happening today. The water temperature is rising right now at 6 am.

So, go today or later this week and enjoy early Spring fishing in the Smoky Mountains. Fishing will probably be best tomorrow and Thursday.

In September, two men were hunting for ginseng in the Park. Harvesting ginseng in the Park is unlawful.

At one point the two men became separated. Two days later, one of the men was reported missing. Searchers found the missing man dead, with a bear feeding on the body. He was found not far from our house.

Long story short, the bear was killed by rangers. Tests proved the bear was not rabid, but it was hostile to the searchers, trying to recover the man’s body. The huge question was, did the bear kill the man? That is extremely rare.

Well, the results of the autopsy performed on the man has been released. The man dyed of a methamphetamine overdose, not from a bear attack.

You can read more about this story on the Daily Times website by CLICKING HERE.

Our 2019 Fly Fishing School schedule has been updated on othe website. This schedule also includes our remaining fly tying classes. You can see the schedule by CLICKING HERE. There you can also learn more about all of our 2019 classes. If you or someone you know is interested in learning to fly fish or tie flies, our school is an excellent place to start. Our school has been in operation for over 20 years.

We have two great FREE fly tying demonstrations for you to enjoy this weekend, one on Saturday and the other on Sunday. These free demos begin at 10 am and end at 2 pm each day. All you have to do is show up. You can read our Winter Free Saturday Tying Demonstration page by CLICKING HERE.

Saturday: Steve Brown and Mike Wallace. Steve has been tying for 20 years. His home water is the Clinch River. Mike has been tying for 30 years. He fishes the mountain streams and the Holston and Watauga rivers.

Sunday: Guides David Knapp and Travis Williams. David guides in the Smoky Mountains, on the Cumberland Plateau and on the Caney Fork River. Travis guides in the Smokies.

Our free fly tying demos will run through March 2nd, ending with Jack Gregory and Walter Babb.

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

Byron Begley
February 5, 2019

NOTICE: Great Smoky Mountains head fisheries biologist Matt Kulp will be giving the State of the Park Fisheries Address at the Little River Chapter of Trout Unlimited's February meeting. Date: Tuesday February 26th.

The chapter meetings are held at Barley's Restaurant in downtown Maryville, Tennessee. Social hour begins at 6 pm. The meeting starts at 7:00 pm. You do not have to be a TU member to attend. Newcomers are welcome and encouraged to attend.

The Little River Chapter of Trout Unlimited has partnered with Great Smoky Mountains National Park, voluneering and raising funding, since 1993.

Fly Tying Classes January, February and March 2019 Taught by Walter Babb and Brian Courtney Beginner to Advanced CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

Respond to: byron@littleriveroutfitters.com