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Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. The sun is shining this morning! Today will be a beautiful day around the area.

I haven't figured a good spin for the current conditions. Water levels in the Smokies are less than they were. At its peak last night the Little River was flowing at over 5 feet on the gauge. Now we are down to 3.87 feet. This is better but still way to high to safely fish.

This morning at 9:00 the gauge reading on Little River is 3.87 feet or 1,390 c.f.s. This is significantly higher than the daily normal of 284 c.f.s. I expect that the streams are flowing off color at the moment.

Water temperatures have dropped some to around 45F. The weather forecast for next week is looking wet but warm. Water temps will rise once again.

I can't really give you a good place to go fishing today. The main streams are high in the Smokies. Even the small tributary streams are going to be high. Low elevation rivers outside the Smokies will be high and muddy. The lakes will be off color. Looking on the TVA website, the Clinch River is still sluicing a high volume of water. Other tailwaters are generating or sluicing.

To me it looks like a good time to get ready for spring. Time to organize those fly boxes that we figured we would take care of over the winter. Time to make sure the old waders aren't leaking. If you are like me, you had a slow leak in your waders last spring but then wet wading season arrived. Then when fall came you remembered where the leak was. Winter arrived and it got cold and the water was too high. Now spring hatches are right around the corner and your left leg is still going to be wet unless you do something about it.

Nine boxes arrived yesterday. In these boxes is the start to Byron's conventional tackle department. Paul's and my task today will be to create new items in the computer, check all the stuff in and find a new place on the wall for it. This is exciting. We have been stocking some conventional tackle over the last couple of years. Mostly it has been Trout Magnets and Rooster Tails along with some inexpensive spinning combos. Now Byron has a plan for it and it will be more comprehensive.

When the rivers are high like they are today a spinning rod could be a trip saver. You don't need space behind you to cast so fishing off the side of the stream is much easier than it is with a fly rod. It is the same with a trip to the beach. Often the wind is too much to get out and cast your fly rod. A conventional rod with some bait can be the difference between getting to fish and having to walk through t-shirt shops and looking at another snow globe with a carrot and top hat in it and the tag "Florida Snowman".

The weather forecast for this weekend look wet once again. If cabin fever has set in then come by the Shop for our Free Winter Fly Tying Demo. This Saturday we have Josh Pfeiffer and Jimmy Jones. Josh will be tying patterns for smallmouth. Jimmy will be tying for trout. It will be one you don't want to miss. Saturday from 10 am till 2 pm. Just come by!

FREE Winter Fly Tying Demos are going on every Saturday until March. You can read more about them and other free demonstrations we are holding this year by CLICKING HERE.

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

Daniel Drake
February 13, 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: info@littleriveroutfitters.com