Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 5:14 am, the temperature in Townsend is 24 degrees.

Cold air has moved into the Smokies, just when we thought we may enjoy an early Spring.

Today will be sunny with a high in the middle to upper 40’s, dropping to the upper 20’s tonight.

Tomorrow will be sunny and warmer with a high in the middle 50’s and a low in the upper 20’s.

Little River is flowing at 362 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 2.41 feet on the gauge. Median flow for this date is 367 cfs. The water temperature is 39.9 degrees and falling.

Most streams in the mountains are flowing very close to normal this morning. Normal at this point in the year is fairly high but at good fishing levels. The problem we have now is cold water. We will not see the water warm much today. Your best bet is to fish in the low elevations where the water is warmer, using weighted nymph rigs. The trout will be hunkered down and not very active. I would plan on using Hare’s Ear, Prince, Pheasant Tail or Tellico nymphs or many other Euro style patterns.

Fishing has been very good in the stocked streams, especially those that have been heavily stocked. Gatlinburg is a prime example. The colder water may slow the fishing down some but maybe not much. Nymphs and streamers are good fly choices.

TVA and the Corps will be generating today at many dams. I saw breaks scheduled at a few, including Wilbur, Dale Hollow and Chatuge. If you a hoping to fish on a tailwater today, check the generation schedules on the TVA website to make your decision on where or when to go. If you are boating, there are more options.

I talked to our friend Bill for a while yesterday. He was at the shop while his grandson took our beginner fly tying class. Bill got his start at fly tying in one of our beginner classes many years ago. A few years later, he arranged for his two sons to take the beginner class. And now, it is his grandson’s turn. That is three generations of fly tyers getting their start at LRO. It doesn’t seem possible that I am that old. I guess it does. We’ve been teaching these classes for about 29 years.

We started with me helping Walter Babb in the 90’s. Then, Walter and Brian Courtney taught them. Now, Brian is teaching all the fly tying classes.

Come by the shop this afternoon to attend our Free Fly Tying Demonstration. Mike Wallace will be tying between 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm. Mike is an excellent fly tyer. We sell some of his flies here at the shop. I love his colorful wet flies. You will enjoy spending time with Mike.

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

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

Byron Begley
February 18, 2024

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