Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 4:43 am, the temperature is 73 degrees.
It is very warm and windy this morning. Showers are likely this morning. Otherwise, it will be mostly cloudy today with a high temperature in the upper 70’s with a low tonight around 50 degrees. It will be windy today. Tomorrow will be mostly cloudy and cooler with a high in the low 60’s and a low in the upper 40’s overnight.
Little River is flowing at 346 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 2.43 feet on the gauge. Median flow for this date is 364 cfs. The water temperature is an incredible 55.8 degrees this morning.
Most streams in the Smokies are flowing very close to normal. Water temperatures are warm, well within the trout’s preferred range.
Fishing is good thanks to the lower stream flows and especially the warmer water temperatures. I talked to a few customers yesterday who did well. The only reports I heard about insect activity was an abundance of midges. Other aquatic insects are likely active, including blue wing olives. There may be sporadic hatches of blue quills and possibly quill gordons today and through the week. If they are not hatching now, they will be soon due to the warmer water conditions.
If you go fishing in the mountains today, be ready for anything. It will be windy.
Fishing for stocked trout in the lower elevations is very good. Nymphs and squirmy worms are working. One customer told me he saw a huge midge hatch with trout feeding on them, on the surface, in Gatlinburg. If you go fishing in the stocked streams, be prepared for anything.
TVA and the Corps will be churning a lot of water through their dams today. They will be generating or sluicing at every dam I checked almost all day. Tailwater fishing options are limited today. Check the TVA website from the links below to see if there is an opportunity I missed.
Beginning March 1st, you will need a parking tag in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The tag is required if you park your vehicle for more than 15 minutes. You can buy daily, weekly or annual tags. They can be purchased online or at Park visitors centers. They are being sold at the Townsend Visitors Center. CLICK HERE to read an article on the WBIR website on this subject.
Jack Gregory will be holding a Free Fly Tying Demonstration at the shop Saturday between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm. This is a demonstration and a chance to get to know Jack, something you should not miss. I think he is the best fly fisherman I have fished with and we have fished together a lot. He is also an excellent fly tyer. Jack will be tying is favorite Spring patterns for fishing in the Smokies where he grew up fishing since he was a youngster.
Justin Pugh will be demonstrating Sunday between 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm. Justin is a professional guide at Blackberry Farm and Blackberry Mountain resorts in Walland. He and the other guides he works with are avid fly tyers. I see them often in the shop and learn from the time spent with them. They are all experts and very nice people.
You do not need a reservation to attend these free demonstrations. Just show up at the shop and learn from these guys.
Have a great day and thank you for being here with us.
Byron Begley
February 23, 2023
Respond to: byron@littleriveroutfitters.com
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