Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 4:39 am, the temperature in Townsend is 43 degrees.

The rain is moving out of the area. Up to .62 inches of rain fell yesterday in Townsend. Now we will enjoy Spring-like warmer temperatures, dry conditions and improved fishing this weekend and beyond.

Today will be partly sunny with a high temperature in the low 60’s, dropping to the low 40’s tonight.

Tomorrow will be sunny with a high in the low 70’s and a low in the upper 40’s.

Monday will be mostly sunny with a slight chance for rain. The high will be in the low to middle 70’s with a low overnight in the low 50’s.

Little River is flowing at 543 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 2.67 feet on the gauge. Median flow for this date is 354 cfs. The river is receding. The water temperature is 45.7 degrees this morning.

Some streams in the Smokies are flowing considerably higher than normal while others are flowing only slightly higher than normal. Most of the streams flowing higher appear to be located on the west side of the mountains. Most of these streams are fishable, but care should be taken when wading.

Water temperatures will rise over the next few days. Fishing will be good. We will likely see the early Spring aquatic insect hatches begin next week. Trout will probably be feeding on the surface. That depends on water temperatures, which are normally warmer in the lower elevations. Spring hatches and surface feeding usually occur first in the low elevations.

If you go fishing in the mountains today, start with nymphs but be ready for anything.

Fishing for stocked trout in the low elevation rivers is good and will get better as the rivers warm over the next few days.

Tailwater anglers who are wading have some choices today. There are breaks in the generation planned this afternoon at some dams. If you are boating, you have more options. Visit the TVA website from the links below to see what tailwater fishing options you have today.

This weekend will be the last of our Winter Free Fly Tying Demonstrations until Fall.

Walter Babb will be demonstrating his fly tying skills today between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm. Just about everyone around here has heard of or met Walter. Many of you have been taught fly tying and beginner fly fishing by Walter at our school. Walter has been fly fishing in the mountains for over 60 years. He is an incredible fly tyer. He is also a bamboo rod maker who creates magnificent works of art used for fly fishing.

Chris Bean will be demonstrating tomorrow (Sunday) between 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm. Chris grew up fishing in the Smoky Mountains. He loves chasing big brown trout. He is a full time fly fishing guide working at Blackberry Farm and Blackberry Mountain. Chris is a very knowledgeable fly fisherman and fly tyer. You will learn by spending a couple of hours with him.  

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
March 2, 2024

WALTER BABB BAMBOO RODS FOR SALE - Buy directly from Walter. CLICK HERE for more information.

Respond to: byron@littleriveroutfitters.com