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Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 5:10 am, the temperature outside is 51.1 degrees.
Today, through the weekend will be warm and wet. Today’s high temperature is predicted to be in the low to mid-70’s, falling to the upper 50’s tonight. We have a chance for rain today and possible thunderstorms this afternoon and tonight. Expect showers tomorrow morning, Saturday afternoon and Sunday.
Little River is flowing at 264 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 2.16 feet on the gauge. Median flow for this date is 344 cfs. The water temperature is 52 degrees this morning.
All streams in the Smokies are flowing near normal today. Water temperatures are excellent in the lower elevations.
Fishing is good.
We are hearing excellent reports from customers. Trout are actively feeding. Aquatic insects are active. Nymphs are working well. Dry fly fishing is good at times.
I would be prepared with some normal Smokies nymph patterns in my fly box. Additionally, I would have a selection of Parachute Adams and Elk Hair Caddis in various sizes ready to go. You may still see early Spring insects, and those normally seen on the water in March.
Stealth and presentation are probably more important than fly selection, unless you encounter a large sustained hatch of one species. I don’t believe the trout will be very selective. Get a good drift with a dark mayfly or caddis and you should catch trout.
Good fishing will continue as we will enjoy warm days and nights through March 26th, according to the long term forecast. There may be times when some streams may become stained due to thunderstorms. I do not see any mention of heavy rain in the forecast over the next few days and through March 26th.
Smallmouth bass fishing is picking up in the lowland rivers. Nymphs and streamers will work best. Smallie fishing will improve as the waters warm in the lowland rivers.
I do not see any good tailwater fishing opportunities today. Lake levels are falling. Most are quite a bit lower than they were last year at this time. My best guess is, we will be fishing on the tailwaters much earlier this year, than last year. The lakes are dropping and there is no heavy rain in the forecast.
Jack, Paula and I were sitting in the keeping room early last evening. A group of six wild turkeys walked up to our bird feeders to pick up some scraps on the ground. One was a gobbler. We saw him strut. The hens were not interested. Their mating season has not begun, but the hens and gobblers will be seen together more often now.
We have been living in our home for 27 years. When we first moved in, we seldom saw a wild turkey. Now, we see them almost every day. It is amazing how the wild turkey population has grown during the past 27 years.
Black bears are showing up. One of our neighbors saw one earlier this week. It is time to clean and bring in the bird feeders.
We have always seen bears around our house. Biologists claim the bear population has grown significantly during the past decade in the Southern Appalachians. I enjoy living with bears. Every time we see one, it is an event, even after all of these years.
I have never felt threatened by one. Every time we have a close encounter outside, the bear backs down and walks away.
We are busy at the shop. This has been an extraordinary week, much better than last year. In fact, the whole year has been better than last year. Our business is driven both directions by weather. Right now, the weather is working in our favor. More people are fishing. I hope this trend continues.
Have a great day and thank you for being here with us.
Byron Begley
March 12, 2020
Respond to: byron@littleriveroutfitters.com |