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Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 6:46 am, the temperature outside is 64.0 degrees.

Today will be very warm and breezy with a high temperature of 70 degrees. Winds could gust to as high as 45 miles per hour.

Showers and thunderstorms are likely tonight. It will be windy. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch is possible tonight.

The rain will move out Friday morning. It will be sunny and cooler this weekend.

Little River is flowing at 437 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 2.56 feet on the flow gauge. Median flow for this date is 319 cfs. The water temperature is 51.8 degrees this morning.

The streams are flowing lower and are more angler friendly today. But, they are still flowing above median flow. Some anglers like this higher water, and others do not. The flows are strong in areas so be careful wading.

Water temperatures are good, especially in the lower elevations. Fishing will be good today. The only concern I have right now is the wind. I’m not too crazy about being in the forest when it is windy.

The trout will be actively feeding due to the warmer water. They were yesterday. You may also see hatches of Blue Wing Olives, Quill Gordons, Blue Quills, March Browns and other aquatic insects. Have all the Spring flies in your box if you go.

If you are not seeing action on the surface, try nymphs. It is hard to beat a Bead Head Pheasant Tail nymph. I like the copper bead version called the Quasimoto Pheasant Tail. The copper bead is less flashy than the gold beaded fly.  

I am at the shop and it is still dark outside. I saw only three other vehicles on my morning commute. There are “out of town” guests here, plenty of them. This is Spring Break for many schools in the eastern states. Travelers are seeking warmer fishing conditions they are finding here, for now.

Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) continues to sluice and generate at some dams, while spilling, sluicing and generating at others. Most if not all tailwaters are not fishable by wading or boating. The lakes are still at a higher level than TVA would prefer during the early Spring. They want the lakes to be lower for storage capacity for the Spring rains.  

Fly fishing in the tailwaters is very popular and those who prefer to fish them are not able to. What we need is a dry spell, but one not lasting too long. We don’t need a drought.

One long term forecast I’m looking at right now indicates we may be headed into at least a “drier spell”. Rain chances are low beginning Saturday, and extending through March 25th. We’ll see how that plays out.

It is dawn. I can now see the mountains from my office at the shop. Large dark clouds are floating along the ridge tops. A big one is moving by, overhead.

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

Byron Begley
March 14, 2019

Respond to: byron@littleriveroutfitters.com

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