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Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 4:42 am, the temperature is 54.7 degrees.

Light rain fell briefly overnight, amounting to a tenth of an inch. I just heard thunder. There is a chance for showers and thunderstorms today. The high temperature is predicted to be in the middle to upper 70’s, falling to the low 60’s tonight. Tomorrow will be partly sunny with a slight chance for showers and a high temperature in the low 80’s. Showers are likely Thursday.

I hear more thunder and heavier rain at our home.

Little River is flowing at 267 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 2.19 feet on the gauge. Median flow for this date is 316 cfs. The water temperature is 51.8 degrees this morning.

USGS gauge sites at all streams in the Smokies are reporting stream levels slightly lower than median flow. Water temperatures are good at the low and mid elevation streams this morning.

Unless thunderstorms raise and stain some streams, which is possible but not likely, fishing will be good today and through the week. Water temperatures will continue to rise and remain in the trout’s preferred range. Trout are actively feeding.

Nymphs will work for sure. Dry flies and wet flies should produce for you as well at times.

Lowland river fishing for trout is good, thanks to the warmer water. Rising or stained water may temporarily be an issue.

Fly fishing for smallmouth bass in the lowland rivers is getting better every day and that will continue over the next few days. Nymphs, streamers and crawfish imitations are good fly choices.

There are long pauses in the generation schedules at every dam I checked this morning, except Wolf Creek Dam in Kentucky. You should be able to work with the schedules today, whether you are wading or boating on most of the tailwaters. Tailwaters offer fly fishing anglers a huge amount of opportunities in the Tennessee River Valley. We are blessed to have these rivers available to us.

There are a lot of experienced river guides who specialize in float trips on the tailwaters. Do yourself a favor and book one for a day. Split the cost with a friend. Most guides specialize in fly fishing for trout. There are some who offer float trips for smallmouth bass and other species.

I found a fly tying scissor that is so unique, I have added it to the tool selection in the fly tying department. This scissor is made for fly tyers who prefer to hold them in their hand while tying flies, without putting them down. They stay in your hand through the whole process. Yesterday, I added this scissor to our online store. You can see it by CLICKING HERE on our Recent Arrivals page. The scissor is offered by Semperfli and named the “6 Finger”.

I bought a pair from our first shipment and tied some flies. I could not believe how enjoyable they are to use. You can still use other tools while they stay in your hand, attached to your middle finger. I tried hair scissors and a whip finish tool using the same hand.

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

Byron Begley
April 12, 2022

Respond to: byron@littleriveroutfitters.com