Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 4:41 am, the temperature is 57 degrees.

It rained overnight. Rainfall amounts ranged from .39 inches to .67 inches in and around Townsend.

We have a low chance for rain this morning before gradually clearing this afternoon. It will be cooler this weekend. The high temperature today will be in the middle 60’s with a low tonight in the upper 30’s.

It will be mostly sunny tomorrow with a high in the low 60’s and a low in the upper 30’s.

Little River is flowing at 176 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 1.98 feet on the gauge. Median flow for this date is 253 cfs. The water temperature is 59.4 degrees this morning. The river is rising.

Most streams in the Smokies are rising. I don’t know how far they will go but I suspect they will peak fairly soon and recede. Or, the streams may continue to rise. Some streams may also be temporarily stained. The USGS gauge site at Oconaluftee River is indicating turbid water. The gauge there is the only one in this area that measures turbidity.

If you go fishing in the Smokies, check the USGS gauges first. Later this morning you will get a better idea about how high the streams are flowing and if they are receding. It was not raining when I woke up to write this report at home. It is raining now but it should end soon.

Fishing has been good in the Smokies since the water warmed. Trout are taking dry flies, emergers, nymphs and wet flies.

Fishing for stocked trout may be good. That depends on the water levels and if the rivers are stained. Water temperatures are good so trout will be active. Nymphs, squirmy worms, emergers and small streamers are good fly choices.

Fishing for smallmouth bass in the lowland rivers has improved due to the warmer water conditions. Streamers or nymphs are good fly choices. Of course, there is also a chance these rivers will be flowing high and stained. Check the USGS gauges before you go.

This could be a good lake fishing day. It may be breezy. Winds are supposed to be blowing at 5 to 15 miles per hour with gusts to 20 miles per hour. It should be overcast during the morning hours. I would go early to take advantage of the cloud cover. Cast weighted streamers to the rocky banks and retrieve slowly.

Tennessee Valley Authority is having some website issues this morning. Generation schedules at some dams are not reporting. The web pages that are reporting look promising, with long pauses and intermittent pulsing. Hopefully the website issues will be resolved later. I think this will be a good tailwater fishing day whether you are wading or boating.

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

Byron Begley
April 22, 2023

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Parking Tags are now required to park your vehicle inside Great Smoky Mountains National Park for more than 15 minutes. Tags may be purchased at Visitors Centers, including the center in Townsend. Or, they may be purchased online. You can buy a daily, weekly or annual tag. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION.

Respond to: byron@littleriveroutfitters.com