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Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 6:56 am, the temperature outside is 57 degrees.

It is overcast and this may be a perfect day for fly fishing in the mountains. I love overcast days. There is a slight chance for light showers. It may be breezy at times today and warm, in the upper 70’s. It will rain tonight and tomorrow. Rainfall amount predictions vary. We may get a half of an inch or more by tomorrow night. Maybe we will get less. Saturday will be sunny and beautiful.

Little River is flowing at 452 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 2.59 feet on the gauge. Median flow for this date is 235 cfs. The water temperature is 58.8 degrees this morning.

Streams in the Smokies are still receding to a more angler friendly level.

Fishing is very good, maybe excellent. Flows are on the high side. Water temperatures are perfect. Trout and aquatic insects are active. When David Knapp and Rob Fightmaster left the shop yesterday with their clients, they had smiles on their faces because they know, fishing is good.

Nymphs and dry flies will both produce for you. Yellow Sally Stoneflies are active. This is our best hatch of the year. Yellow Sallies usually emerge in April and remain until Fall.

For a nymph, try a small Tellico. Your dry fly choices should include Rob’s Hellbender, Yellow Neversink Caddis #16, Yellow Elk Hair Caddis, #16 Yellow Stimulator, or pick from many other Yellow Sally Stonefly dries.

Parachute Adams dries are working as well. Really, any reasonable dry fly or nymphs should work. The trout are hungry. They need food. Their activity is water temperature driven and the water temperature is perfect.

Little River is looking very good outside the Park through Townsend. It is stocked with rainbow trout. Wooly Buggers and nymphs will work. There is quite a bit of current in all the lowland rivers, so you will have to pick your spots to wade. Smallmouth bass fishing is good on these rivers.

Tailwater fly fishing for trout is red hot! The Clinch River is fishing very well. I am guessing, because I have not heard, but, the Holston is probably fishing well too. Generation schedules have been great for floating or wading at times on these two tailwaters. Today looks good too. Check the TVA website yourself before going.

We have many options today, mountain streams, lowland rivers, tailwaters and lakes. I am hoping we don’t get much rain over the next two days. We could use a break. Rainfall this year is about 10” above normal, in only 4 months. That should bode well for Summer fishing. The excessive rain this year has been tough on anglers. Right now, everything looks pretty good. And in some cases, excellent.

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

Byron Begley
April 25, 2019

Respond to: byron@littleriveroutfitters.com