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Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 9 am this morning the sun is shining bright and it is a cool 59F outside.
The weather for the next week is going to be near perfect. Overnight temperatures will be in the 50's to 60's which will bring water temperatures back up. I don't see rain in the forecast till late in the week.
Water levels in the Smokies are very good. The gauge is giving a reading of 2.44 feet or 377 c.f.s. This is higher than the daily normal of 268 c.f.s. Levels are on the high side of normal so like always you need to be cautious about where you wade.
Water temperatures dropped over night and are down to 53F. Big drops can make fishing slow. We should see temps warm today and that will make fishing better.
It appears that the tailwaters are back for fishing. The Clinch is running one generator most of the day but are supposed to turn it off later. The Holston below Cherokee Dam is running a pulse of 1 hour on and 5 off. That should make for good fishing over there.
Smallmouth fishing is starting to pick up. Earlier in the week, Glenn was out with Josh Pfeiffer. They did well. Glenn said the action was all sub-surface on streamers. It won't be long and they will be looking up, crashing Stealth Bombers and BoogleBugs.
If you are heading to the Smokies today I would start with nymphs sunk deep. Try some Prince Nymphs, Bead Head Tellicos in larger sizes, and Squirmy Worms. As the day warms I would switch over to a dry fly.
The hatches are transitioning into the lighter colors. Light Cahills, Hendricksons, tan or yellow Elk Hair Caddis in sizes 14-16. Smoky Mountain Candy in size 12-16 is a great fly also. Anglers are starting to see some Yellow Sallies. Rob's Hellbenders in #14 works well for the Sallies. Neversink Caddis in yellow is always a great pattern.
We have our first Beginner Fly Fishing school of the year this weekend. Walter Babb and Rob Fightmaster are teaching it today. Classes are a great way to get started and also to improve your knowledge and skills. One class that everyone enjoys is Aquatic Entomology. We have one coming up very soon. On May 18th. It is taught by Dennis Baxter and David Harrell. The cost is only $100. You can read more about it HERE. In this class you learn about the insects and then go to the stream to find and identify them.
Have a great day and thank you for being here with us.
Daniel Drake
April 27, 2019
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