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Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. I was surprised to see frost on the ground this morning. The sun is shining and melted that off quick. Today is going to be another gorgeous day to be outside.
Water levels on the Little River are better but some may think it is still a bit high. The gauge is giving a reading of 2.54 feet or 442 c.f.s. This is higher than the daily normal of 231 c.f.s. The streams are clear.
The tailwaters around the area have high water flows. South Holston, Norris, and Cherokee are sluicing. Wilbur (the Watauga) and Appalachia (the Hiwassee) are spilling water. On the website some of these dams will show no generation but sluicing and spilling are still putting extra water into the streambed. Be sure to look at the Average Hourly Discharge numbers to see how much water is really in the river.
Water temperatures in the Smokies fell last night and this morning the gauge is at 49F. Today will be warm so temperatures will rise. The trout will be more active mid-day through the afternoon.
The weather forecast for the next week is going to be wonderful. Highs in the low 80's and lows in the mid to upper 50's. No rain until at least Saturday. This will make the fishing conditions in the mountains close to ideal.
This morning, a customer asked about what the ideal conditions in the Smokies are. That is a really hard thing to answer definitely. "Ideal" is a very relative thing. Some anglers prefer the water high and stained. Others like it low and clear. The experts will say that trout prefer the water temperatures to be between 50 and 60 F. Trout living in higher gradient streams will be able to handle higher water temperatures because the churning of the water as it plunges down the mountain will oxygenate the water better than a slow, flat creek.
The water temperature trend is very important. Thankfully the streamflow gauge we have access to for Little River has a temperature gauge with a line graph. Especailly this time of year a rising temperature will cause the trout to be more active than a cooling trend. The actual temperature doesn't matter as much as what it was and what it is going to be. For example: if the current reading on the gauge is 52F fishing could be slow if the water had recently been 56F. On the other hand the fishing could be very good with a 47F water temperature if the temperature had recently been 42F.
Consistency in water flows and water temperatures are also very important. If the water flows are high and stay that way the trout will adapt and feed. If they are very low they will feed. Fast fluctuations will cause them to feed less for a time period.
Hopefully all this information is helpful and doesn't make your head want to explode. The truth is go fishing when you have the chance to go. Someone told me once that if you have too much time to fish you won't go because the conditions will never be perfect enough. You just need to put it on the schedule and go. Use the conditions to figure out how you are going to fish, not whether you are going fishing.
NYMPHING TACTIC CLASS on SATURDAY MAY 5th!
If you have been fly fishing for awhile and just want to improve your skills, we have a Nymphing Tactics Class coming up on Saturday May 5th. In this class you will learn techniques for fishing nymphs more effectively. The first part of the class is here at the Shop where you will work on some new casts and learn about equipment, rigging and theory. Then after lunch the class heads to the river where you will put this new knowledge to practical use. The cost of the class is $150 and includes lunch. There is still plenty of space but you need to call to reserve a spot. 865-448-9459.
Have a great day and thank you for being here with us.
Daniel Drake
April 30, 2018
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