Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains.  We finally got some rain last night to help with water flows, though less fell than was expected.  More rain is coming today and tomorrow accompanied by stormy weather.

This morning the gauge on Little River is reading 2.07 feet or 202 c.f.s.  This is still below the daily normal of 270 c.f.s. I would expect the Middle Prong of Little River (Tremont) to be muddy this morning.  It always turns to chocolate milk with the first rain as all the dust from the gravel road gets washed off the vegetation and into the stream.  

Water temps are up also.  Warm nights keep streams from cooling down.  This morning the gauge reading is 58.1 F.  Fish and bug activity should be very good.

Where to go today......  Given the chance for harsh weather later in the day I probably wouldn't plan a backcountry adventure.  I would take advantage of the lesser spring crowds and fish lower elevation not too far from the car.  

If the water is off color where you get in the water I would start with nymphs.  Squirmy worms can be very effective after a rain.  Pat's Rubber legs and other stonefly nymphs are good choices also.  A dry/dropper rig might be smart too.  A yellow Dry Humper on top followed by a Squirmy worm or a pheasant tail etc.  

This past weekend Walter Babb was inducted into the Southern Fly Fishing Hall of Fame.  Click here to see all the inductees  Walter is most definitely deserving of the honor.  Little River Outfitters has been blessed to have had Walter as a friend and part of our team for years.  Walter is such a wealth of knowledge about so many things.  He knows stuff about fly fishing and fly tying that the rest of us can only hope to catch a glimpse of.  To top all that.....he is a great person.  Humble and gracious.  If you ever get the chance to spend some time with him your day will be better for it.

We've got some new stuff at the Shop.  Despite cool water right now wet wading season is coming.  We just received a shipment from Korkers of mens wading shoes and womens wading sandals.  These are very lightweight and feature Korkers interchangeable sole system. 

For those of you, like me with aging eyes, we just placed an order for Clic magnifier glasses.  If you haven't ever seen these before they are the readers that click together in the front with magnets. That means you can wear them around your neck with their integrated retainer and when you need them just pull them up and clic them into place.  It makes keeping up with your readers so much more convenient.

Now that travel is a thing again, if you've been thinking about taking that long awaited saltwater adventure we've got the rods for your trip.  Scott Fly Rods has come out with their new Wave series.  These are American made rods without the $1000 price tag.  True saltwater rods with a smooth high line speed action, they can stand up next to the top end rods.  Pair it with a Lamson or an Orvis reel and you can be off to the islands and still have some money left for a tiny umbrella shaded drink.

Well it is Monday so time to wrap this up, head to the Shop and start the paper work.  If you are heading to the river keep an ear out for thunder and an eye on stream levels.  Storms high in the mountains can make conditions change rapidly.   

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

Daniel Drake
May 8, 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