Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 4:44 am, the temperature is 62 degrees.

It will be cloudy and warm today with a high temperature in the low to middle 80’s. We have a chance for thunderstorms today, mostly occurring this afternoon. Showers and thunderstorms are likely tonight. Some could be severe.

Tomorrow will be cooler with a high in the upper 70’s. We have a fairly low chance for showers and thunderstorms.

Little River is flowing at 193 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 2.04 feet on the gauge. The river rose overnight briefly but the water is receding now. Median flow for this date is 214 cfs. The water temperature is 63.3 degrees this morning.

Most streams in the mountains are flowing lower than normal. If you go fishing, watch for stained and rising water. It should be overcast most of the day, which is a good condition. Trout are actively feeding. Dry flies, nymphs and emergers are good fly choices. I would probably start with a dry fly and a nymph or wet fly dropper. A Yellow Sally Stonefly imitation would be my dry fly pick.

Some streams are flowing low, at least for now. Stealth is paramount to your success. Stay hidden from the trout and you will catch more.

Fishing for stocked trout in the low elevation rivers is good. Sub-surface flies will likely work best for you. Try nymphs, squirmy worms or small streamers. You may need to downsize to small nymphs, midge pupa and light tippet.

This may be a great smallmouth bass fishing day. It will be overcast. There is a chance for higher stained water though the chance appears to be low. Nymphs, streamers, foam floating flies and poppers are good fly choices.

Cloudy days are good lake fishing days. This should be one. The only adverse condition may be wind blowing at 10 to 15 miles per hour. And, there is the possibility for scattered thunderstorms. If you go, cast weighted streamers, foam floating flies or poppers to the banks and cover. Swimming nymphs may work well too.

There are many tailwater fishing options today. Long periods of no generation with occasional pulsing is scheduled at most dams. You should not have a problem planning a tailwater fishing day. Check the schedules on the TVA website from the links below.

I returned from a week-long fishing trip to Florida to many fly tying material and tool orders waiting for me. There were two from Firehole and several others. I will be receiving and re-ordering all week.

Firehole is one of our larger fly tying suppliers. During the past year, many of their hooks and beads have been out of stock. That is changing. They have their inventory back to a reasonable level and now, and we do too. The few hooks and beads that are still out of stock should be available soon. I will be ordering from Firehole weekly now like I do with Wapsi and Hareline.

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

Byron Begley
May 16, 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