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Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 4:52 am, the temperature is 76.6 degrees.
When I looked at the temperature this morning on a local personal weather station I couldn’t believe it. So I check others. That number is correct.
Today will be mostly cloudy and very warm with a high temperature in the upper 80’s. There is a chance for thunderstorms today. Some storms may be strong, with high winds, hail and possible heavy rain.
Tomorrow will be sunny and hot, with a high in the middle 90’s. Scattered showers and thunderstorms will linger through the weekend.
Little River is flowing at 156 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 1.84 feet on the gauge. Median flow for this date is 216 cfs. The water temperature is 62.1 degrees this morning.
Streams in the mountains are flowing below normal this morning. Water temperatures are within the trout’s preferred range. Fishing is good. Trout are taking dry flies and nymphs.
Your dry fly selection should include yellow sally stonefly imitations and you should use those. Nymph choices include small bead heads, squirmy worm patterns and Green Weenies.
If you are fishing in the mountains today, be aware that severe thunderstorms are possible.
Fly fishing for stocked trout in the lowland rivers is good. Nymphs, small streamers, squirmy worms and midge pupa are good fly choices.
Smallmouth bass are active in the rivers flowing from the mountains and through the valleys. Nymphs, streamers and crayfish patterns will work. The bass may be interested in foam floating flies and poppers.
I would think twice about fishing on the lakes today due to the possibility of severe storms. If your second thought is to go, you might do well thanks to the mostly cloudy conditions. Streamers, swimming nymphs, foam floating flies and poppers would all be in my boat box.
I would fish fairly close to the ramp and watch for thunderheads.
If you want to fish a tailwater today, you have many options. Long pauses in the generation are planned at many dams today. Check the TVA website from the links below to plan your day.
A few years ago, we planned a fishing trip on a day like today. Paula and I, along with some friends, floated the Holston River for several miles fishing for smallmouth bass. Josh Pfeiffer was involved in the plan too. He floated two anglers in his drift boat while the others floated in kayaks. Then, the storms moved in. During most of the float, we endured strong winds, lightning and heavy rain. The temperature fell. We were not prepared for that. We had rain gear. We did not have warm clothing. I remember shivering for a couple of hours.
We caught a few bass before the storms hit us. We had a good time despite the awful weather.
While we were on the river, lightning struck Little River Outfitters. There was the smell of fire in the building. Daniel called the fire department. Firemen searched the store and found nothing burning.
It turned out, the lightning came in through our internet connection and fried several computers and routers. We had no internet. We can’t run our store without the internet.
We called in some tech gurus, our internet provider, and got the store up and running the next day. It took about two weeks to replace all the equipment that was destroyed.
That is a time I will never forget. We have better safeguards now and a backup plan.
Have a great day and thank you for being here with us.
Byron Begley
May 19, 2022
IMPORTANT INFORMATION CONCERNING THE CANEY FORK TROUT FISHERY BELOW CENTER HILL DAM!
The US Army Corps of Engineers is seeking public input as they are planning to update their Water Control Manual for Center Hill Dam. The manual was last updated in 1998. David Knapp, who guides on the Caney Fork and other rivers, brought this to my attention.
According to David, the current manual requires only one hour of generation during a 48 hour period, which is not enough to provide cold water during the warm months. Years ago, before the dam was repaired, seepage helped maintain much needed cool water that is essential for a sustainable trout fishery. David says that is not the case now. If you love fishing the Caney Fork River tailwater, you should look into this and get involved.
The Corps will be holding a public meeting to discuss changes for the new manual on Thursday May 26th from 5:00 pm to 7:30 pm at the Smith County Agricultural center in Carthage, Tennessee.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION
Respond to: byron@littleriveroutfitters.com
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