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106 Town Square Drive
P.O. Box 505
Townsend, Tennessee 37882
865-448-9459
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Beautiful River in the Great Smoky Mountains



The Fishing Report 05/21/18 Great Smoky Mountains National Park and East Tennessee
Time of Readings 6:07 am Eastern Time Zone : CFS=Cubic Feet Per Second
Fishing Report Gauge Good
 

Water Temperature Little River
Stream Flow
Sunrise
Sunset
Rainfall 2018 YTD Knoxville Apt
Rainfall Normal YTD Knoxville Apt

 

66.2 Fahrenheit
1.68 Feet 127 CFS
6:26
8:39
20.43"
19.95"



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Townsend, Tennessee - Fly Fishing in the Great Smoky Mountains, East Tennessee and Western North Carolina

If you do not see today’s Fishing Report, please refresh your browser to empty your cache.

Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 6:07 am, the temperature outside is 64.4 degrees.

We have a good chance for thunderstorms this afternoon and tomorrow. High temperatures will rise to about 80 degrees both days. Lows will be in the mid-60’s. The chance for rain continues almost every day through early June.

Little River is flowing at 127 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 1.68 feet on the flow gauge. Median flow for this date is 200 cfs. The water temperature is 66.2 degrees.

Fly fishing for trout is very good in the Smoky Mountains. Dry flies or nymphs are both working well. One customer told Daniel this weekend, “There was nothing they would not take”. We all love to hear that.

Water temperatures have elevated the trout’s metabolism. They are hungry. There is plenty to eat, both aquatic and terrestrial insects.

Some streams, Little River included, are flowing lower than normal today. Other streams are flowing higher. Cataloochee, Tellico River and Oconaluftee River are flowing higher than normal. The Little Pigeon River is flowing slightly below normal.

The lighter colored mayflies and small yellow stoneflies are present on the water and dry flies that mimic them are what we recommend right now. A light Cahill or Sulphur pattern of some type will work. A Yellow Parachute Adams or Yellow Elk Hair Caddis are good searching patterns to use. A Yellow Neversink Caddis in size #16 is a killer fly to use now and through the Summer. Other good Yellow Sally imitations include Rob’s Hellbender and a small Yellow Stimulator.

A good dropper to use now is a Green Weenie or Bead Head Pheasant Tail. You will do well fishing nymphs and Weenies alone (not as a dropper) and weighted. A Pink Weenie will work well, especially in the brook trout streams. Squirmy Worms will catch trout for you.

Like the customer said, about anything will work. “The customer is always right”.

Smallmouth bass are taking topwater poppers and foam flies in the lakes. For this kind of action, you will do best on overcast days, or early and late when the sun is off the water. This is prime smallmouth bass lake fishing season. When the action slows during the bright sun, go deeper. I have always used a weighted Wooly Bugger or a Puglisi Threadfin Shad to catch these fish, when they are not feeding on the surface. Rubber Legged Dragons catch them too.

For their size, a smallmouth bass is my favorite fish to catch on a fly rod. They never give up. They fight every second. They are strong. They are beautiful.

I have never in my life eaten a smallmouth bass. I never will. They grow slow. They should be released. Tennessee is the smallmouth bass state. Smallmouth bass can be found in the lakes, lowland rivers and tailwaters. We are in the southern part of their native range. Our growing season is long. Threadfin shad are a valuable food source for these lake fish. We’ve got plenty of threadfin shad.

You have many fly fishing choices right now, right here in the Tennessee River Valley and the adjacent mountains. You can fish for trout in the mountains, all three species, brown, brook and rainbow. Fish for trout on some of the tailwaters. Fish for smallmouth bass on the lakes, tailwaters and lowland rivers. Fish for largemouth bass, bluegill, shellcrackers, carp, musky and stripers in the lakes and rivers. Fish for white bass in the lakes and tailwaters.

This is prime time and time to go!

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

Byron Begley
May 21, 2018  

Respond to: byron@littleriveroutfitters.com 


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USGS Stream Gauges

 
 
 
 
Abrams Creek Below Cades Cove    

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Lake Information and Tailwater Generation Schedules

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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