Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 4:36 am, the temperature is 57 degrees.

Today will be partly cloudy with a high temperature in the low 80’s and a slight chance for a rain shower. Tomorrow will be mostly sunny with a high in the middle 80’s and a slight chance for showers. Saturday will be sunny with a high in the middle to upper 80’s. Sunday will be sunny early, with scattered thunderstorms developing later. The high temperature will be in the middle 80’s.

Little River is flowing at 87.7 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 1.62 feet on the gauge. Median flow for this date is 176 cfs. The water temperature is 61.2 degrees this morning.

Most streams in the mountains are flowing below normal. One exception is Davidson River which rose overnight but is receding now.

I talked to a regular customer late yesterday who told me he had his best day of fishing in the Smokes. Trout were taking dry flies and nymphs, though he caught most of trout on nymphs. It was overcast yesterday afternoon, which probably helped him do well.

Trout are hiding in the broken water, in runs, plunge pools and pockets. You will catch more trout if you stay hidden from the fish. A dry and nymph dropper rig is a good tactic to use in the low water. Or, try weighted nymphs or nymph rigs. Stick with what is working best. My dry fly choice would be a Yellow Sally Stonefly imitation, including a small yellow Stimulator.

Fishing for stocked trout is probably fair and maybe good. The water is low, so concentrate on the deeper pools and runs. Small nymphs and midge pupa will likely work best. Downsize your tippet to attract more strikes. A weighted tandem nymph rig is a good option.

Smallmouth bass, rock bass and panfish are enjoying warmer water temperatures. The lowland rivers are flowing lower than normal. I would cast streamers, nymphs, crayfish patterns, foam floating flies and poppers to the shaded areas if the sun is high. You may do best fishing in the deeper pools and runs.

Fishing on the lakes will be best early or late when the sun is low. As the sun rises high, look for shaded banks to fish. It may be cloudy at times today which will be helpful. Winds will be calm. Cast streamers, swimming nymphs, foam floating flies or poppers to the banks and cover.

Generation schedules at area dams vary today. At some dams, there will be almost no generation except pulsing. At others, they will be generating this afternoon for long periods. The Corps will be generating most of the day at Dale Hollow and Wolf Creek dams. It’s a mixed bag so visit the TVA website from the links below to see what tailwater fishing options you have today and plan accordingly.

Bears are actively searching for food. I talked to one customer yesterday who saw eleven bears in Cades Cove. We have not seen many at our house this year but we know they are out there every day and night. We had one small bear hanging around our house. Paula saw it on our front porch twice. I fired a pistol in the ground to scare it off and we have not seen the bear since.

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

Byron Begley
June 1, 2023

BEGINNER FLY TYING CLASS - We are holding a Beginner Fly Tying Class all day on Saturday June 17th. As of yesterday we had one opening in the class. The cost for the day is $100, which includes the use of tools, materials and lunch. The class will be taught by Brian Courtney. Brian has been teaching our fly tying classes with Walter Babb for many years. This is a great opportunity for you to begin this incredible hobby. You will learn to tie 5 different trout patterns. This class will get you started. Call the shop at 865-448-9459 to book your spot in this class or find out if an opening is still available.

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