Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 4:39 am, the temperature is 55 degrees.

Cooler air has moved into the region. The high temperature today will be in the upper 70’s. There is a 60% chance for showers and thunderstorms this afternoon and tonight.

Tomorrow will be partly sunny then sunny with a high in the upper 70’s. After tonight, the chance for rain is low through the end of the week.

Little River is flowing low at 64.3 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 1.49 feet on the gauge. Median flow for this date is 160 cfs. The lowest recorded flow on this date was 52.0 cfs in 1988. Last year on this date, the river was flowing at 178 cfs.

Streams in the mountains are flowing below normal with some flowing very low. That may change later today and overnight. But, for now, the water is low.

Some anglers I have talked to in the shop are catching trout and telling me fishing is good. Obviously, they know how to fish in low water conditions. Water temperatures are falling and that trend should continue for a few days. Days and especially nights will be cool through Friday, with temperatures at night falling to the upper 40’s to the low 50’s.

If you go today, fish the broken choppy water where the trout are hiding from predators. Dress to blend with the forest. Trout are taking dry flies and nymphs.

Fishing for stocked trout in the low elevations is probably fair. Trout will be packed in the pools. Cooler water temperatures will be helpful.  Small nymphs will likely work best for you.

Fishing for smallmouth bass, rock bass and panfish in the lowland rivers is good. Fish in the deeper pools using streamers, crayfish patterns, foam floating flies and poppers. Most of these rivers are flowing very low, at least for now.

It may be a little breezy today but lake fishing conditions should be good due to the predicted cloud cover. Cast to the banks and cover with streamers, swimming nymphs, foam floating flies or poppers. If it is sunny at times, find shaded banks to fish. This will be the best lake fishing day this week. You could get caught in a thunderstorm this afternoon.

Check the TVA website from the links below to see what tailwater options you have. Generation schedules vary today. There will be breaks in the generation this morning at most dams. The generators will be turned on this morning and churn most of the day at several dams. At others, you will see longer periods of no generation with pulsing mixed in. With careful planning, you should be able to find a tailwater with suitable flows but that may require some travel.

I hope we get some rain today and tonight. Everyone who lives here would agree. Not only are the streams and rivers flowing low, most people, including Paula are watering their gardens daily. Her garden is looking great.

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

Byron Begley
June 7, 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