Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 4:42 am, the temperature is 48 degrees.

It will be sunny today with a high temperature in the low 80’s.

Rain will move into the region tomorrow according to the weather forecasts I just read. The chance for rain will be low early, with the chance for showers and thunderstorms at 80% in the  afternoon. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and a half of an inch are possible. The high temperature will be in the low to middle 80’s.

The chance for rain and thunderstorms is high tomorrow night, at 90%.

Showers are likely Monday with a high in the middle to upper 70’s. The chance for rain is 60%.

Surely, we will get some much needed rain from this approaching weather pattern.

Little River is flowing at 55.3 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 1.44 feet on the gauge. Median flow for this date is 156 cfs. The lowest recorded flow on this date at the Townsend Gauge was 56.3 cfs in 2007. Median flow for this date is 156 cfs. The water temperature is 56.3 degrees and falling.

All streams in the mountains are flowing low. I talked to a few customers yesterday who fished and did fairly well, despite the low water conditions. They fished the choppy broken water in plunge pools and deeper runs where the trout were hiding. They appeared to be dressed to blend with the forest. One customer told me he prefers low water conditions.

If you do what I just described, you should do fairly well today. I would use a small dry fly, probably a Yellow Sally Stonefly imitation or a Yellow Stimulator. I might try a foam beetle. I would drop an unweighted Green Weenie off the dry fly and cast to into the choppy water. More important than fly selection is getting a good drift. You will need to fish close to control your drift and use fine tippet. Dress to blend with the forest to help avoid being seen by the trout.

Fishing for stocked trout in the low elevation rivers is fair to good depending on the river you are fishing. These rivers are flowing low. Trout will be packed in the deeper pools or runs. Some rivers have probably not been stocked in a while due to the warmer water conditions. I heard yesterday that Travis is stocking the river in Gatlinburg, which is likely cooler than where trout are stocked in Townsend. Use small nymphs and light tippet.

If you are planning to fish in the lowland rivers for smallmouth bass, rock bass or panfish, find deep pools to fish. Streamers, crayfish patterns, foam floating flies or poppers are all good choices. Water temperatures are fine for these species. Fish the shaded areas of the rivers when the sun is high or go early or late.

If you will be fly fishing on the lakes, go early or late when the sun is low. When the sun is higher, find shaded banks or flats to fish and let your flies sink deep while retrieving. I would try foam floating flies or poppers early, late or when fishing in the shaded areas. If that is not working, try streamers or swimming nymphs. The sun will be bright today and the winds will be calm.

Tailwater anglers have many options today. TVA and the Corps will be offering long periods of no generation except for short periods of pulsing at most dams, especially early today. They will be turning on the generators this afternoon or late morning at some dams. You can work with many of these schedules today. Check the schedule at Wolf Creek Dam in Kentucky if that is your favorite tailwater. That is one of my favorite tailwaters. Check the TVA website to help plan your tailwater fishing day.

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

Byron Begley
June 10, 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