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Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 4:29 am, the temperature is 69.4 degrees.

We have a good chance for scattered showers and thunderstorms today and tonight. In fact, it is raining right now. Rainfall could be heavy in some storms. The high temperature today will be in the low 80’s falling to the middle 60’s tonight. There is a chance for showers and thunderstorms tomorrow. Sunday will be mostly clear with only a slight chance for rain.

Little River is flowing at 170 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 1.88 feet on the gauge. Median flow for this date is 155 cfs. The water temperature is 66.0 degrees this morning.

Most streams in the Smokies are flowing slightly higher than normal, but a good fishing levels. That may change. Rainfall may affect some streams later today. Watch for rising water where you are fishing. If the stream becomes stained quickly, it will probably rise and you should get out.

Fish the middle to higher elevations where the water is cooler.

Dry flies and nymphs are catching trout. Yellow Sally Stonefly dries are a good choice, but other patterns may work well too. Green or Pink Weenies are a good choice for sub-surface flies and both will make a good dropper off your dry fly.

Most lowland rivers exiting the mountains are flowing above normal and at a good fishing level. Again, that may change later today, or maybe not, depending on where you are fishing and where the scattered thunderstorms are tracking. Smallmouth bass and other species can be caught on poppers, foam floating flies or streamers. It should be overcast today which is beneficial. There is a chance you may find stained water. If you do, drive further upstream or move to another river.

There are some tailwater fishing opportunities today, especially early. TVA and the Corps will be generating for short periods this morning but for longer periods this afternoon at some dams. The generation schedules vary so check the TVA website to see what your options are.

Lake fishing is good. Fish are taking poppers, foam floating flies, streamers and swimming nymphs. Being overcast today will be helpful. You may have to outrun a thunderstorm. And, it may be slightly breezy at times and windy during the duration of thunderstorms.

It is still raining in Townsend though not heavy. So far we have had only .13 inches this morning.

I talked to a couple of younger guys yesterday who live in Middle Tennessee. They are new to fishing in the Smokies. They were not doing well at first. These wild trout are hard to catch unless you know what to do. We all had that problem when we first started fly fishing here.

Then, they got very lucky. They met Ray Ball on the river. Ray is a very kind man who grew up fly fishing in the mountains. He spent a couple of hours with these guys and they started catching trout immediately. Ray showed them the tricks which are not obvious to first time anglers fishing in the Southern Appalachians. They learned to cast short and get a good drift. They learned where in the stream the trout are holding.

If you are having a hard time catching trout here, hiring a guide will cut the learning curve by a huge margin. Or, maybe you will get lucky too, and meet Ray on the stream.

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

Byron Begley
June 11, 2021

On October 21, 2020, many of us lost a very good friend. John Thurman of Norris, Tennessee passed away. John was one of the most helpful and truly kind people I have known. He worked tirelessly teaching fly anglers to tie flies, running the TU Trout Camp for children at the Tremont Institute, and sharing his skills and knowledge as a fly fisherman and entomologist with fellow anglers. John bird hunted and fished all over the United States. He was an avid sportsman, a good friend and family man.

A memorial service for John will be held on Sunday June 13th at 2:00 pm, at the Norris Religious Fellowship Church in Norris, Tennessee. The church is located at the corner of East Norris Road and Dogwood Road across from the Norris Middle School. Park in front or behind the Norris Middle School. Handicap parking is located behind the church.

Respond to: byron@littleriveroutfitters.com