Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 4:41 am, the temperature is 66 degrees.

We got plenty of rain and there is more to come. The Knoxville Airport reported rainfall yesterday of 2.66 inches. That broke the record for the date of 1.67 inches set in 1976. We got .70 inches near our house and .88 inches at a personal weather station in Townsend yesterday.

Showers and thunderstorms are likely today. Some storms could produce heavy rainfall. The high temperature is predicted to be 80 degrees. Thunderstorms are likely tonight.

Showers are likely every day this week through Saturday.

Little River is flowing at 209 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 2.09 feet on the gauge. Median flow for this date is 134 cfs. The water temperature is 65.3 degrees this morning.

Some streams in the Smokies are flowing higher than median flow. Others are flowing close to or lower than median flow. Some are receding and others are rising.

If you plan to fish in the Smokies today, watch the USGS gauges. If you are fishing, keep a close eye on the water levels. Heavy rain in thunderstorms could cause the stream you are fishing to rise quickly. You may notice stained water first. If you see that happening, get out of the water.

Nymphs or weighted nymph rigs are good choices. You might try dry flies or a dry and dropper rig. A Yellow Sally Stonefly is a good dry fly to use. Drop a Green Weenie off your dry fly.

Fishing for stocked trout in the low elevations could be good today in some rivers, depending on the water levels and if the river you plan to fish has been stocked recently. Nymphs and streamers are good fly choices.

Fishing in the lowland rivers for warmwater species may be good or it may not be good, depending on where you go and how much rain we get. There is a chance you will encounter high or stained water. Streamers, crayfish patterns, foam floating flies or poppers may work if the conditions are good where you go.

This could be a good lake fishing day. It should be overcast which would be perfect. However, thunderstorms are a possibility. The wind is predicted to be calm except in thunderstorms. Streamers, swimming nymphs, foam floating flies and poppers are all excellent fly choices.

Generation schedules vary greatly at our area dams today. There are several schedules you can work with if you plan carefully. Check the TVA website from the links below to see what tailwater fishing opportunities you have today.

If you are planning to visit our area to fish this week, keep an eye on the weather and flow gauges. Nobody know exactly what to expect this week and conditions could change quickly.

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

Byron Begley
June 20, 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