Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 5:39 am, the temperature is 62 degrees.

It will be mostly sunny today with a high temperature in the upper 80’s. There is a chance for thunderstorms this afternoon. Showers are likely overnight.

Tomorrow will be mostly sunny with a high in the middle 80’s and a chance for afternoon thunderstorms.

Little River is flowing at 151 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 1.84 feet on the gauge. Median flow for this date is 125 cfs. The water temperature is 63 degrees this morning.

Streams in the mountains are flowing higher than median flow for this date. Fishing conditions are very good. Fishing is good. I heard a lot of good fishing reports from customers yesterday.

Trout are taking dry flies and nymphs. Try either. A very good dry fly to be using now is anything that resembles a Yellow Sally Stonefly. There are many flies that mimic the Yellow Sally, including a yellow caddis or a small yellow Stimulator. One of our favorite patterns is the Yellow Neversink Caddis. This fly is tied using a small piece of yellow 2mm foam. We have been using this fly and selling them for many years.

A dry and dropper rig works well during the warmer months. Drop a Green Weenie off your Yellow Sally imitation and you should catch plenty of trout.

Fishing for stocked trout is good, especially where they are still stocked. Stocking of trout is curtailed in the Summer months in some rivers that reach high temperatures. In other cooler rivers, stocking is continued during the warmer months. Nymphs will likely work best for you in the trout stocked rivers at this time of the year.

Fishing for smallmouth bass, rock bass and panfish is good. Most lowland rivers have receded to good fishable levels. Streamers, crayfish patterns, foam floating flies and poppers are all excellent fly choices right now. Fish in the shaded areas if they are available where you are fishing, especially if you are using floating flies or poppers.

This should be a good lake fishing day. I would go early to avoid the pleasure boat traffic. I like to launch at daybreak and fish until the sun is higher, unless it is a cloudy day. As the sun rises higher, seek out shaded banks to fish. Poppers and foam floating flies will work when the sun is low or the areas you are fishing are dimly lit. When the sun is brighter, switch to weighted streamers or swimming nymphs.

There are generation schedules you can work with at several dams in the region, if you are planning to fish on a tailwater. These generation schedules vary from dam to dam. There is no consistent pattern. Find you favorite tailwater on the TVA website and plan your tailwater fishing day.

The John Thurman Trout Adventure Camp was held this week at the Great Smoky Mountains Institute. “The mission of the camp is to instill in youth, the importance of conserving, protecting, and restoring aquatic resources through fly fishing. The camp is managed and sponsored by the Tennessee Council of Trout Unlimited.

As usual, the week-long camp is finalized at our shop. The young students and their parents meet up to go home. I quizzed some of the kids about their experience. I heard, “It was awesome”, “I caught 38 trout this week” and other encouraging comments.

I know several adults who got their fly fishing start at “Trout Camp” years ago.

You can learn more about this camp by CLICKING HERE.  

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

Byron Begley
June 25, 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