Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 4:46 am, the temperature is 67.1 degrees.
We have entered a period when weather patterns usher in heat and humidity, causing scattered thunderstorms daily. A quick look at the 10-day forecast indicates the chance for scattered thunderstorms each day. That is a good weather forecast for fly fishermen who love to spend their time in the mountains.
This is a holiday weekend, a big one. I don’t know what to expect. I did notice traffic was very light in town when I drove home from the shop yesterday. People will definitely be drawn to the water this weekend, in the streams, rivers and lakes.
Showers and thunderstorms are likely this afternoon. The high temperature will be in the high 80’s. The forecast is the same tomorrow and Monday.
Little River is flowing at 89.7 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 1.56 feet on the gauge. Median flow for this date is 125 cfs. The water temperature is 70.5 degrees this morning.
Some streams in the mountains are flowing below normal. Others are flowing at normal. And, there are some flowing slightly higher than normal and currently rising. That is the trend we will likely see over the next few days or longer. Water levels will be up and down.
The water is warm in the low elevations. We should be fishing higher where the water is cooler. Catching and releasing a trout in very warm water can be lethal to the fish. Look for water temperatures in the 60’s during the warmest part of the day. Fishing will be better for us and the trout. Dry flies and nymphs will work.
I would plan to hike into the backcountry this holiday weekend. The further you hike from a road, the less people you will see.
Rivers flowing out of the mountains and meander through the valleys become home to warmwater and cool water species. I refer to those rivers here as “Lowland Rivers”. Most of these rivers have good populations of smallmouth bass, rock bass and panfish. Fishing for lowland river species is very popular and a lot of fun. The flies are typically larger than trout flies. I like tying these flies and using them. There are many other anglers like me.
Fishing in the lowland rivers will be good in some and fair in others, depending on the water levels. Cast poppers, foam floating flies, streamers, nymphs or crayfish patterns in the deeper pools and runs.
This weekend would not be my favorite time to be on a lake. The lakes will be crowded with boaters and people. If you go, launch at daybreak. Fish the banks with poppers, foam floating flies, streamers or swimming nymphs. As the sun rises, fish the shaded banks. Watch for game fish clobbering shad on the surface until the sun rises higher. You might find some of that action until the dim light turns bright. If it is overcast, shad may near on the surface longer.
We called that fishing in the “Jumps” when I was a kid growing up in Kentucky. When fish are feeding on shad, on the surface, that is something you can see. You know where the shad schools are. When the shad schools are deeper, you don’t know where they are unless you happen to see them on your depth finder. When I was young, depth finders had not been invented.
Threadfin shad are filter feeders, meaning they filter plankton for food. They follow the plankton and the game fish follow the shad. Plankton can be found on the surface when the light is dim. That is when you see fish in the “jumps”.
You may want to fish on a tailwater today and there are generation schedules you can work with at many dams. Check the generation schedules on the TVA website. You will see less generation early and more later today.
Have a great day and thank you for being here with us.
Byron Begley
July 2, 2022
Respond to: byron@littleriveroutfitters.com
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