If you do not see today’s Fishing Report, please refresh your browser to empty your cache.
Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 6:59 am, the temperature outside is 72 degrees.
It will be warm today and through the weekend, with high temperatures in the mid to upper 80’s. We have a 40% chance for thunderstorms today with a 60% chance Saturday and Sunday.
Little River is flowing at 105 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 1.59 feet on the flow gauge. Median flow for this date is 125 cfs. The water temperature is 72.5 degrees, and that number rose to over 76 degrees yesterday, at the low elevation USGS site near Townsend.
Rain fell in the Little Pigeon watershed yesterday, causing the flow to rise to 600 cfs. Currently, the river is receding. Flow is 295 cfs or 1.78 feet on the gauge, compared to median flow of 237 cfs.
Oconaluftee River, Tellico River and Cataloochee Creek are flowing at about median flow this morning.
Stream flows are good for early July. They will rise and fall over the next few days, affected by the predicted rainfall. That is normal. July is a wet month, thanks to the occurring scattered thunderstorms we usually have.
This has been a wet year and we are benefiting from it. For instance, June was the 9th wettest of all June months since records have been kept at the Knoxville Airport. At the Tri-Cities Airport, June was the 2nd wettest on record. The Chattanooga Airport received slightly over normal rainfall in June, and that was the 55th wettest June on record.
Still, the streams are flowing low. Stealth is very important to your success during the Summer months. Stealth is important every month, not just during periods of low flows. Dress to blend with the forest, keep a low profile and hide when you can. Fish the choppy water where the trout are hiding. Or drag nymphs deep in runs.
The water is very warm in the low elevations. Dissolved oxygen levels are low where the water is warm. Fish the higher elevation streams. Look for mid-day water temperatures in the 60’s.
Most reasonable dry and nymph patterns will work. A favorite combination in July is a black foam beetle with a Green Weenie dropper. Yellow stonefly patterns are very effective dry flies to use. Anything that looks like food will work. More important is presentation and getting a good drift. And of course, there is stealth to think about too.
Lowland rivers are fishing fair for smallmouth bass, rock bass and sunfishes. During the day, cast to the shaded water. I would use poppers and stick with them.
Unless it is going to be overcast all day, hit the lakes with your fly rods early and late when the bass and panfish are in shallow water. As the sun rises in the mornings, find shaded banks. The lakes are going to be crowded this weekend.
There are some trout and smallmouth bass tailwater fishing opportunities today. This may be the last sluicing day at Norris Dam. Generation at Wolf Creek Dam continues midnight to midnight, but they have cut back the flow from over 19,000 cfs to 11,000 cfs. Check flow schedules at other dams by clicking on the links below. You may find some generation schedules you can work with today. I saw some.
We have a new staff member starting today. His name is Dennis. He is not replacing anyone. We just felt the need for an additional associate. This has been a very busy year.
I am going to water the flowers and blow off the parking lot now, then get back to work.
Have a great day and thank you for being here with us.
Byron Begley
July 5, 2019
Respond to: byron@littleriveroutfitters.com |