Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 4:39 am, the temperature is 68 degrees.

Scattered thunderstorms moved across our area yesterday. They hit Townsend yesterday morning. We got about a quarter of an inch here. The Knoxville Airport reported 1.29 inches fell there.

It will be mostly sunny today with a high temperature in the middle to upper 80’s. We have a fairly low chance for thunderstorms this afternoon and tonight.  Some could produce heavy rain. The forecast tomorrow is almost identical though the chance for thunderstorms is slightly higher.

Little River is flowing at 239 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 2.13 feet on the gauge. Median flow for this date is 135 cfs. The water temperature is 65.7 degrees this morning.

Streams in the mountains are flowing higher than median flow. Some are flowing significantly higher. For instance, Little Pigeon River is flowing at 2.51 feet or 687 cfs at the Sevierville gauge. Median flow for this date is 278 cfs. Most rivers are receding or remaining stable.

Fishing conditions are good. Scattered thunderstorms have continued to maintain good fishing water levels. The water has been warm in the lowest elevations so it is a good idea to fish higher where the water is cooler. Trout are taking dry flies and nymphs. I am recommending customers use Yellow Sally Stonefly or foam beetle patterns for their dry fly. Many nymphs will work but I would definitely have some Green Weenies in my box, to use alone or as a dropper.

Getting a good drift and not spooking the trout is probably more important than fly selection. Dress to blend with the forest and fish the choppy water where the trout are hiding.

Fishing for stocked trout is fair to good in some rivers. Small nymphs are what I would use.

Fishing for smallmouth bass, rock bass and panfish is good in the lowland rivers. The rivers are flowing at good levels, with some possibly flowing higher and limiting wading. Streamers, crayfish patterns, foam floating flies and poppers are all good fly choices.

I was leaving the shop yesterday to go home and stopped to talk to Forrest. He is new to fly fishing and likes to fish for trout in the Smokies and warmwater species in the lower sections of Little River. We were discussing leader and tippet sizes. He bought a 3-pack of 7.5’ 5x leaders. What I forgot to tell him is, he should shorten one of those leaders to use for smallmouth bass. The shorter leader would be best for turning over heavier flies on his 5-weight rod. And, the 5X tippet section would be reduced to maybe 3X, which I prefer to use when fishing for smallies. Even a normal size smallmouth bass can break off 5X tippet. So, Forrest, if you are reading, shorten one of those leaders when fishing in the lowland rivers and I think you will be pleased with the results.

They say it is going to be sunny today so I would go lake fishing early. Launch at daybreak and hit the banks of cover with streamers, swimming nymphs, foam floating flies or poppers. As the sun rises, find shaded areas on the lake to fish. You may also want to use flies that run deeper when the sun is high.

There are ideal generation schedules planned today at some dams, and not so ideal at others. If you plan to fish on a tailwater today, you can work with many of the schedules that will allow plenty of time on the water. Visit the TVA website from the links below to plan your tailwater fishing day.

The holiday visitors are gone but there are still many families here for their Summer vacation. Traffic appears to be normal for July. We are also seeing local angers in the shop, enjoying these great stream flows and great fly fishing conditions.

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

Byron Begley
July 6, 2023

BIG CLINCH RIVER CLEANUP TO BE HELD SATURDAY JULY 8TH

The Clinch River Chapter of Trout Unlimited is asking for help from the public, to join in and participate in this year’s annual river cleanup. During the past 25 years, volunteers have removed more than 6,000 tires and more than 10 tons of trash from the Clinch River Tailwater at this event. You can read more about the cleanup on the WBIR website by CLICKING HERE.

You can register as a volunteer on the Clinch River Chapter website by CLICKING HERE.

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