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 4:44 am, the temperature is 64.4 degrees.

It will be mostly cloudy today, with a high temperature in the middle to upper 80’s and a chance for showers and thunderstorms. Showers and thunderstorms are likely tonight, tomorrow and Friday. The chance for rain will continue through the weekend. Expect highs in the 80’s with lows in the middle 60’s through the period.

Little River is flowing at 139 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 1.76 feet on the gauge. Median flow for this date is 131 cfs. The water temperature is 67.3 degrees this morning at the low elevation USGS gauge site near Townsend. The water temperature rose to almost 70 degrees at this location yesterday.

Most streams in the Smokies are flowing slightly below normal to normal. Tellico River is still flowing higher than normal.

Because the water is warm, drive or hike to higher elevation streams to fish. Catching and releasing a trout in warm water can be lethal to the fish. There are many higher elevation streams where the water is cool. Look for water temperatures 65 degrees or cooler. I would fish above Elkmont. Hike up the trail. The further you go, the cooler the water will be. Lynn Camp Prong and Thunderhead Prong should be cool enough especially further upstream. Abrams Creek near the Falls Trailhead should be cool.

A thermometer is an excellent tool to have in your vest during the Summer months. Warm water conditions are normal in July and August, in the low elevations.

Some mountain streams are likely to rise over the next few days. Rainfall is coming and the timing is perfect.

Trout are taking dry flies and nymphs. They are hungry and looking for food. Terrestrial insects are an important food source during the Summer months. Beetles, ants and inchworms are more plentiful now. Trout are looking for them and the fish are not selective. If it looks like food, presented well, they are going to be interested.

Many lowland rivers flowing out of the mountains are at normal to slightly below normal levels. Normal is low in July. We will see cloud cover often this week. “Partly sunny” is written in most weather forecasts. Cloud cover is a helpful condition. Going to the river early or late is still a good idea. Fish the deeper shaded areas with poppers, foam floating flies, streamers or nymphs for smallmouth bass, rock bass and panfish.

There are wade and boat fishing options today on many tailwaters. The generation schedules I just saw indicate periods of little to no generation in the morning, while later, most will be generating. You can work with many of these schedules.

Lake fishing will be best early or late this week unless you pick a cloudy or partly cloudy day. The wind will be calm most days, except in possible scattered thunderstorms. Watch out for those. Otherwise, hit the banks with poppers, foam floating flies, streamers or swimming nymphs.

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

Byron Begley
July 7, 2021

Respond to: byron@littleriveroutfitters.com