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Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 7:14 am, the temperature outside is 71 degrees.

Today will be cooler, with a high in the low 80’s. Scattered showers and thunderstorms are predicted all day. It will be mostly cloudy.

Little River is flowing at 295 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 2.22 feet on the flow gauge. Median flow for this date is 137 cfs. The water temperature is 69.4 degrees this morning.

Little Pigeon River is receding, but it is flowing high at 1,270 cfs, 3.08 feet, compared to median flow of 305 cfs.

Rain affected Oconaluftee River last night but the river is receding quickly. Currently, flow is 608 cfs, 2.05 feet, and that compares to median flow of 304 cfs.

Tellico River is flowing at 249 cfs, 1.5 feet, compared to median flow of 133 cfs.

Cataloochee Creek is flowing at 99.8 cfs, 2.56 feet, compared to median flow of 61 cfs.

If the streams do not get blown out today, fishing will be very good in the Smokies. Little Pigeon River is flowing high, and some of the tributaries may be flowing very high. Other than that watershed, the other streams look good this morning. There are other rivers and streams that do not have USGS gauges, so I don’t know what the status is overall.

It will be overcast. That is helpful.

Watch for rising water if you are fishing today. If you see the stream become turbid quickly, get out. A lot of water may be coming your way.

I would use nymphs. When flows are good, I love nymph fishing. Dry flies will work too. Terrestrials, like beetles, ants and Green Weenies are good choices. I would drop an ant or Green Weenie off a foam beetle. If your ant is floating, you probably can’t see it. The floating beetle will act as your strike indicator, as it would for your Green Weenie.

Lowland River fishing may be good in some rivers. Other rivers may be flowing high. Poppers and streamers will work. I would use poppers. If it continues to be overcast, that will be helpful when fishing the rivers for smallmouth bass.

Lake fishing with flies will probably be good today. I would go early or late to avoid the boat traffic.

Tailwater fishing opportunities are kind of slim today, but there may be some. TVA is sluicing at Norris Dam due to heavy localized rainfall, all day. The turbines will probably be off at Cherokee Dam until 11:00 am. Turbines at Center Hill Dam are running midnight to midnight. Check the TVA website from the links below to plan your day on a tailwater.

You won’t believe this. Well, maybe you would. A man approached a mother bear with three cubs in Cades Cove, and the bear ran the guy off. This person was way too close. And, a woman caught the whole encounter on video, using her phone.

You can see this video and read the story on the WBIR website by CLICKING HERE.

The only times I have been that close to a bear, is when they were sniffing around our tent in the backcountry. I’ve been about 30 feet from a bear, a few times, totally by accident. Once, a mother bear lunged at me, when I accidently got to close to her and her cubs. I didn’t see them and they didn’t see me until it was too late. Still, I was probably 50 feet away.

They walk by our home often. I like to stay 100 feet away or more. Those things can kill you.

I have never felt threatened by a black bear and I’ve been around many of them.

You’ve got to watch this video and read the story.

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

Byron Begley
July 14, 2019  

Respond to: byron@littleriveroutfitters.com