Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 5:35 am, the temperature is 65.8 degrees.
Today will be mostly sunny with a high temperature in the upper 80’s and a chance for thunderstorms this afternoon. Thunderstorms are likely tomorrow and tomorrow night. It will be cooler with a high in the middle 80’s.
Little River is flowing at 93.8 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 1.58 feet on the gauge. Median flow for this date is 128 cfs. The water temperature is 69.8 degrees at the low elevations gauge site near Townsend.
Little Pigeon River is flowing at 382 cubic feet per second or 1.91 feet on the gauge. Median flow for this date is 262 cfs.
Oconaluftee River is flowing at 257 cfs, 1.47 feet, compared to median flow of 302 cfs.
Tellico River is flowing at 94.8 cfs, .95 feet, compared to median flow of 121 cfs.
Cataloochee Creek is flowing at 59.6 cfs, 2.40 feet, compared to median flow of 60 cfs.
Davidson River is flowing at 98.8 cfs, .97 feet, compared to median flow of 68 cfs.
As you can see, some streams are flowing near normal, while others are flowing higher or lower than normal. Normal in mid-July is low.
Water temperatures are warm in the low elevations. Trout should not be caught and released in warm water. It could be lethal to the trout. Fish in the higher elevations where the water is cooler. Look for water temperatures in the middle 60’s at midday.
Trout are taking dry flies and nymphs. Fish the broken water where they are hiding. Dress to blend with the forest so you are less likely to be seen. A dry fly with a nymph dropper is a good tactic to use during low water conditions like we have now.
Lowland rivers flowing out of the mountains and through the valleys are flowing low. Fish the deeper pools for smallmouth bass, rock bass or panfish. Poppers or foam floating flies should work. Fish in the shaded deeper pools and runs.
It will be sunny today so lake fishing will be best early when the sun if off the water. It will be a little breezy at times today, with winds topping out a 10 miles per hour out of the southwest. Cast to the banks with poppers, foam floating flies, streamers or swimming nymphs. As the sun rises, seek shaded banks to fish.
TVA and the Corps will be generating late this morning or early this afternoon at most dams. There are exceptions. The generators should be off at South Holston Dam except for pulsing most of the day. You can work with most of the generation schedules and fish the tailwaters below the dams, with careful planning.
The long term weather forecast through the end of July indicates we have a good chance for thunderstorms every day after today. July is normally a wet month. July this year has been wetter than normal. Rainfall at the Knoxville Airport has amounted to 3.81 inches so far. Normal is 2.82 inches during the period. It appears this trend may continue through the month.
It will also be warmer than normal through the end of July.
Have a great day and thank you for being here with us.
Byron Begley
July 17, 2022
Respond to: byron@littleriveroutfitters.com
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