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Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 4:46 am, the temperature is 68.2 degrees.

It is going to be hot again today, with a high around 90 degrees. They say it will be hazy this afternoon and tonight. There is a fair chance for thunderstorms tonight. Tomorrow looks better. It will be cooler, with a high in the low 80’s. There is a very high chance for showers and possibly thunderstorms tomorrow. We could get up to a half inch of rain. I hope we get more than that. It will remain cooler through most of the week.

Little River is flowing at 76.3 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 1.48 feet on the gauge. Median flow for this date is 108 cfs. The water temperature is 72.5 degrees at the low elevation USGS gauge site near Townsend.

Most streams in the mountains are flowing below normal. Water temperatures are very warm in the low elevations. This is a time when we should fish the smaller and shaded streams in the backcountry at higher elevations. A stream thermometers is an essential piece of gear. Look for water temperatures at 65 degrees or cooler for the health of the trout you catch and release.

Fish the broken water where the trout are hiding with dry flies or nymphs. A buggy looking terrestrial dry fly with a nymph dropper is a good combination. A Green Weenie is a good dropper choice.

Lowland rivers flowing out of the mountains are fairly low to low. Smallmouth bass, rock bass and panfish will be holding in the deeper pools and runs. I would go early or late when the sun is off the water. Start with poppers or foam floating flies. Switch to streamers or crayfish patterns if the top water flies are not producing.

There are tailwater fishing options in the area today. You will probably find periods of low to no flow at the area dams early, with the generators churning later in the day when power demand is higher. Visit the TVA website from the links below to see what your options are and plan accordingly.

It will be hot and hazy on the lakes today. It may be a little breezy too, especially this afternoon. Go early or late. Fish the shaded banks with poppers, foam floating flies, streamers or swimming nymphs. I would expect a lot of recreation boaters on the lake today.  

I found a short article by Tom Rosenbauer called, “10 Tips for Fishing Small, Cool-Water Streams in Late Summer”.  You can read it by CLICKING HERE and visiting the Orvis News website. As usual, Tom offers good advice and the timing is perfect.

Everyone likes Tom. He is a nice guy. I have been around Tom a few times, mostly at Orvis functions in Vermont. He has been in our shop and I noticed when he was here, he spent a lot of time in the fly tying department. Tom knows his fly fishing, every aspect of the sport. He is an excellent writer and podcaster. I bet he has written as many books as Lefty, and maybe more. I have not counted so don’t quote me on that.

When we think of Tom, we think of Orvis. When we think of Orvis, we think of Tom.

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

Byron Begley
July 31, 2021

WALTER BABB MADE BAMBOO FLY RODS FOR SALE – CLICK HERE

Walter is selling a selection of over 50 bamboo fly rods. All but one was made by him. The other one was custom made for Walter by Walton Powell. Read the description of each rod on the list and contact him if you are interested in buying one or more than one. Even if you are not interested in a purchase, this web page is very interesting to read. Walter has made over 285 bamboo rods over the past 20-years. You will be working directly with Walter on a purchase and you can test cast the rods before you buy one at his home. Or, call him and he will ship a rod to you. His contact information is on the web page he and I created.

Respond to: byron@littleriveroutfitters.com