Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 4:33 am, the temperature is 70.3 degrees.
Rain and thunderstorms moving from the west missed Townsend yesterday. We only got a trace at our house. Heavy rain missed much of the Smokies yesterday as well.
Scattered thunderstorms are predicted again today. Heavy rain is possible. The high temperature may only reach 79 degrees. It will be mostly cloudy and breezy this afternoon and thunderstorms are likely. The chance for rain today is between 80% and 90%, depending on which weather website you believe. Scattered thunderstorms are possible tonight.
Little River is flowing at 196 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 1.96 feet on the gauge. Median flow for this date is 140 cfs. The water temperature is 69.6 degrees this morning at the low elevation USGS gauge site near Townsend.
Stream levels in the Smokies vary when compared to normal. Little River, Little Pigeon River, Tellico River and Cataloochee Creek are flowing somewhat higher than median flow. Davidson River and Oconaluftee River are flowing right at median flow.
If you go fishing in the mountains today, fish in the middle to high elevations where the water is cooler. Trout are taking dry flies and nymphs. Try a foam beetle dry fly with a small bead head nymph or Green Weenie dropper. Watch for stained and quickly rising water. Heavy rain could be falling upstream without you knowing it.
Most lowland rivers flowing out of the Park are at good fishing levels right now. There is a good chance for rain and thunderstorms so you may encounter stained and rising water. Fishing for smallmouth bass and other species is good. Fish the deeper pools and runs with poppers, foam floating flies, nymphs, streamers or crayfish patterns.
It will be overcast much of the day which is a good fishing condition for lake fishing. It will be breezy, with winds reaching 15 miles per hour. Stronger wind gusts in thunderstorms are possible. If you go, cast to the banks or cover with streamers, poppers, foam floating flies and swimming nymphs. This will probably not be a good lake fishing day due to the predicted wind.
TVA will be generating all day at Norris Dam with two units and at South Holston Dam with one. Generation at most other dams will begin later this morning or this afternoon. You have some tailwater fishing opportunities today if you carefully plan.
The strangest thing happened at our house yesterday afternoon. A wild turkey male, started gobbling almost continuously for about an hour. We could also hear hens clucking. That is highly unusual in July, something we normally hear in April during the mating season.
Maybe it was a younger male jake, who just found his voice, practicing for next Spring. We have been living with many wild turkeys for 28 years. We normally see them every day. We have never heard what we heard yesterday in July.
Have a great day and thank you for being here with us.
Byron Begley
August 1, 2022
Respond to: byron@littleriveroutfitters.com
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