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 6:52 am, the temperature outside is 68.4 degrees.
It was very foggy when I drove to work but the fog is lifting now. Today will be warm with a high in the mid-80’s. It will be partly sunny later, and, we have a 50% chance for thunderstorms this afternoon.
Little River is flowing at 162 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 1.82 feet on the flow gauge. Median flow for this date is 124 cfs. The water temperature is 68.2 degrees this morning.
All stream in the Park that have USGS gauges, are flowing above median flow today. Rain fell in the Tellico River watershed late yesterday and early this morning. The river rose some, but not enough to discourage fly fishing.
Fishing is good thanks to the higher than normal flows.
Dry flies and nymphs are working. I would use terrestrial patterns, a black foam beetle with a Green Weenie dropper. But, you can catch trout on any reasonable fly. Aquatic insect hatches are scarce, which is normal this time of the year. Trout are active, due to the water temperatures being within their preferred range. They are hungry and looking for food. Terrestrials are abundant now.
Stealth is paramount to your success. Don’t let the trout see you. If they do, the game is probably over for them. Dress to blend with the forest, wade as little as possible, stay low if you can, and present your fly without spooking the trout. If you do this, you will catch trout. If you don’t, you may not.
Lowland river fishing for smallmouth bass is fair, early or late. If you fish during the day, concentrate on shaded areas.
The same is true if you are fly fishing on the lakes. Go early or late, unless it is cloudy.
The Corps is sluicing at Center Hill Dam. I don’t think that is good news but I’m not sure. The numbers on that web page don’t make sense to me. TVA continues to generate around the clock at Cherokee Dam. That isn’t good. They are generating on and off at Douglas Dam today. The same is true at Norris Dam. The guides on the Cumberland River, below Wolf Creek Dam are probably floating clients today.
Check the TVA website from the links below to plan your day.
I usually come to work at 6:30 am and go home at 4:00 pm. Yesterday, when I was pulling up to our drive, a bear ran right in front of my truck. Day before yesterday, a hen wild turkey with a bunch of young poults were in the same spot. I didn’t count the poults, but I can say, I’ve never seen that many with one hen. She looked proud of her brood. She also looked confused, trying to herd them away from my truck, 10 to 15 feet away. I stopped and yielded to the turkeys. I always yield to wildlife.
People are still talking about the Elk in Townsend. We don’t know if there is one, or two or more. I saw some more recent photos yesterday. The bulls have lost their velvet. Only a month ago, the antlers were covered with velvet.
This may be an excellent fishing day. I know it will be good in the Smokies. Watch for rising water this afternoon, if storms do become active in the mountains.
Have a great day and thank you for being here with us.
Byron Begley
August 4, 2019
Respond to: byron@littleriveroutfitters.com |