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Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 4:46 am, the temperature is 65.7 degrees.

It will be partly cloudy this morning, cloudy this afternoon, with a high temperature in the middle 80’s and a slight chance for thunderstorms. Showers and thunderstorms are likely tomorrow with a high again in the middle 80’s. Sunday will be sunny with a high in the upper 80s, with a chance for showers and thunderstorms.

Little River is flowing at 129 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 1.72 feet on the gauge. Median flow for this date is 116 cfs. The water temperature is 67.6 degrees this morning.

All streams in the mountains that have USGS gauge sites are flowing at about normal. Water temperatures are warm in the low elevations. Fish higher where the water is cooler. Trout are taking dry flies and nymphs. A dry and dropper rig is recommended. Try a terrestrial dry fly pattern with a small bead head nymph or Green Weenie dropper. Fish the broken water where the trout are hiding and stay hidden from the trout yourself.

Lowland rivers flowing out of the mountains are at normal levels for August, which is low. Fish in the deeper water with poppers, foam floating flies, nymphs or streamers for smallmouth bass, rock bass or panfish.

Check the TVA website if you intend to fish on a tailwater and you will find varying generation schedules at the area dams. Some are generating all day. Others will be generating this afternoon but not much early. If you are boating or floating with a guide you will have more options.

This may be a good lake fishing day. It will be overcast at times, which is a benefit to shallow water anglers. Winds will be light. The chance for rain and thunderstorms are low. It will be warm, but not too hot. I would give it a shot.

Fish the banks with poppers, foam floating flies, streamers or swimming nymphs.

Watch for schools of baitfish being clobbered by bass, trout or other gamefish early or late, or when it is overcast.

Plankton is light sensitive and rises to the surface when there is no sun on the water. Threadfin shad are filter feeders, that feed on plankton. They follow the plankton to the surface. Gamefish are predators that follow the shad to the surface. That is why you normally see surface activity early or late, and on cloudy days. I always wondered.

The weekly updated US Drought Monitor was released yesterday. Not much has changed. The drought continues to linger in the west, while most of the southeast remains normal with a few spots that are abnormally dry. You can see the updated version by CLICKING HERE.

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

Byron Begley
August 6, 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