Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 4:49 am, the temperature is 65 degrees.

It will be partly cloudy this morning before clearing with a high temperature around 81 degrees. Tonight’s low is predicted to be in the middle to upper 50’s

Tomorrow will be sunny with a high in the low to middle 80’s with no chance for rain. In fact, rain is not predicted each day through at least Tuesday.

Little River is flowing at 379 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 2.46 feet on the gauge. Median flow for this date is 125 cfs. The water temperature is 63.9 degrees this morning. At this level, Little River is flowing on the high side of good. The river is fishable but higher than some anglers prefer.

All streams in the mountains that have USGS gauge sites are flowing higher than median flow. Some are flowing quite a bit higher. Most streams are fishable but currents are strong so care should be taken when wading. Water temperatures are good. Trout are actively feeding and taking dry flies or nymphs.

Fishing for smallmouth bass, rock bass and panfish is good in the lowland rivers. Most of these rivers are flowing higher than normal for August. Wading will be limited. Streamers, crayfish patterns, foam floating flies and poppers are good fly choices.

If the forecast is true, and it will be somewhat cloudy this morning, this could be a good lake fishing day. Winds are predicted to be calm. I would still launch at daybreak and fish until the sun is high later this morning. Hit the banks and cover with weighted streamers, swimming nymphs, foam floating flies and poppers. If the lake you are fishing is warm, you will probably do best fishing with deep running streamers or swimming nymphs.

There are some generation schedules wade fishing tailwater anglers can work with. If you are boating on a tailwater, you have more options. Check the TVA website from the links below to see what tailwater fishing opportunities you have today.

The Great Smoky Mountain Hot Air Balloon Festival will be held tomorrow evening. This has become a well-attended event. It will be held at the Townsend Visitor Center. You can learn more and buy tickets for this event by CLICKING HERE.

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

Byron Begley
August 18, 2023

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Parking Tags are now required to park your vehicle inside Great Smoky Mountains National Park for more than 15 minutes. Tags may be purchased at Visitors Centers, including the center in Townsend. Or, they may be purchased online. You can buy a daily, weekly or annual tag. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION.

Respond to: byron@littleriveroutfitters.com