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Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 5:35 am, the temperature outside is 60.6 degrees.

Today will be a little warmer than yesterday, especially tonight. Tomorrow will be even warmer. No rain is predicted this weekend. It will be mostly sunny today and tomorrow. Rain is back in the forecast next week, beginning Wednesday.

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PREDICTED HIGHS AND LOWS TODAY

Little River is flowing at 127 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 1.71 feet on the flow gauge. Median flow for this date is 97 cfs. The water temperature is 65.3 degrees this morning.

All streams and rivers in the Park, that have reporting USGS Gauges, are flowing above normal. That does not mean the streams are flowing high. They are not.

Normal flows for this date are low. I think today has the lowest median flow in Little River, so far this year. August usually offers us low water to contend with. That means, stealth is of the utmost importance. Don’t spook the trout or the game is over. Dress to blend in with the forest. Be careful when approaching the water, to hopefully not be seen by the trout.

Concentrate your best efforts on broken or choppy water, especially when you think it really counts. Fish deep runs, riffles and pockets, where the trout are hiding. They are trying to find cover, to protect them from predators.

Fishing will probably be best early or late when the sun is off the water. Otherwise, find shaded streams or areas in streams. I would find a nice backcountry small stream to fish, in the mid to high elevations. The water will be cooler and shade is easier to find.

Dry flies or nymphs will work. Try a combination of both, a dry fly with a nymph dropper. You will get tangled at times. If you do not like that, fish a dry fly or a nymph alone.

My fly choices today would be, Yellow Neversink Caddis, Yellow Stimulator, Parachute Adams, a floating beetle, Green or Pink Weenie or a small bead head nymph. A Bead Head Pheasant Tail is a great nymph to use.

You may do well fishing on the trout tailwaters, specifically the Clinch River in our area. The lower tailwaters are fishing well for smallmouth bass.

If you plan to fish a lake or pond, go early or late. The same holds true for fishing the lowland rivers. It will be sunny all weekend.

Wherever you fish, keep in mind, terrestrials are an important food source for fish. Cicadas are active. I hear them at home and on the rivers. I hear them now. I hear them year round. I have tinnitus. My tinnitus is the sound of cicadas.

Who is the best fly caster in the world? It may be a 14-year old girl named Maxine McCormick from San Francisco. Maxine has been well coached for competition. Her timing is perfect. Her presentation is about as good as it gets. She loves fly casting.

You can read her story on the New York Times website by CLICKING HERE. After reading it, I feel like walking down to the field to practice casting after daybreak. I could sure use some practice.

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

Byron Begley
August 25, 2018  

Respond to: byron@littleriveroutfitters.com