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Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 4:51 am, the temperature outside is 73.0 degrees.
Today will be mostly cloudy and warm with a high temperature in the mid 80’s. Thunderstorms are likely today. Tomorrow will be cooler, with a 100% chance for rain. It may be breezy and heavy rainfall is possible through tomorrow afternoon.
Little River is flowing at 141 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 1.76 feet on the gauge. Median flow for this date is 102 cfs. The water temperature is 69.6 degrees this morning.
All streams in the Smokies that have USGS gauge sites are flowing higher than normal but at good fishing levels. Water temperatures are warm in the low elevations. Fish the higher elevation streams where the water is cooler.
Nymphs and dry flies will work. Green Weenies and Squirmy Worms are good choices for sub surface flies. A dry and dropper combination may be your best option. Fish the broken water where the trout are hiding and stay hidden from the trout. You will catch more if you do. Wear clothing that blends with the forest and stay low.
Lowland rivers are flowing slightly higher than normal in most cases. It should be overcast today which is beneficial to the angler. There is a chance these rivers may become stained today or tomorrow, if we do actually get heavy rain. Tropical depression Laura is now predicted to move to our North, but we may be affected by this storm. I would use poppers, hair bugs or foam floating flies and fish in the deeper pools and runs.
I checked the predicted flows at some dams this morning and found wade and boating options on our vast list of tailwaters in East and Middle Tennessee. Visit the TVA website yourself and plan your fishing day accordingly.
Lake fishing is fair. It will be overcast today. We all love that. Lake fishing may be good. I would go early today. It could be windy this afternoon. Fishing close to the ramp is a good idea so you can quickly avoid thunderstorms if they move in on you. My first choice would be top water offerings, poppers, hair bugs and foam floating flies.
If that does not work, I know exactly what I would do. Go deeper! My favorite sub-surface bass fly is a large weighted black Wooly Bugger. I tie mine on #2 to 2/0 jig hooks with about 20 wraps of .20 lead free wire on the hook shank for weight.
Cast them to the banks using a floating fly line and a 9’ 8 pound test leader. I use a 7 or 8 weight fly rod when I am fishing with these heavy streamers. Let the bugger sink then slowly retrieve with sharp quick jerks to give the fly action. Retrieve them to the boat. I often have these flies hammered by bass at the end of the retrieve, when I am about to make another cast. Sometimes they hit the streamer when I am pulling it out of the water to cast. That is always a nice surprise. Catching smallmouth bass on a fly rod is some of the finest fly fishing you will ever experience. You won’t know until you try.
Have a great day and thank you for being here with us.
Byron Begley
August 28, 2020
NOTICE: FLY TYERS WEEKEND HAS BEEN CANCELLED THIS YEAR.
Respond to: byron@littleriveroutfitters.com |
