Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 4:52 am, the temperature is 65 degrees.

Today will be mostly cloudy before becoming sunny later with a high temperature near 84 degrees Tonight will be clear with a low in the low 60’s.

It will be sunny tomorrow and on Labor Day with highs in the middle to upper 80’s.

Little River is flowing at 184 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 1.96 feet on the gauge. Median flow for this date is 82 cfs. The water temperature is 66.7 degrees this morning.

Streams in the mountains are still flowing higher than normal. Normal in early September is low. Water temperatures are warm in the low elevations. Fish higher where the water is cooler. Look for water temperatures cooler than 65 degrees.

Dry and dropper rigs are working well. Any reasonable dry fly with a Green Weenie dropper is a ticket to success. Dennis and Ron fished yesterday. Dennis said the trout were mostly taking the Green Weenie dropper.

Fishing for smallmouth bass, rock bass and panfish is good in the lowland rivers. Fish in the deeper pools and runs. Streamers, crayfish patterns, foam floating flies or poppers are good choices.

The lakes will be crowded later this morning. Go early while the sun is low and the recreation boaters are not on the water. I would fish through the morning then go home. Fishing may be good as it could be overcast for a while this morning. Streamers and swimming nymphs are good fly choices. You might also try foam floating flies or poppers.

There are some generation schedules you can work with today if you plan to fish on a tailwater. Check the schedules on the TVA website to plan your tailwater fishing day.

Well, Labor Day Weekend is here. College football has finally started. What we need now is some good Fall weather, specifically, cooler temperatures. Hopefully, those days are coming soon.

The shop will be open each day through the weekend including Monday.

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

Byron Begley
September 2, 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