Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 6:27 am, the temperature is 64 degrees.

Thunderstorms and showers brought fairly heavy rain to the area yesterday and last night. Rainfall amounts vary at different personal weather stations, ranging from .51 inches to 1.61 inches during the period.

It will be mostly sunny and cool today with a high temperature in the high 70’s dropping to near 60 degrees tonight. Thunderstorms are likely this afternoon. Heavy rainfall is possible in some storms.

It will be sunny tomorrow with a high around 81 degrees with no chance for rain.

Little River is flowing at 228 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 2.10 feet on the gauge. Median flow for this date is 88 cfs.

Most streams in the mountains rose overnight but receded some by this morning. All streams that have USGS gauge sites are flowing higher than normal. Normal in September is low.

Fishing should be good today unless thunderstorm with heavy rain raise water levels. We should fish in the middle to higher elevations where the water is cooler, at least for now. That will change later this week.  Fall-like temperatures are coming. Trout are taking dry flies and nymphs.

Fishing for smallmouth bass, rock bass and panfish is good in the lowland rivers. There is a chance for stained water is some rivers or areas in the rivers. For now, most appear to be fishable. Use streamers, crayfish patterns, foam floating flies or poppers.

If you plan to fish on a lake, go early. I would launch at daybreak. Fish the banks and cover with weighted streamers or swimming nymphs. While the sun is low, try foam floating flies or poppers. As the sun rises, find shaded areas to fish. Be aware that strong thunderstorms are possible this afternoon.

There are breaks in the generation scheduled at many dams today offering wade or boat fishing opportunities on those tailwaters. Check the TVA website from the links below to plan your tailwater fishing day.

The shop will be open today from 9:00 am until 5:00 pm, as usual for your convenience.

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

Byron Begley
September 10, 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