Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 4:52 am, the temperature is 62 degrees.

Today will be mostly sunny with a high temperature in the middle to upper 70’s, dropping to around 61 degrees overnight.

Tomorrow will be mostly sunny with a high in the middle 70’s with a chance for showers and thunderstorms.

There is a 50% chance for showers and thunderstorms Sunday with a high in the low to middle 70’s and a low in the middle 50’s.

Little River is flowing at 93.8 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 1.60 feet on the gauge. Median flow for this date is 79 cfs. The water temperature is 66.4 degrees this morning.

Most streams in the Smokies are flowing very close to normal. Normal in middle September is low. Water temperatures are still warm in the lowest elevations. Fish higher where the water is cooler. Trout are taking dry flies and nymphs. Terrestrial insect patterns are good choices. Try a foam beetle with a Green Weenie dropper.

Stay hidden from the trout and you will catch more. Dress to blend with the forest.

Fishing for smallmouth bass and other species in the lowland rivers is good. Most of the rivers are flowing fairly low. Fish in the deeper pools and runs with streamers, crayfish patterns, foam floating flies and poppers.

Lake fishing with fly tackle will be best early or late when the sun is low. Streamers and swimming nymphs will likely work best except in the cooler lakes or the cooler areas of lakes below dams where you might try top water flies.

There are breaks in the generation planned at several dams today. If you are boating, there are many options to launch early and float until the water rises. If you are wading, there are tailwater fishing opportunities if you plan carefully. Visit the TVA website from the links below to plan your tailwater fishing day.

The cooler temperatures we are enjoying now will continue through the month. Next week, low temperatures are predicted to be in the 50’s with highs in the 70’s. The historical average high in September is 78 degrees in Townsend. The average low is 56 degrees.

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

Byron Begley
September 15, 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