Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 4:45 am, the temperature is 59 degrees.

It will be mostly sunny today with a high in the upper 70’s and a slight chance for thunderstorms this afternoon. Tomorrow, Saturday and Sunday will be sunny with highs in the upper 70’s to low 80’s.

Little River is flowing at 53.5 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 1.38 feet on the gauge. Median flow for this date is 90 cfs. The water temperature is 66.0 degrees this morning.

Streams in the mountains are flowing very low. September has been dry. Using the Knoxville Airport as a reference, .42 inches of rain has fallen there in this month. Normal rainfall for the period is 3.12 inches.

Trout are trying to stay hidden in broken choppy water or near cover. They can be caught in the choppy water in plunge pools, pockets, runs and eddies. A dry and dropper rig is a good option. Try a foam beetle with a Green Weenie dropper. Stay hidden from the trout. Dress to blend with the forest.

Fishing for smallmouth bass and other species in the lowland rivers is fair to good. Fish in the deeper pools or runs with streamers, crayfish imitations, foam floating flies or poppers.

Fishing on the lakes will be best early or late when the sun is low. Weighted streamers or swimming nymphs will probably work best in most situations. Cast to the banks or cover and retrieve slowly, keep your fly deep. Smallmouth bass are being caught in the colder lakes on foam floating flies or poppers. I heard that from a guide yesterday.

I saw very few generation schedules that will be workable for wade fishing on a tailwater today. In some cases you could  you go early, position yourself in the right spot and fish for a while. If you are boating there are more options. Check the TVA website from the links below to plan your tailwater fishing day.

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

Byron Begley
September 28, 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