Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 4:48 am, the temperature is 56 degrees.

Today will be sunny and warm with a high temperature in the low 80’s, with a low tonight in the upper 50’s. The outlook for tomorrow will be almost identical to today. Highs in the low 80’s will continue this week until Friday, when the high is predicted to be in the middle 70’s.

The normal high temperature for today is 77 degrees. So, until Friday, temperatures will be much higher than normal. The long term forecast indicates we will see cooler than normal temperatures beginning Saturday October 7th.

Little River is flowing at 46.9 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 1.34 feet on the gauge. Median flow for this date is 80 cfs. The lowest recorded flow on this date was 16.7 cfs in 2008. The water temperature is 61.9 degrees this morning.

Streams in the mountains are flowing very low, much lower than normal. Normal in early October is low. Trout will be hiding in the broken water in pockets, plunge pools, runs and eddies. They are spooky, so you should do everything possible not to be seen. Dress to blend with the forest. Use light tippet. Try a dry and dropper rig. Try weighted nymph rigs.

Fishing for smallmouth bass and other species is fair in the lowland rivers. All of these rivers are flowing low. Fish in the deeper pools and runs using streamers, crayfish patterns, foam floating flies or poppers.

Fishing on the lakes with fly gear will be best early or late when the sun is low and the banks are dim. Weighted streamers or swimming nymphs will likely work best. Cast to the banks and cover. Retrieve slowly so your flies remain deep. In the cooler lakes or cooler areas of lakes you may find gamefish in shallow water. Try foam floating flies and poppers or stick with streamers and swimming nymphs.

There are generation schedules on some tailwaters you can work with today whether you are wading or boating. There are other generation schedules that offer less tailwater fishing options. Check the TVA website from the links below to see what tailwater fishing opportunities you have today and plan accordingly.

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

Byron Begley
October 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