Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 4:41 am, the temperature is 58 degrees.

Today will be sunny with a high temperature in the low 80’s. Tomorrow will be mostly sunny with a high around 80 degrees.

Cooler air will move into the region Friday along with a chance for rain. The high temperature Friday should be in the middle 70’s with a low in the upper 40’s overnight. There is a 40% chance for rain Friday.

Saturday will be much cooler with a high in the low 60’s dropping to around 40 degrees overnight. There is a chance for more rain Saturday.

Sunday will be cooler with a high around 60 and a low of around 40 degrees.

Widespread frost is predicted in the high elevations Sunday morning.

Little River is flowing at 43.9 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 1.32 feet on the gauge. Median flow for this date is 79 cfs. The water temperature is 62.8 degrees this morning.

Streams in the Smokies are flowing very low. I met with one of our sales representatives who lives in Silva, North Carolina yesterday. He drove over to Townsend that morning. He told me the streams appeared much lower on his side of the mountains than what we are seeing here. Bill and Dave fished on Oconaluftee River yesterday. I’m anxious to hear how that went.

Except for possible pre-spawn brown or brook trout, most will be hiding in broken choppy water. They can be caught in pockets, plunge pools, runs or eddies. Weighted nymph rigs, dry flies or a dry and dropper rig are all good options to try. I would use terrestrial patterns, beetles, ants and Green Weenies. Stay hidden from the trout and use light tippet.

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

Lake fishing will be best early or late when the sun is low. Streamers or swimming nymphs fished deep will probably work best. In the cooler areas of lakes you might do well using foam floating flies or poppers.

There are some tailwater wade fishing options today if you plan carefully. If you are boating, there are even more. Check the TVA website from the links below to see what tailwater fishing opportunities are available for you today.

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

Byron Begley
October 4, 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