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Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 4:41 am, the temperature is 65.0 degrees.

There is a high chance for showers today and every day through Thursday night. Locally heavy rainfall is possible today, tonight and tomorrow. It should be cloudy today through at least Thursday and maybe Friday.  High temperatures through the period will be in the middle 70’s with lows at night in the low 60’s.

It appears at this point, we will enjoy a beautiful weekend with partly cloudy to sunny skies, highs in the 70’s and lows in the 50’s. The chance for rain is low this weekend.

Little River is flowing at 359 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 2.40 feet on the gauge. Median flow for this date is 74 cfs. The water temperature is 62.4 degrees.

Every stream in the Smokies that has a USGS gauge site is flowing higher than median flow. Some are flowing quite a bit higher, more like we would normally see in the Spring. Most streams are at good or on the high side of good fishing levels this morning.

Nymphs will catch trout today. You may catch some on dry flies too. But, looking at the water levels, this seems like a good nymphing day to me.

Lowland rivers flowing out of the mountains and through the valleys are flowing higher than normal. Wading may be somewhat limited in some of these rivers. Smallmouth bass, rock bass and panfish can be caught on streamers or nymphs. Poppers or foam floating flies might work too. I would start with streamers or nymphs, due to the higher than normal flows.

There are breaks in the generation schedules at several dams in East Tennessee today, especially early. And there are some tailwaters that will not be ideal for wade fishing. Check the TVA website from the links below to see what your options are.

I love fishing the lakes on cloudy days and this week there will be many, including today. Winds will be calm today, which is also helpful. Cast to the banks with poppers, foam floating flies, streamers or swimming nymphs. Don’t forget to pack your rain gear. You will probably need it.

I looked at a prediction a few days ago that indicates we will enjoy warmer than normal temperatures through the end of the year. The long term weather forecast through October 19th shows no chance for cold days or nights during the period.

I also checked the climatological data at the Knoxville Airport. History shows, the first frost is likely to occur on October 24th. That is the median date for the first frost. It will likely be later this year.

I read a short but interesting article on the Fly Fisherman Magazine website this morning, on the topic of “Junk Flies”. In this article, the writers include worms, eggs and mop flies as “Junk Flies”. It was especially interesting to me because yesterday morning, I had a discussion with a local guide and a customer from Nashville on the same topic.

I don’t consider flies tied using man made materials junk. I suppose some people do. Given a choice, I would prefer to catch trout on a fly tied with natural materials from animals and birds, but there are times when synthetics work best. I’m a big fan of foam.

One material we stock plenty of at the shop is Ultra Chenille Micro in the FL chartreuse color, which is perfect for tying Green Weenies. FL Shell Pink is another popular color. Weenies work extremely well in the Smokies. We keep Squirmy Worm material in stock, in every color from purple to chartreuse. The best sellers are pink and red. We started stocking Mop Fly chenille, and it sells well. And, we stock McFly Foam for tying eggs, though not many customers buy it. Maybe they don’t see it.

You can read the article by CLICKING HERE. It is thought provoking.

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

Byron Begley
October 5, 2021     

WALTER BABB MADE BAMBOO FLY RODS FOR SALE – CLICK HERE

Walter is selling a selection of over 50 bamboo fly rods. All but one was made by him. The other one was custom made for Walter by Walton Powell. Read the description of each rod on the list and contact him if you are interested in buying one or more than one. Even if you are not interested in a purchase, this web page is very interesting to read. Walter has made over 285 bamboo rods over the past 20-years. You will be working directly with Walter on a purchase and you can test cast the rods before you buy one at his home. Or, call him and he will ship a rod to you. His contact information is on the web page he and I created.

Respond to: byron@littleriveroutfitters.com