Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 4:39 am, the temperature is 56 degrees.

We got a little rain overnight, over a tenth of an inch in Townsend.

Showers are likely today. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch are possible. The high temperature will be in the low 60’s, dropping to the low 40’s overnight.

Saturday and Sunday will be sunny with highs in the middle to upper 60’s and lows in the low to middle 40’s.

Little River is flowing at 51.8 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 1.37 feet on the gauge. Median flow for this date is 80 cfs. The water temperature is 54.1 degrees this morning.

Some streams in the mountains are flowing lower than normal, including Little River, Oconaluftee River and Cataloochee Creek. Little Pigeon River is flowing at normal and rising this morning. Tellico River is flowing very close to normal.

Water temperatures are fine at all but the highest elevations. Fish in the lower elevations where the water is warmer.

This may be a good fishing day in the Smokies, depending on how much rain we get. Too much would cause stained and high water. A slow rise would be ideal. We’ll have to wait and see what happens.

The same is true in the lowland rivers. Smallmouth bass fishing may be fair to good depending on the water conditions. I would go and be prepared with streamers and crayfish patterns.

This may not be a good lake fishing day if the weather forecast is correct. Wind may be an issue. Winds are predicted to be out of the Southwest at 10 to 15 miles per hour with gusts as high as 25 miles per hour. It will be mostly cloudy today, which is a great condition. If you go, cast weighted streamers or swimming nymphs to the banks and cover.

There are a few generation schedules you can work with for at least a partial day of fishing on a tailwater, especially if you are boating. Visit the TVA website from the links below to see what tailwater fishing options you have today.

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

Byron Begley
October 20, 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