Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 5:54 am, the temperature is 55 degrees.

Today will be mostly sunny with a high temperature in the high 70’s and a low tonight in the upper 50’s.

Colder air is on the way. We may get some rain too. There is a good chance for showers tomorrow with a high temperature in the upper 60’s dropping to the low 40’s overnight. Tuesday will be cooler with a high in the low 50’s and a low overnight in the middle 20’s. Wednesday will be sunny with a high in the middle 40’s.

There is a chance for snow in the highest elevations Tuesday.

Little River is flowing at 42.4 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 1.29 feet on the gauge. Median flow for this date is 112 cfs. The water temperature is 58.6 degrees this morning.

Streams in the mountains are all flowing low, much lower than normal. Much of the area in Great Smoky Mountains National Park is considered to be in a moderate drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

Water temperatures are within the trout’s preferred range at most elevations.

Most trout will be holding in the broken choppy water in pockets, plunge pools, runs and eddies. They are taking dry flies and nymphs. Stealth is essential to your success. Dress to blend with the forest. Downsize to lighter tippet.

Fishing for stocked trout in the lower elevations is fair to good. I talked to some customers who did well in Gatlinburg Friday. They caught most of their trout on midges. Of course the water was low and they had to pick their spots. The river was not crowded with other anglers.

Fishing for smallmouth bass in the lowland rivers is fair and maybe better than that. The rivers are flowing low so you will need to fish the deeper water in pools and some runs. Water temperatures should be within the bass’ preferred range in most rivers. Streamers and crayfish patterns will probably work best but you should also try foam floating flies and poppers.

This may be a fair lake fishing day. Winds should be calm early but pick up some later this afternoon. It will be sunny. Fishing will be best early or late when the sun is low. If you are fishing for bass and panfish, cast to the banks and cover using weighted streamers or swimming nymphs. When the sun is high, retrieve slow so your flies will remain deep. Try foam floating flies or poppers when the light is dim or in shaded areas.

If you are planning to fish on a tailwater today there are many choices for at least a partial day of fishing. Check the TVA website from the links below to see the generation schedules for each dam in the region to help you make your plans.

We will be open today from 9:00 am until 5:00 pm. I don’t know how many fly shops are open 7 days per week, but we are one of them and we always have been.

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

Byron Begley
October 29, 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