Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 5:51 am, the temperature is 38 degrees.

It will be mostly cloudy this morning with gradual clearing later and a high temperature close to 70 degrees. Warm air will linger through the week. Expect high temperatures in the 70’s with a high over 80 degrees Wednesday. Lows will be in the 50’s through Thursday. Next weekend should be cooler. It may rain Friday. I hope so.

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 134 cfs. The water temperature is 44.4 degrees this morning.

Streams in the mountains are flowing very low. The streams are chilly this morning, even in the lowest elevations but they will warm later today. It will be overcast for a while, which is good.

My advice is to fish in the low elevations where the water is warmer. Fishing will be best later in the day when the water is warmer. Stay hidden from the trout. Dress to blend with the forest. Downsize your tippet to 6X unless you are fishing for large trout. Fish in the broken choppy water in pockets, plunge pools, runs and eddies. I would start with nymphs and maybe switch to dry flies later.

Fishing for trout in the stocked waters will be best later when the water is warmer. Those fish are going to be packed into the deeper pools. Try reducing your tippet and fly size. Try midge pupa.

Fishing for smallmouth bass in the lowland rivers will likely be slow. Fishing for the bass might improve later today when the water is warmer. Try streamers and crayfish imitations.

Fishing on the lakes will be best early when the sun is low and there is cloud cover. Cast to the banks and cover with weighted streamers or swimming nymphs.

If you want to fish on a tailwater today, check the TVA website and you might find a good generation schedule that fits with yours. I saw some possibilities when I clicked through the list.

This is going to be a nice day to visit the mountains. Traffic seems to be lighter to me, since the leaf peak is past. We will be open between 9:00 am and 5:00 pm.

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

Byron Begley
November 5, 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