Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 4:45 am, the temperature is 41 degrees.

Today will be warm, with a high temperature in the upper 70’s and a low tonight in the high 40’s. Tomorrow will be warmer with a high near 80 degrees and a low in the middle 50’s. Rain will move in Thursday night and linger through at least Friday night. The weekend will be cooler.

Little River is flowing at 39.6 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 1.27 feet on the gauge. Median flow for this date is 131 cfs. The water temperature is 47.8 degrees this morning. Yesterday, the water temperature peaked at 50 degrees at 5 pm.

All streams in the mountains are flowing very low. Water temperatures are warming later in the day and fishing is improving when that happens. I talked to guide Rob Fightmaster yesterday after he returned from a guided trip. He said the trout were active. Some trout were feeding on the surface and taking dry flies. But, he told me the trout are extremely spooky. If you catch a trout or hook a trout in the pool, the other trout in the pool become uncatchable. “You just have one shot”.

Stealth is paramount to your success. Dress to blend with the forest. Stay low. Wade as little as possible. Make every cast count. Use fine tippet. A dry and dropper rig is probably a good choice.

Fishing for smallmouth bass in the lowland rivers is probably slow due to the low water and cool temperatures. If you go, fishing will be best late when the water is warmer and there is less sun shining on the water. Streamers and crayfish patterns will likely work best.

Fishing for stocked trout in the low elevation rivers is fair. I would go later. The rivers are flowing very low. Trout will be holding in the deep pools. Small nymphs or midge pupa tied to fine tippet will probably work best.

There are generation schedules you can work with at several dams today. Tailwater anglers who are wading or boating have a lot of options. Check the TVA website from the links below to see what tailwater fishing opportunities you have today.

Everyone is hoping the rain that is predicted pans out later this week. We are listed by the US Drought Monitor as being in a Severe Drought. Other counties nearby are worse, in an extreme drought. Northeast Tennessee is in a Moderate Drought. There are some wildfires popping up in East Tennessee. I read two were believed to be intentionally set. Backcountry campfires have been temporarily banned in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

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

Byron Begley
November 7, 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