Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 4:42 am, the temperature is 71 degrees.

According to yesterday’s forecast, the temperature should be in the 50’s this morning. Somebody missed that one. I hope it wasn’t me.

It will be breezy and partly sunny today with a high temperature in the low 70’s. Showers are likely tonight with a low in the upper 40’s. Rain is likely tomorrow with a high in the middle 50’s and a low around 40 degrees overnight. More rain is predicted this weekend.

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 146 cfs. The water temperature is 52.2 degrees this morning.

All streams in the Smokies are flowing extremely low. The trout are spooky. They can be caught but you will need to be cautious and sneaky. Dress to blend with the forest. Stay a low as possible. Use light tippet. Show them your leader, not your fly line. A dry and dropper rig is probably your best choice but nymphs or dry flies fished alone may work too or even better.

If we actually get the predicted rain over the next few days, fishing will improve, unless we get too much.

Fishing for smallmouth bass in the lowland rivers could be fair or it may be worse, depending on the river you are fishing. They are all flowing very low. Water temperatures are borderline for smallies. If you go, streamers and crayfish imitations will probably work best.

There are some interesting generation schedules planned today. Tailwater anglers can work with some of the schedules whether boating or wading. Visit the TVA website from the links below to plan your tailwater fishing day.

Nick Yardley is President of Fulling Mill Fly Fishing’s United States operations. Fulling Mill is a large commercial fly tying company, headquartered in England. They are one of our fly suppliers.

Nick flew into Knoxville from New Hampshire Tuesday night to meet with Dave Anderson and me for a few hours yesterday. He showed us some of the new fly tying materials the company is just beginning to sell to dealers like us. These materials are of the highest quality, the same they use to tie flies they sell to dealers around the globe. Dave and I were very impressed. Nick was impressed with our shop and fly tying department.

After our meeting, Nick drove around the Smokies for a while then flew back to New Hamshire. We will be adding more display space to our fly tying department this Winter and bringing in Fulling Mill materials and hooks for you.

We are working on the schedule for our Free Fly Tying Demonstrations to be held on Saturdays and on some Sundays. These demonstrations are very popular during the Winter months. All you have to do is show up at the shop.

Our first demonstration will be held Saturday November 11th. The featured tyer is local guide Matt Dixon. Matt will be tying between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm. He will be tying streamers that he uses on the area tailwaters.

We are also holding a beginner fly tying class Saturday November 11th and there are two openings remaining. The cost of the class is $100 and we will supply everything you need, including lunch. The class will be taught by Brian Courtney who has been teaching this class for decades. To book your spot call the shop at 854-448-9459. This class lasts all day and it is an excellent opportunity for you to begin this fascinating hobby.

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

Byron Begley
November 9, 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