Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 5:37 am, the temperature is 49 degrees.

It will be mostly cloudy this morning with gradual clearing later today The high temperature will be in the low to middle 60’s. Temperatures will fall into the low 40’s tonight.

Tomorrow will be mostly sunny with a high in the upper 60’s and a low in the low 40’s.

Little River is flowing at 41.0 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 1.28 feet on the gauge. Median flow for this date is 157 cfs. The water temperature is 52.5 degrees this morning.

All streams in the mountains are flowing extremely low. Trout are spooky. They are actively feeding due to the water temperatures that are within the trout’s preferred range at most elevations.

You need to sneak up on these trout and drift a nymph, wet fly or dry fly through the area where they are holding, without alerting them you are there. You can start by dressing in clothing that blends with the forest. Stay as low as possible. Wade as little as possible. Show them your leader, not your fly line. Use fine tippet.

Fishing for smallmouth bass in the lowland rivers is fair to slow, depending on the river you are fishing or where in the river you are fishing. All of these rivers are flowing low. Fish in the deeper pools and runs with streamers or crayfish patterns.

There are generation schedules you can work with at some dams today, if you are wading or boating. Check the TVA website from the links below to see what tailwater fishing options you have.

We were busy at the shop yesterday. Brian Courtney was teaching a beginner fly tying class. They stayed in the classroom all day so I only caught a glimpse of them once or twice.

Matt Dixon was conducting a free fly tying demonstration that was well attended. I sat in on that for a while and he was fascinating. Matt tied streamers he uses for trout, smallmouth bass, stripers or just about any other Tennessee fish you can think of. I learned a lot and Matt gave me a streamer I can’t wait to use.

Our fly tying department is shifting into Winter mode. I’m going to stay busy keeping it stocked during the cold months when more people are tying flies. Daniel, Dave Anderson and I figured out a way to add 150 square feet of new display space in the fly tying department, using 5 small  5’ x 4’ double sided walls. Jack and I will build them. Then, we’ll add new tying materials to our selection. Our fly tying department is already huge!

We are open today between 9:00 am and 5:00 pm. I will be off.

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

Byron Begley
November 12, 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