Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 4:47 am, the temperature is 50.0 degrees.

It will be sunny and warm today with a high temperature in the low 70’s and a low tonight in the upper 40’s. It will be warm again tomorrow with a high in the upper 60’s. We have a chance for rain tomorrow with a greater chance overnight.

Little River is flowing at 36.9 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 1.25 feet on the gauge. Median flow for this date is 142 cfs. The water temperature is 50.0 degrees this morning.

Streams in the mountains are flowing very low. Water temperatures are within the trout’s preferred range in the lower elevations. It will be warm today so we will see water temperatures rise some in the higher elevations. Fishing will be best in the lower elevations where the water is warmer.

Trout are spooky and difficult to catch. Staying hidden from the trout is essential to your success. Dress to blend in. Stay low. Use fine tippet. Show them the leader, not your fly line. Wade as little as possible. Cast as far as possible while still getting a good drift. Trout will take nymphs and maybe dry flies too.

Fishing for smallmouth bass is slow in most lowland rivers. Fishing will improve some today as the rivers warm. Fish in the deep areas using streamers or crayfish imitations.

If you want to fish on a tailwater today you have some options. Check the generation schedules on the TVA website to see what tailwater fishing opportunities you have today.

We are holding a free fly tying demonstration Saturday between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm. The featured fly tyer is Jonathan Yeager from Chattanooga, Tennessee. Jonathan is a Tenured Professor of Religious Studies (PhD) at UT-Chattanooga. He and his family have a home fly tying business, tying and selling flies. All you have to do is show up for this demonstration.

Jonathan is a lot of fun to talk to and to watch tying flies. We all hope to see you there.

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

Byron Begley
November 16, 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