Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 4:39 am, the temperature is 57 degrees.

It rained last night. The rain was brief, not too heavy and amounted to about a tenth of an inch.

We have a slight chance for more showers this morning. It will be cloudy through mid-morning before clearing, with a high temperature around 60 degrees. Tonight’s low will fall into the middle 30’s.

Tomorrow will be sunny with a high in the low 60’s and a low in the low 40’s overnight. Rain returns to the forecast Monday night and last through Tuesday night. The chance for rain Tuesday is 100%. That usually means it is going to rain.

Little River is actually rising, very slowly. Flow is currently 42.4 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 1.29 feet on the gauge. Median flow for this date is 146 cfs. The water temperature is 54.5 degrees this morning.  

Streams in the mountains are flowing very low. Anglers are still catching trout which are spooky. To be successful you will need to do everything possible to stay hidden from the fish. Dress to blend with the forest and stay low. Make long casts if possible while getting a good drift. Use fine tippet. Show the trout your leader, not your fly line. Trout are taking dry flies and nymphs.

Fishing for smallmouth bass is fair in the lowland rivers. Currently, most of the rivers are flowing low but water temperatures are reasonable for smallie activity. Fish in the deeper pools with streamers or crayfish imitations.

 If you are hoping to fish on a tailwater today, you have many options. Generation schedules at some dams are workable whether you are wading or boating. Visit the TVA website to see what tailwater fishing opportunities are available for you today.

We are holding a free fly tying demonstration today (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 an excellent fly tyer.  

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

Byron Begley
November 18, 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