Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 4:37 am, the temperature is 40 degrees.

Today will be breezy with rain showers beginning this morning and lasting through the mid-afternoon. The high temperature today will be in the low 60’s, dropping to the low 50’s overnight.

There is a 90% chance for rain tomorrow with a high in the low 60’s and a low in the low 50’s.

There is a chance for rain again Sunday, mainly before 1:00 pm. The high temperature will be in the low to middle 60’s.

Little River is flowing at 50.1 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 1.34 feet on the gauge. Median flow for this date is 247 cfs. The water temperature is 39.4 degrees this morning.

Streams in the mountains are flowing very low. The water is chilly, below the trout’s preferred range. We will see some warming today and through the weekend. Fishing should improve each day. Nymphs may work best though there are times when dry flies might produce for you as the stream temperatures warm and hatches could occur.

Fishing for stocked trout in the low elevations will also improve as the streams warm and hopefully rise due to the predicted rain. Nymphs will work best. You may need to downsize your tippet and fly size. Delayed harvest regulations begin today in Gatlinburg. All trout must be released. Some large trout have been and will be stocked. The Gatlinburg Christmas Parade will be held tonight so the town will be pack with people this afternoon.

There are generation schedules you can work with at a few dams today if you are hoping to fish on a tailwater. Visit the TVA website from the links below to see where and when you can squeeze in some tailwater fly fishing today.

We are all excited about tomorrow. Walter Babb will be conducting a FREE fly tying demonstration at the shop between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm. Walter is one of the most knowledgeable fly fishermen you will ever meet. He grew up fly fishing in the Southern Appalachians over a 60+ year span. He has tied more flies than anyone I know. He loves to tie Catskills patterns and styles which adapt well to the Smoky Mountains.

There is never a dull moment around Walter. He tells many funny stories.

Walter is a skilled bamboo rod maker who has become well known nationally.  His rods are sold to customers directly by him.

Walter was inducted into the Southern Fly Fishing Hall of Fame this year.

You don’t need a reservation to attend this event tomorrow. Just show up at the shop.

We will not be holding a free fly tying demonstration Sunday due to the Townsend Christmas Parade which begins around 2:00 pm, closing the main highway through town for about two hours.

All of our Winter Fly Tying Demonstrations are Free. You don’t need a reservation. Just show up. You can view our schedule by CLICKING HERE.

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

Byron Begley
December 1, 2023

Respond to: byron@littleriveroutfitters.com