Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 4:40 am, the temperature is 26 degrees.

Today will be mostly sunny with a high temperature in the low to middle 50’s, dropping to around 30 degrees overnight. Tomorrow will be sunny with a high in the middle to upper 50s and a low in the high 20’s.

Little River is flowing at 299 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 2.27 feet on the gauge. Median flow for this date is 263 cfs. The water temperature is 39.9 degrees this morning.

Stream flows are good, mostly very close to normal. The problem is water temperatures. Even in the low elevations, the water temperatures are below the trout’s preferred range. We will see some warming by the weekend. Hopefully fishing will improve.

Under these conditions, getting a weighted nymph down to where the trout are holding right in front of their face is a good tactic. The trout are not very active, so make it look like an easy meal. The water is clear due to the cold temperatures. You might want to downsize your tippet and flies. Fish in the low elevations where the water is warmer.

Fly fishing for stocked trout would be better with warmer water conditions but they can still be caught. I would use weighted nymph rigs.

There are breaks in the generation and schedules you can work with at some dams today. Check the TVA website from the links below to see what tailwater fishing options you have.

Jack Gregory will be conducting a Free Fly Tying Demonstration at the shop on Saturday December 16th between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm. Jack grew up fly fishing in the Smokies. I have fly fished with Jack in many places for a lot of different species of fish. I have never fished with a better fisherman than Jack. He is also an incredible fly tyer. He is known for catching big brown trout in the mountains. You don’t want to miss this free demonstration. Just show up at the shop.

Oren Mead, his daughter Avery and LB Cummings will be conducting a free fly tying demonstration on Sunday December 17th from 1:00 pm until 3:00 pm. They will be here representing Project Healing Waters, a fly fishing organization founded in 2005 to serve wounded military service members returning from combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. Oren and Avery will be tying nymphs and midges. LB will be tying streamers and other patterns to target larger fish.

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

Byron Begley
December 13, 2023

Join us on most weekends during the Winter for our Free Fly Tying Demonstrations.  You don’t need a reservation. Just show up. You can view our schedule by CLICKING HERE.

The Clinch River Chapter of Trout Unlimited is holding an intermediate fly tying class in Norris, Tennessee beginning Saturday January 13th and running for 8 Saturdays through March 2nd. This is an opportunity for you to improve your fly tying skills to a new high level. CLICK HERE FOR MOR INFORMATION.

Respond to: byron@littleriveroutfitters.com