Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 4:18 am, the temperature is 27 degrees.

We have three beautiful days in the forecast starting today, which will be sunny with a high temperature in the upper 50’s and a low in the high 20’s. Tomorrow will be sunny and warm with a high around 60 and a low in the low 30’s. Saturday will be partly sunny with a high in the low 60’s. Rain returns Saturday night and Sunday.

Little River is flowing at 235 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 2.10 feet on the gauge. Median flow for this date is 260 cfs. The water temperature is 40.6 degrees this morning.

Stream flows are still good but the water is cold. We will see some warming as the week progresses. Trout will be sluggish today. Use weighted nymphs and get them down deep where the trout are holding. Go later today when the water is warmer. Fish in the low elevations where the water is warmer.

Fishing for stocked trout in the low elevations will improve some as the streams warm. Try nymphs and possibly streamers.

There are generation schedules you can work with on some tailwaters today. Check the TVA website from the links below to see what your options are.

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 fly 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 that target larger fish.

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

Byron Begley
December 14, 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