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Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 4:40 am, the temperature is 59.4 degrees.
The high temperature yesterday was 71.4 degrees in Townsend.
It will be very warm again today and mostly sunny. We do have a chance for showers this afternoon. The low temperature tonight will be in the upper 50’s.
Rain will move into our area tonight and continue through Thursday. Highs will be around 70 degrees through Saturday. Cooler air will return Sunday. It will be cold Sunday night.
Little River is flowing at 132 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 1.76 feet on the gauge. Median flow for this date is 313 cfs. The water temperature is 52.7 degrees this morning.
Most if not all streams in the mountains are flowing lower than normal. Water temperatures are very warm for December.
Trout and aquatic insect activity is high thanks to the warm water. Fishing will be good this week unless we get too much rain, raising and staining the rivers. Nymphs, wet flies and possibly dry flies will work.. Hatches will likely be blue wing olives and small black stoneflies but with the conditions we have now, who knows what to expect. Fish the low elevations where the water is warmer.
Lowland rivers are flowing low today but the water is warm so smallmouth bass may be active. Nymphs and streamers will probably work best for the smallies. Stocked trout in the lowland rivers are actively feeding. Nymphs, egg patterns, Squirmy Worms and mop flies will work for you.
There will be a few breaks in the generation schedules at some dams today. I didn’t see many long breaks but there are some. Check the TVA website from the links below to see what tailwater fishing options you have today.
I have been hearing rumors that Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) is stocking cutthroat trout. I talked to a young man last week who caught some small cutthroat trout in the Hiwassee River. He even showed me a picture of one on his phone. It is true. TWRA is stocking them in some tailwaters. Cutthroats have been stocked in limited numbers below Boone Dam and in the delayed harvest section of the Hiwassee. A stocking is planned below Tims Ford Tailwater in the Elk River tailwater.
The trout were hatched and raised at the Dale Hollow National Fish Hatchery.
I think I remember hearing they will or have been stocked in the Cumberland River, below Wolf Creek Dam in Kentucky. I’m not sure about that so don’t hold me to it.
This is the first time cutthroat trout have been stocked in Tennessee since the 1960’s. You can read the TWRA news release on the topic by CLICKING HERE.
Cutthroat trout and rainbow trout have been known to cross breed. I caught a 24-inch cuttbow in Utah’s Green River years ago.
Have a great day and thank you for being here with us.
Byron Begley
December 28, 2021
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Respond to: byron@littleriveroutfitters.com
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