Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 5:18 am, the temperature is 64 degrees.
Showers are likely today until later this afternoon with a high temperature in the low 60’s, dropping to the low to middle 40’s tonight. New Year’s Day will be mostly cloudy then become sunny later in the day. The high temperature will be in the low 60’s with a low in the low 40’s.
Monday will be partly sunny with a high in the upper 60’s to low 70’s.
Little River is flowing at 132 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 1.76 feet on the gauge. Median flow for this date is 300 cfs. The water temperature is 43.3 degrees, about 8 degrees warmer than yesterday morning at this time.
Stream in the mountains are flowing lower than normal. Water temperatures are rising quickly. Fishing is improving. I don’t know how fast the streams will warm today and tomorrow, but they will be warmer.
If you go fishing in the Smokies today, using weighted nymph rigs would be a good tactic to begin with. Be on the lookout for hatches of blue wing olives or other aquatic insects today and tomorrow. If you see that happening, and trout are feeding on the surface, switch to dry flies or emergers.
Fishing for stocked trout in the lower elevation streams is improving. I think this will be a good weekend for fishing in the stocked trout streams. Nymphs will probably work best but streamers may work too. You may need to fish deep. It would be best not to use a strike indicator. That way, you can vary the depth of your nymphs as needed to reach where the trout are holding. Euro nymphing or “high sticking” is a very good way to present your nymphs at the right depth.
TVA and the Corps are offering us some angler friendly generation schedules today. Check the predicted flows at your favorite tailwater. You may find some times to fish, either wading or boating.
Fishing is definitely improving. It will be very warm through Tuesday. Rain, and possibly heavy rain is predicted Tuesday and Wednesday next week. Strong thunderstorms are possible.
The shop will be open today from 9:00 am until 6:00 pm. We will be closed New Year’s Day and I will not be writing a fishing report.
Have a great New Year’s weekend and thank you for being here with us.
Byron Begley
December 31, 2022
Respond to: byron@littleriveroutfitters.com
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