Townsend offers plenty of areas to fish | Mdt Special

Fishing in Townsend can be a rewarding experience.

After all, the city borders the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which contains perhaps the largest wild trout habitat in the eastern United States. The national park has more than 800 miles of fishable trout streams.

At the same time, it can be challenging if one isn’t familiar with the area, officials said.

Region 4 Fisheries Program Manager Bart Carter and wildlife officers Jeff Pearce and Mitch Clure, all with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, agree that the Townsend area has plenty of great places to fish. The problem is that visitors have to navigate several obstacles before they can finally cast their lines.

All the tubers in the Little River limit the opportunities to fish during the summer. Furthermore, a lot of the access to the river in Townsend is on private property where landowner permission is required. That can complicate finding a spot to fish.

Still, all Townsend travelers have the opportunity to reel in the big catch. They just need to know when and where to cast their lines and wait for a bite.

Tubers take over the Little River during the summer, giving people a short window to fish within the Townsend city limits. The only time people can cast their lines without hitting a tuber during the summer months is either in the early morning or in the late evening — when the tubers have left the river.

That’s why Carter recommends that people fish in Townsend when the TWRA stocks trout in the Little River in early April, which is before the tubers arrive. He also suggests fishing in the late fall when the temperature becomes too cold for people to tube.

All the private property in Townsend also makes accessing the river challenging. Fortunately, the city’s Greenway trail offers public access. Carter suggests accessing Little River at the Special People’s Park, which is located across the highway from the Apple Valley Mountain Village.

Carter said if tourists want to have the best fishing experience, they should leave Townsend and venture into the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

He advises people to go upstream of the Townsend “Y” and fish the West Prong of the Little River in either Tremont, Laurel or Abrams creek areas.

This will give visitors an authentic outdoors experience, while also providing them an opportunity to fish for the park’s three species of trout — brook, rainbow and brown.

“The farther you go upstream on Little River, the better the fishing is,” Carter emailed.

If people want to wade fish, they can travel downstream and go through Walland. Carter said there is public access to the river behind Heritage High School on county property at Bill Bennett Bridge on Old Tuckaleechee Pike. In that spot, people can wade fish for smallmouth bass.

“Greenway trail through town is the best avenue for accessing the river,” Carter wrote.

TWRA Public Information Officer Matt Cameron said traditional baits and lures work just fine when fishing for trout in the Smokies. These include salmon eggs, corn, night crawlers, power bait and spinners.

If tourists need to purchase bait, gear or other fishing supplies, they can visit Little River Outfitters at 106 Town Square Drive.

The store’s 12-person staff also offers a fly-fishing school and private instruction. Call 865-448-9459 for more information.

Byron Begley, co-owner of Little River Outfitters, also publishes a fishing report every morning on the store’s website (https://littleriver outfitters.com/pages/fishing/report.htm). His daily accounts include water volume, temperatures, clarity, weather conditions, insect hatches and expert advice on fly choices.