President’s Corner
Mike Bryant (mjbryant1954@hotmail.com)
After a very busy spring that included Troutfest, four local schools celebrating the release of trout as a part of Trout in the Classroom, and our annual Little River cleanup, the summer promises a slowdown in Chapter activities. The month of June will bring another Trout Camp at the Tremont Institute. July will include a joint outdoor meeting with the Little River and Great Smoky Mountain Chapters at River John’s.
Fishing in the GSMNP has been good for the most part this spring / early summer, despite the recent dry spell in east Tennessee. Fishing buddies from Ohio came down for a weekend to fish the Horseshoe at Abrams Creek and Lynn Camp Prong. Honestly, I was a bit disappointed in Abrams this year. The stream seemed to fish small, meaning the biggest fish we caught was probably ten inches. Last year, Ken Wade and I caught countless numbers of rainbows, with the largest probably in the 14-15” range. The weather cooperated except for the fifteen minute rain shower (of course I forgot my rain jacket). But we had a great time including a memorable bushwhacking experience! The following day we fished Lynn Camp Prong. Again, we caught countless numbers of brookies, including multiple 8-9” fish brought to hand. After a tough day of wading on Abrams followed by another full day chasing brookies on Lynn Camp, I was ready for a day of rest. I can definitely tell I’m not in my 30’s anymore.
The grandkids will be staying with us for ten days in June. We have a lot of activities planned including trips into the Park to fish and play in the streams. I will be introducing my eight year old grandson to flyfishing as well. I can’t wait! Once the grandkids are back at home, John and I will be heading to Colorado for a week of fishing. Our experiences in Colorado are very limited, so this should be a great opportunity for both of us. Ok, so maybe things will slow down for me this fall .
June Program – Thursday, June 25
We all have a list of places we want to see, explore and fish in our lifetime. Last fall, Jan and I had such an opportunity to spend a month in Alaska. New Zealand is also on our short list. Beautiful countryside, friendly folks and the opportunity to fish for large trout certainly places New Zealand as a great place to go in your lifetime. Rufus King recently had such an opportunity to spend a month there last year. This is your opportunity to experience this magical place. We will again meet at Calhoun’s in Maryville. The meeting will start at 7:00 pm, is open to everyone (even if you are not a member) and there’s no obligation to buy dinner there.
Have a safe summer.
Mike
