Plan to be a part of our annual Little River Clean-up on Saturday, April 20. This is an important part of our mission to preserve and protect watersheds in the Park. All are invited. We will meet at the Metcalf Bottoms Picnic Area. Plan to be there by 9:00 am. Steve Moore and Matt Kulp will lead the cleanup efforts. After the clean-up, we’ll provide lunch around 12:00. There will be plenty of fishing opportunities and fellowship in the afternoon.
Acid Deposition Schedules for 2013
President’s Corner
Mike Bryant (mjbryant1954@hotmail.com)
The last couple of months have been a bit different from our normal routine. Jan and I have been travelling, with trips to Florida, Arizona, West Virginia and North Carolina. That’s on top of our normal family visits to Ohio. Until our trip to Arizona in March, I hadn’t seen the inside of an airplane in over 2-1/2 years since I retired. In my career at P&G, my job required extensive travel. I had over 1.6 million frequent flyer miles with Delta Airlines alone. I don’t miss it! I’ve had to opportunity to travel to many locations in the United States as well as some international travel. There are some astonishingly beautiful places in the world. But I’ve come to appreciate the wonders of living in east Tennessee with its phenomenal natural beauty and great people. It’s a great place to call home.
When we were in Arizona, I did fish for trout up in Oak Creek which is near Sedona. The area is beautiful with its famous red rocks. But few know there’s a trout stream running nearby. Oak Creek runs through a canyon with plenty of pocket water. While the fishing was great, the catching wasn’t. An earlier major snowfall in the area had melted dropping the water temperature. I didn’t have a water thermometer with me, but the water had to be well below 40 degrees.
I had the opportunity to attend my first TU – Southeast Regional Meeting in March. Over fifty leaders that included chapter presidents, state council leaders, as well as the TU national leaders attended. It was a great opportunity to learn and more importantly meet other TU leaders. The overall health of Trout Unlimited is good, membership nationwide is growing (over 150,000 strong), strong educational programs are working and outreach programs are taking off.
Many Thanks
We had a great March membership meeting at the Orvis store in Sevierville. Many thanks to both Kris Maurer and Dave Carson for their hospitality and great food.
We had our first chapter fishing trip in March. Checkout Mike McKinsey’s article. Mike is planning on additional trips this year. This is a great way to meet and fish with fellow chapter members and for new members to learn from our more experienced members. Thanks Mike for your efforts!!
I want to give a big thanks to Gary Verholek. Gary, working with Steve Moore and Matt Kulp secured a $4800 Embrace-A-Stream grant from TU. The funds will go towards continued research in brook trout genetics. Thanks Gary!!
Upcoming Events
If you are a teen or know of a teen that is a dedicated angler and conservationist who has shown involvement with TU and has just completed 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, or 12th grade, check out the TU Teen Summit scheduled for this summer. This is a great opportunity for our youth to spend time with other like-minded youth and develop into the next generation of leaders. And the Summit is held at the Grand Teton National Park!!
Several other events are on the horizon. The Federation of Fly Fishers – South East Council (FFF-SEC) will be holding the Fly Fishing Festival on May 17-18. More information can be found on their website southeastfff.org. Remember, a joint fundraising effort between our Chapter and FFF-SEC will be conducted on Friday, May 17 to raise funds for brook trout restoration in the Park. We hope to see you there.
The Thunder Valley Wine and Fly will be held in Bristol on May 3-4. Check out the details in the attached article. Proceeds from the event will benefit children in East Tennessee and Southwest Virginia.
Finally, the Clinch River Chapter has a free Clinch River Trout Seminar. It’s free and open to all – here’s an opportunity to learn more about fishing on the Clinch River. More details can be found in the attached article.
Lots going on now, so take advantage of the opportunities. The air and water are warming up and the trout and smallies are getting happy. I can’t wait!! I hope to see you on the water. Be safe!
Thanks,
Mike Bryant
PS. In the Newsletter check the great fish Sheila Bolinger is holding. I’m not sure which is bigger – the fish or Sheila’s smile.
