Little River Chapter of Trout Unlimited

Congratulations to Little River Chapter member Bernie Maloy who received the Eddy George Award for significant volunteer work supporting the Fisheries Department of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP).  Bernie was instrumental in leading a team of LRCTU volunteers to successful completion of Phase I of the Stream Barrier Survey Project in GSMNP.  Bernie participated in a number of other volunteer opportunities including Index of Biotic Integrity Assessments, Water Sample Collection for Acid Deposition Studies, and Brook Trout Restoration Evaluations.

The LRCTU Board of Directors unanimously approved implementation of a Volunteer Recognition Program.  In addition to all GSMNP Fisheries Department activities, this expanded program recognizes Chapter members for participation in all volunteer efforts sponsored by our Chapter including, but not limited to, Trout in the Classroom, Trout Camp, Fundraising, Stream Clean-Ups, Community Science, and Service Projects. Details of the recognition program will be presented at the August Chapter meeting.  To ensure all members are properly recognized for their accomplishments, be sure and enter your volunteer hours in the Chapter database accessed on the LRCTU.org website.

Speaking of our website, it is in the process of being updated.  Although still a work in progress, recent updates have made the site more readable and user friendly.  Other changes forthcoming will be updates to our Chapter overview, projects and upcoming events.  If you are unable to attend monthly Chapter meetings, the slide presentation for each meeting is now included on the website.

Back on the subject of volunteers.  Our Chapter has completed the majority of the more rigorous field work for this summer in GSMNP.  It was encouraging to see several of our newer members participating in these events. 

We have a couple of major events scheduled for the fall.  LRCTU has been selected as an exhibitor for the Townsend Fall Festival on September 29 – 30.  We will focus on the legacy of fly fishing in the Smokies and the importance of conserving our cold water resources in and around GSMNP to preserve this fishery for future generations.   The other event is our annual on-line auction scheduled from November 20 to December 3.  Proceeds from the auction support the GSMNP Fisheries Department.  Planning and supporting these events is a significant effort and is somewhat limited by our volunteer base.  If you are interested in volunteering in any capacity to assist with one or both of these events contact me at bishmoose@sbcglobal.net.

Bob Bishop,

LRCTU President

July 2023 Newsletter

Most of us initially joined Trout Unlimited due to our love of trout fishing and later realized the importance of conservation efforts to sustain the future of our cold-water fisheries.  We continue to fish for many reasons and sometimes fishing can even become an obsession.  Sara and I have been striving to complete the Utah Cutthroat Slam for the past year; so, I thought I would share our most recent experience with you.   

Sara caught three of the four subspecies of cutthroat trout required to complete the Slam last summer and only needed to catch one Yellowstone Cutthroat.  Yes, native Yellowstone Cutthroat really exist in the Raft River Mountain Range in Northern Utah and are slightly more elusive than Bigfoot and live in creeks the size of drainage ditches.  On the first day the water temperature was 47 degrees and flowing high.  She got three strikes in about 5 hours of fishing and managed to hook one that went into a root ball.  I was able to touch the fish, but unable to free it from the roots.  I finally decided it was time to go for broke and tried to net the entire root ball which was an epic failure.  Needless to say, it was a quiet 90-mile ride back to Brigham City which is the closest town with a restaurant and hotel.

After a week in Yellowstone National Park, we returned to the Raft River Mountains hoping for warmer and lower water to improve fishing conditions.  Heavy rains overnight actually made the water higher and colder (44 degrees).  After two hours, Sara got a strike and “landed” the trout.  I suggested she just sling the trout into the bushes and I would go find it if it came off.  As luck would have it, the fish came unhooked and landed on the bank less than a foot from the creek.  I did my best mountain lion imitation and pounced on top of the 4-inch trout.  Note: None of the above methods are approved by Trout Unlimited.  I did manage to revive the fish, but am certain it needs a few weeks of therapy before returning to normal.  It’s memories like these that keep us fishing.

The June Chapter meeting will feature the presentation of the Eddy George Award.  The Eddy George Award is presented to the person with the greatest number of volunteer hours in support of the Fisheries Department on the Tennessee side of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Bob Bishop, President

June Newsletter

The Little River Chapter logged 3,457 volunteer hours during the past year which is a 90% increase in volunteer hours from the previous year. Maybe more impressive than the overall total is 53 members participated in one or more volunteer activities including GSMNP Fisheries Projects, Trout in the Classroom, and Stream Clean-Ups. LRCTU members provided 71% (1,469 hours) of the total volunteer effort contributed to the Fisheries Department of GSMNP which supports our charter to conserve, protect and restore the cold water fisheries and their watersheds in and around the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Thank you for your commitment to our volunteer efforts which are at the very heart of the Little River Chapter.

Bob Bishop

MAY 25 @ BLUETIK TAVERN IN MARYVILLE

Social hour starts at 6:00, program starts at 7:00, business meeting following Ordering from the menu will be in the meeting room from 6:15 to 6:30. After 6:30 you will need to order any food at the bar. Adult beverages must be ordered and paid at the bar.

Bill Stiver, Supervisory Wildlife Biologist at Great Smoky Mountains National Park will be speaking about the Smoky Mountains BearWise® Community Task Force. BearWise® is an education program that provides sound information and smart solutions that help homeowners, businesses and communities coexist with black bears (bearwise.org).

May 2023 Newsletter