Little River Chapter of Trout Unlimited

8 July 2015
The fisheries staff, with assistance from local volunteers, Trout Unlimited members, Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GRSM) interns and a group of outdoor writers, ranging in age from 7 to 82, conducted population monitoring surveys on the lower 3 miles of Lynn Camp Prong June 22, 24 and 25.  Electrofishing surveys on Lynn Camp and a tributary (Marks Creek) indicate brook trout populations are at (15 kg/ha) or exceeding (>34 kg/ha)  pre-treatment biomass of rainbow trout at all 5 sites. The data indicate there are now between 1,392-5,616 brook trout per mile of stream on Lynn Camp Prong. The upper end of the biomass range (>35 kg/ha) would be considered exceptional in terms of trout abundance for any GRSM stream. Both 2014 and 2015 produced excellent year classes of young-of-year (YOY) brook trout, which
means there will be good numbers of adults in the next 2-3 years. In fact, YOY fish comprised 53% of the total brook trout catch across all sites. Of the adults collected in all sites, 23% were greater than 7 inches with good numbers of fish >8 inches. Catch rates of anglers have been reported in the 20-40 fish per hour range with the highest catch rates being reported farther from the trailhead.

Figure 1.— Biomass of pre-treatment rainbow trout and post-treatment brook trout after restoration of 8.5 miles of Lynn Camp Prong, GRSM using the fish piscicide antimycin. The pre-treatment biomass of rainbow trout was used as a recovery target for the newly established brook trout population. Each site number represents 100m increments from the barrier falls.

Happy Fourth of July

Although one of his close relatives stated that Washington never fly fished, and all of his business and personal records (and he documented of every purchase he made) show that he only purchased coarse tackle for his own use and for the commercial fishing enterprise he ran out of Mount Vernon. Below is a picture of George Washington’s fishing kit.

While taken a break from the Constitution Convention in 1787,  George Washington wrote in his Diary : “Monday, 30th, July. In company with Mr. Govern’ Morris went into the neighborhood of Valley Forge to Widow Moore’s a fishing at who house we lodged “.

“Tuesday, 31st, July. Before Breakfast I rode to Valley Forge and over the whole cantonment & works of the American Army in the winter of 1777-­1778 and on my return to the Widow Moore’s found Mr. & Mrs. Rob’ Morris. Spent the day there fishing & lodged at the same place.”

“Wednesday, August 1st, Returned ab’ 11 o’clock with the above company to Philadelphia”.

“Friday August 3rd, 1787. Went to Trenton on a Fishing Party with Mr. & Mrs Rob’ Morris & Mr. Gov’ Morris. Dined and lodged at Col’. Sam Ogden’s – In the evening fished

Steve Davis of Stillwater Woodcraft has a video of Coarse Fishing in the 18th century. Coarse Fishing link

Good Fishing <((((<

Joe

President’s Corner

Mike Bryant (mjbryant1954@hotmail.com)

Newsletter

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