Little River Chapter of Trout Unlimited

The 2013 Southeastern Fly Fishing Festival will be held at The Ramsey Center at Western Carolina University on May 17 – 18

 They expect to have at least forty exhibitors and forty tiers.  They will have Ian and Charity Rutter of R&R Fly Fishing, Jim Casada of Jim Casada Outdoors and Al Buhr, two-handed rod guru, as their headliners. Their MCIs and CCIs have, once again, put together a best in class casting program.  You can also take the tests to become a CCI or MCI.  There are numerous (mostly free) presentations and classes.  Download the current casting schedule and the current free (no registration required) presentation schedule.  They even have programs and events for your non-fishing significant others and kids.

On Friday night, they have teamed up with the Little River Chapter of T.U.   to host the Back the Brookie BBQ.  All profits from this event will support brook trout restoration in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.  Immediately following the BBQ, we will be showing the Fly Fishing Film Tour in the Ramsey Center.  Please come and help Mike Bryant and Dave Ezell  support this event.

The annual Clinch River Trout Fishing Seminar has been postponed until Saturday, May 18, because of unusual generation schedules resulting from spring rains and from TVA’s maintenance project at the Weir Dam. The expected high water would have made it impossible to wade and fish in the river on the original date, May 11.

The free, public on-river seminar (spin or fly casting) will start at 9 a.m. (group gathers at 8:30) — probably behind Second Baptist Church, Clinton, but if the generation schedule requires it, the seminar will move to the River Road boat launch.  Please watch the chapter website at www.crctu.org  for updates on seminar plans.

Second Baptist Church is at the end of Public Safety Lane, which runs north from Highway 61 just west of the Clinch River bridge in Clinton; the River Road boat launch is on River Road just east of the intersection with Highway 441.

Seminar topics include the Clinch tailwater and its history, trout biology and diet, fishing sportsmanship and safety, and techniques of spin fishing and fly fishing. After the program, newcomers will be paired with experienced anglers and will disperse along the river to fish.

The group will picnic before heading home. Chapter membership is not required to attend and the seminar is free; participants are asked to provide their own fishing gear (rods, waders, boots, lures/flies) plus lawn chairs, picnic lunches and beverages. For more information, please contact the organizer, Jerry Van Fossen, at jerryvanfossen@comcast.net or 865/463-8999.

Come and join members of the Little River Chapter this Saturday, May the 4th at the Sevierville Orvis Retail Store. We will have display about our chapter and our members will be helping with classes throughout the day.

10:00am: Fly Tying with Russell Sloan
Russell is one of our FF101, FT101 Instructors. Born and raised in Alabama, Physical Therapy introduced Russell to the world of fly tying. He fishes all the streams and tailwaters around East Tennessee. Come watch him ty up some Quill Gordons listen to his stories, and get a FREE fly.

11:00 am
Approach and Presentation Fishing
in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park
Rob Fightmaster Orvis Indorsed Guide from Fightmaster Fly Fishing will be doing this seminar. You don’t want to miss this.

11:45am: Fly Tying with Rob Fightmaster
Come sit and watch Rob ty up some Parachute Adams, one of the best flies to use in the National Park. Sit and get a FREE fly.

10:00am – 4:00pm: Maps of the Smoky Mountain National Park
Fred Turner from Saint Clair Mapping.
Saint Clair Mapping Publishes printed Digital large scale USGS quadrangle topographical stream and access trail maps

10:00am – 4:00pm: Little River Chapter of Trout Unlimited
Come and find out all the volunteer work they do and what you can do to help them.

Hope to see you there.

Joe <((((<