Little River Chapter of Trout Unlimited

Roger Lowe Presents  Smokies Patterns at the Sept Meeting

Newsletter

Our presenter for our Thursday, September 25, 2014, meeting at Calhoun’s in Maryville will be Roger Lowe. Please join us from 6-7pm for dinner and fellowship (dinner not required) followed by a short business meeting then Roger’s presentation. Roger Lowe may not look old enough,but he has been at the forefront of our region’s fly fishing heritage pretty much from its inception with over forty years of fly-tying experience and over twenty-six years of guiding. He has preserved and recreated the fly patterns of the Smoky Mountain flies, has developed his own flies specifically for Western North Carolina, and has even written the definitive Roger Lowe’s Fly Pattern Guide to the Great Smoky Mountains. Before there were fly shops, Roger was tying flies for local hardware stores and fishing stores to meet the demand for his successful patterns. Roger’s program will consist of fly patterns of the Smokies, stream info, fishing techniques, question and answer from people at the meeting and changes he has seen in the sport and business over the years.

See you at Calhoun’s!!!

The September fishing trip to Smokemont camp grounds is planned for the 19th through the 21st of September. The chapter has reserved group site #2.  This is a tent only, nonelectric site and has space for 20 campers.  Check-in time is  scheduled for 1:00 pm Friday September 19 and check-out is required by 12:00 pm Sunday September 21.  If you don’t wish to tent camp, then you will need to make arrangement for a camp site through Recreation.gov.  There is a firewood quarantine in the park so fire wood should not be brought into the park unless it is approved by the park. If you fish outside the park, you will need a NC fishing license or a Cherokee Nation permit if you are on the reservation.  There is some interesting fishing on the reservation.  There will be a Saturday night dinner so plan on bringing your favourite camping covered dish, other meals you will need to provide for your self.

Hope to see you there.

Joe  <((((<

President’s Corner
Mike Bryant (mjbryant1954@hotmail.com)

Newsletter

I am very much a warm weather person.  Winter and cold weather have never been my favorite time of year.     I credit that to my mother who grew up in the South.  I’ll take shorts and t-shirts over long pants and fleece any day.  Said another way I’ll take wet wading in the Park over waders.  Fishing in the Park has had its ups and downs this spring and summer.   Earlier the lack of rain dropped the water levels and raised water temperatures, forcing  a change in my fishing tactics and locations.  Recent late July rains have raised the water levels to a healthy state, and fishing can be quite good.  Even with slow fishing, I never grow tired of being in the Park.  We are so blessed to have these great natural resources in our backyard.  I hope you will take the time to visit, explore and fish there.  Most folks would give their eye teeth to have what we have, so I encourage you to take some time to visit.  Better yet, take a child and help build tomorrow’s conservation leaders.

Our chapter continues to be busy this summer.  Volunteers have been helping Matt and Park employees with sampling and electroshocking.  I joined over 100 volunteers help clean the Clinch River last month.  The event was organized by the Clinch River Chapter.  I was part of the tire cleanup crew that removed over 300 tires that day and personally removed four large truck brake rotors.  Go figure!  I guess it’s in my DNA, but I have never understood why people liter.  Anyway, I’m glad we have the opportunity to find ways to preserve and restore our natural treasures, even if others don’t  appreciate what we have.

We had another great monthly meeting at River John’s again this year.  Other than a brief shower, the weather was good.  Many thanks to Ross Schweinforth for conducting a casting class prior to dinner.  All the feedback from the students was positive.  If you flyfish the most important skill to learn is a casting.  Many thanks to Ross – it’s one thing to be a good caster, it is an entirely different deal to have the capability to teach someone to how to cast.  It’s a gift and Ross has this gift.  And what can I say, Outdoor Chef Extraordinaire Mike McKinsey and his help provided yet another outstanding meal at River John’s.  Thanks Mike!!!

There are some cool fall events coming up that you will want to check in this newsletter.

Finally, our next monthly meeting is on Thursday, August 28 at Calhoun’s in Maryville.  Dave Knapp will be our featured speaker.  Many of you know Dave and know of his fishing and guiding abilities.   Dave will discuss fishing opportunities and tactics in Colorado.

I hope you can make the August meeting, attend one or more of the upcoming events and give some thought to how you can help by donating your time and talents.

Be safe.

Mike