LETTER FROM CHAPTER PRESIDENT

LETTER FROM PRESIDENT 

August is here and now we begin the summer wind down; school begins soon in Knoxville and has already started in surrounding counties. Now don’t start crying yet, we still have plenty of hot weather and summer fishing left.
Our activities are kicking off starting Tuesday, August 15th with the IF4 Flying Fishing film premiere benefiting “Catch the Cure for Cystic Fibrosis”. This event will be held at Hi-Wire Brewing in Knoxville, located at 2020 Barber St, just off John Sevier Ave across the Gay St. Bridge downtown. We will have a booth for our Great Smoky Mountain chapter set up so stop by and see us.
The next chapter meeting is Thursday, August 24th at Dead End BBQ located at 3621 Sutherland Ave. in Knoxville. The meeting will start at 6PM with the social hour as we welcome our back to the beginning of our event season.
The events continue Saturday September 30th as we gather at Metcalf Bottoms Picnic Pavilion in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Located just off Little River Rd about four miles from the Park entrance on the Townsend side, we will hold our “Day on the Water” event starting at 11am and lasting till 4PM. We will serve a grilled hot dog lunch with all the trimmings at 12pm provided by the GSM chapter. Bring your favorite beverage, family and friends, and even the dog. Adult beverages are allowed in the immediate Pavilion area and a parking pass is required. A daily pass can be purchased from the machine right in front of the Pavilion, if you currently do not have an annual pass a day pass is $5 per day. It is also available online, you can specify the date(s) you plan to visit if you purchase your daily or weekly parking tag online through recreation.gov.
Our biggest event of fall is coming up on Saturday October 7th as we hold our annual “BATTLE of GATLINBURG” in downtown Gatlinburg, TN. This is the fastest fly-fishing tournament in the country with over $3,000 in cash and prizes from our sponsors. The three-hour contest features the “ONE FLY” only tournament where every inch of trout counts to crown the ‘King of the Mountain”. The Gatlinburg Fish Hatchery provides us with fish to fill the stream right in the center of town. It is truly a one-of-a-kind event and registration will be opening soon. We will need volunteers along with contestants so come on out and join us on Saturday October 7th, 2023.
Remember to follow us on the GSM TU Facebook page and the chapter website. Our Facebook page is the best way to see the latest chapter and updates. As always, we remind you that a Trout Unlimited membership is never required for a GSM TU event or meetings. All are welcome! 

John Reinhardt  
President