LETTER FROM PRESIDENT

LETTER FROM PRESIDENT

September…the summer wind-down and the anticipation of Fall just around the corner. I have always liked this time of year as breaks in summer heat subside and football is in the air. Here’s hoping you got your summer vacations in and of course some great fishing.

I was fortunate to be able to make my annual trip to Colorado in July, and not only have excellent fishing but cooler temps in the high country. The same held true in August for the annual trip to the North Carolina coast for a week of surf-fishing. Again, blessed with lower temperatures in the mid 80’s after the hurricane Ernesto cleared the coast and willing fish to hand. If you have some vacation pics of fishing send them to gsmtutenn@gmail.com and we will post them here on our GSM TU chapter social media links.

September will kick off our registration for the Battle of Gatlinburg “One Fly Tournament”. This is our annual event, now in its fifth year, in downtown Gatlinburg. The “Battle” pits 20 competitors in a head-to-head contest in a three-hour shootout to become “King of the Mountain”. The event has over $3,000 in cash and prizes to the winners with new fly rods, cash, and gear from our sponsor TFO rods and our other sponsors. It is America’s fastest “One Fly Tournament” right on the streets of the West Fork River as it flows down from the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.

It is a truly unique event, and we are fortunate to have the help of the Gatlinburg Parks and Recreation hatchery to provide the trout for the town of Gatlinburg and the angling public. This year is special as Gatlinburg has completely rebuilt the entire hatchery with millions invested. This project improves not only the quality of fishing but the surrounding area where everyone from the children’s only section to the ADA accessible area can catch a trout.

This past week I was invited to the University of Tennessee 5 Rivers Trout Unlimited chapter first meeting of the year. We Have worked with “Vols on the Fly” since their inception and always an honor to be involved with this group. Thes are quality people who are involved with local community volunteering along with a love of fishing. We are again fortunate that some of these students have gone on to be members and officers of our chapter after they graduated.

Our next chapter meeting will be Thursday, September 26th at 6pm. We will be at Dead End BBQ located at 3621 Sutherland Ave in Knoxville TN. Remember you never have to be a member to attend any of our meetings or events. All are welcome!

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 Trout Unlimited membership is never required for a GSM TU event or meetings. All are welcome!

GSM FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/GreatSmokyMountainTU/