We all have our fingers crossed that Spring is really here! As always there are tradeoffs as seasons changes, and this year that is the mixed blessings of rain. On the one hand we have received more than our fair share of rain giving us a great chance of keeping our streams and rivers filled. While on the other hand it has made it almost impossible to find a day or weekend of sunshine and wadeable water in the streams and tailwaters. Count your blessings and wear a rain jacket!

That being said we are happy to announce that our next chapter meeting is on Saturday, April 21st, 2018 in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Our chapter has rented the Twin Creeks Pavilion just off Cherokee Orchard Rd, inside the Park. Those of you who attended the Southeast Regional Trout Unlimited Meeting last year in Gatlinburg will remember this was the site of our big cookout.

The Twin Creeks Pavilion is one of the largest covered areas with a timber roof, electric lights and a giant fireplace with multiple bathrooms for our use only. Located just a short drive after turning at Stop light #8 at Bubba Gumps Restaurant on to Historic Nature Trail Rd. from downtown Gatlinburg, TN. The Pavilion is about one mile past the Park Vista hotel inside the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on the right adjacent to the Twin Creeks Natural Resource Center.

We are going to give everyone a chance to help participate with the annual Little River Trout Unlimited chapter's Clean Up at Metcalf Bottoms that morning, fish in the afternoon and have a cookout that evening at Twin Creeks Pavilion. You can choose one event or make it a full day in the Park, your choice! Please see the article below for all the information and maps to the Pavilion and the day's schedule.

Our GSM chapter meeting for May will be another Saturday event at Smoky Mountain Angler in Gatlinburg at 469 Brookside Village Way on Saturday May 26th, 2018. Join us as we help celebrate Smoky Mountain Angler's 30th Anniversary, Sevier county's oldest fly shop in business since 1988. Owner Harold Thompson and manager Chad Fouts have been instrumental in helping the Great Smoky Mountain TU chapter anytime the call has gone out for help or volunteering their services. We have been invited to provide a hot dog cookout with the money going to our GSM TU chapter for a chapter fundraiser. I want to congratulate and personally thank them for being a part of our Great Smoky Mountain TU story and wish them many more years of success! Please see the article below for all the details and how you can help.

Hopefully you have noticed the theme for the next couple of months as we get our members and friends out and enjoying the mountains and outdoors here in the Smokies. It's time to shake the tree, shake off winter and spend time with friends and family. Whether you want to volunteer for an event, fish or just show up and be a part of these upcoming chapter meetings is up to you! Remember you never have to be a Great Smoky Mountain Trout Unlimited member to attend our events. All that is required is a love of the outdoors and spending time with others who share the same values, bring the family, friends and even the dog as we gather in the Great Smoky Mountains!

John Reinhardt
President