Happy Holidays to All!

Here's hoping everyone had a great Thanksgiving as we kick off the holiday season. As always I am stunned every year as I flip the calendar to December and realize another year has slipped away. I made a point in November to maximize my fishing and am happy to report I fished almost every weekend. We were able to get a couple of floats down the Clinch while it was still warm with the leaves changing colors, and I have made a few trips to the Smokies to some favorite home streams. This year is fast becoming a rear-view mirror as we gear up for 2019 and I am excited for what is coming.

First up is our next chapter meeting on Thursday December 6th, 2018 at 6PM. If you are not aware, our new meeting site is Dead End BBQ located at 3621 Sutherland Ave, Knoxville TN. Those of you at the last chapter meeting can confirm the food and staff are top shelf and we are happy to have them onboard going forward. This meeting is our end of the the year holiday party so plan on good times, great food, with friends and family along with some surprises thrown in the mix.

Next we kick off our biggest event of the year on Thursday January 24th 2019 the "IRON MAN FLY CONTEST 2019". We are celebrating the 4th anniversary of this fundraiser to help send a deserving boy or girl to Trout Camp each summer in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This one of a kind event has grown each year and now receives exposure through magazines and newspapers beyond our region and draws a big crowd. It is because of the generosity of the competitor's entry fees and donations that we are able to raise the money to send a child to camp. Best of all it is an evening of laughs and good times while the competitors give their all to take home great prizes. We are happy to report all of our sponsors are returning and even some new ones are being added. Southern Trout Magazine, Little River Outfitters, Smoky Mountain Angler, 3 Rivers Angler, and Orvis-Sevierville have been a major part of the "IRON MAN FLY CONTEST 2019" since it's beginning and continue to help each year. Registration will be starting soon, so stay tuned to the GSM website and Facebook for details.

The month of February brings back the Atlanta Fly Fishing Show on February 1st & 2nd, 2019, held in Duluth GA at the Infinite Energy Center. This is the largest fly fishing show in the South returning for its 3rd year and is one of my favorite events. If you have never been it is a huge weekend with multiple floors of seminars, exhibits and some of the biggest names in our sport. I have been asked once again to host the "Legends of the Fly" Hall of Fame sponsored by Southern Trout Magazine which honors the people who have made southern fly fishing what it is today. It is a privilege for me and I am humbled to be a part of this annual event.

Thanks to everyone who attends our meetings and events, it is your chapter and we invite everyone to get involved. Please bring family & friends and remember you never have to be a a Trout Unlimited member to attend a Great Smoky Mountain chapter activity, just a love of the outdoors and fellowship of those who feel the same.

Follow us on our GSM website and to stay current with chapter news and updates, please visit our GSM Facebook: http://m.facebook.com/GreatSmokyMountainTU/

John Reinhardt
President