Letter From Chapter President

March.... A magic word here in East Tennessee, not quite spring but the first signs of  longer days and daffodils pushing up dirt appear. Yes, winter weather is still possible but less frequent nights with temps hovering in the teens. There seems to be light at the end of winter's long tunnel and plans of  future days of fishing are being made. I have spent a lot of Saturdays this year at Little River Outfitters watching the fly tying demos. Watching those artists tie helps take the sting from blown out mountain streams and raging tail waters. I have talked to many TU members and friends as they drop in to pick up new gear and fly tying supplies, we are ready for the new year and spring fishing!

Our next chapter meeting on Thursday, March 17th at the Blackhorse is not just a meeting but a St. Patrick's Day party! We are kicking off Spring with Josh Pfeiffer of Frontier Anglers in Maryville. Those of you who follow LRO's Byron Begley's daily fishing report  knows of the high regard in this area of Josh not only for his trout fishing & guiding skills but his mastery of fly tying and fly fishing for smallies and largemouth bass.

Josh will be showing us how to tie the flies he has perfected for our area and maybe even share some tips on getting your next trophy fish! If you have been wanting to expand your fly fishing and target another fish species this is your chance to do it.

March is going to be busy with events that are happening in our area. The UT-Knox student club "Vols on the Fly", the TU affiliated 5Rivers program just had there first community out-reach program. They tied flies for over three hours and then donated them to Project Healing Waters. It was great to be a part of their night and even better to make people aware of the positive things this group is doing on campus and our area!

In this month's newsletter please read the articles that follow below. We are going to start taking applicants for the treasurer position with our chapter. George Lane, our current tresurer is stepping down in October after serving faithfully for years not only with the GSM TU chapter but as Tennessee TU state council treasurer. Hats off to George for his dedication to our chapter, Trout Unlimited, and my thanks personally for helping me as I made the transition to current president.

Speaking of hats, please read the article about Great Smoky Mountain TU hats for our chapter. I showed at the last chapter meeting a prototype picture (see below) of a design and received some great response. In order to gauge interest there is a link to my email for those who would like to purchase once a supplier is found and hat style chosen. Once we know the number we will take pre-orders and get the ball rolling on having them made.

The annual Fly Fishing Film tour sponsored by 3Rivers Anglers returns to the Relix Theatre on Saturday, March 26th. Once again we have been invited to set up our TU booth at the film and I am happy to say this year we will be sharing space with "Vols on the Fly". See below for more details and ticket info. Smoky Mountain Angler in Gatlinburg  and Mayfly Coffee are having their Saturday fly demo day on March 19th, free Mayfly coffee and doughnuts hard; to beat that deal!

Have you picked up your free dozen flies yet? It's a great way to help your chapter raise money and get a head start on gearing up for spring! Just donate $50 or more to the chapter's budget fundraiser and receive a free dozen flies. Hat's off to those who have contributed ! Remember take a picture when you land a fish on them, be the next one on the webpage slideshow!

As I wrote at the the first of this letter, spring is just around the corner and things are starting to get busy in our corner of the world. Remember the next chapter meeting is at the Blackhorse in Knoxville on Thursday, March 17th, join us for a St. Patrick's Day party! Bring the family and invite friends, as always you not have to be a TU member to attend. Please see the articles below and calendar for all the details and information.

John Reinhardt

President

Email: john711111@yahoo.com