It's spring! The calendar says it's official, the red buds and Bradford pears have declared it and the weather seems to confirm it. Easter came early this year but anyone who has lived in East Tennessee any length of time can always tell you a story of April snow at some point in the discussion. We will keep our fingers crossed and expectations high however for the good news of spring fishing to come. The month of April should give us great opportunities to get out and enjoy the warmer days and water temperatures.

Our next chapter meeting is on Thursday, April 21st at 6P.M. at the Blackhorse Pub on 4429 Kingston Pike in Knoxville. The staff at the Blackhorse have been great hosts for our meetings and good friends to our chapter!

I am excited about the April meeting as our guest speaker is David Knapp of Trout Zone Anglers. His presentation last year on Colorado fishing drew a crowd and this year will be another don't miss event.

We have chosen a subject that is always talked about but many of us do not utilize to the success or understanding that David and the guides in our area have perfected. The presentation is entitled "Nymphing Strategies for Success in the Smoky Mountains & Tennessee Tailwaters".

We all love the excitement of dry fly fishing when the trout slams a dry but the reality is most of the action and feeding by trout is under the surface. Come, see and hear about the best way to set up your gear for mountains or tailwaters and take your fishing up a notch this year. (See all the details in the article below)

Next week, April 8-9 is our annual camp-out in N.C. at the Cataloochee group campground with the Little River TU chapter. This beautiful area of the Smokies is home to trout streams of every type and the elk herd that was reintroduced to the Smokies a few years back. The group site is one of the most rustic sites in the park but that is what makes it such a draw. Everything must be brought in by vehicle, there is no running water, no electricity, there is a pit vault bathroom for those familiar with that. It is tent camping only and with the firewood restrictions in the Park you have to bring that in also. The payoff is big fun, fishing with other chapters and friends and camping the way it used to be. There may be one or two spaces left if interested shoot me an email. Email me: john711111@yahoo.com

We have a volunteer event for everyone to take part in on Saturday April 30th in the Great Smoky Mountain Park. We partner and help the Little River TU chapter with their annual Little River Cleanup. This is a way to take just a few hours and help clean up the park with a large group of  TU volunteers, local community groups and of course under the leadership of the park staff. Safety vests, gloves, grabbers for picking up the trash are all provided and as a bonus we end the day at 12PM with a lunch cookout by the Little River at MetCalf Bottoms where we start the morning at 9AM. I will be assisting Mike Bryant, the Little River TU president and friend, with cooking burgers and dogs and you know how serious I am about food! Let me know if interested by email and as we get closer to the date more details will follow, rain or shine we are  going to help make a difference in the park we love!

Email me: john711111@yahoo.com

John Reinhardt

President

Webpage: http://greatsmokymountain.tu.org