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Welcome! We are an active community of fly fishers
whose goal is to promote our sport in a variety of ways. Click
Here to find out more! |
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Check out this month's MTFF Newsletter here! May Meeting
Fly fishing has been in his blood all hisy life, from his childhood in Minnesota to his years as a fly fishing guide in Alaska. Mike has fished and guided the Caney Fork for over twenty years. He lives on the river near Lancaster. We are pleased to be Jack Beavers tying for us this month. Come see him tying one of his favorites starting at 5:30pm. Mike Kingston, Katie Bennett and Bryson Storie will play hosts to a “Casting Clinic” starting at 5:30 to 7:00pm. This clinic is for all skill levels. Beginners will be instructed in the basics of fly casting and more advanced casters can work on double hauling and casting integrated shooting heads. You can brush up on your casting stroke or help with the clinic. Bring your own rod or use one of the club rods. For those of you who do not attend the mini-seminar... A few members meet at the Applebee’s on Edmundson Pike and Old Hickory Blvd at 5:30 for drinks and/or dinner. Contact John Downton for more information. April Meeting Brian Carper will be our guest speaker at the April general meeting. He will be giving his presentation on Spring Crappie Techniques for Monster Slabs on J. Percy Priest Lake.
The MTFF club meets at the TWRA Region II building at Ellington Agricultural Center. The doors open at 5:30PM for the tying session and the meeting comes to order at 7:00PM. For directions, click here. May Outing
Whether you are fly fishing for native brook trout in a cold mountain stream, smallmouth or largemouth bass in beautiful Fontana Lake or rainbow or brown trout in one of the many stocked streams, Swain County hosts one of the most diverse fishing habitats in the world. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Nantahala National Forest offer hundreds of miles of spectacularly clear streams. Just a few minutes from Bryson City, the sparkling waters of Deep Creek are ripe for fly fishing, and many anglers enjoy the Nantahala River just west of town, particularly the section above the powerhouse on Wayah Road.
For more information please refer to our Cherokee, NC Outing Resources page. If you have any further questions, please contact Roger Cooper. April Outing In April, MTFF members will once again ventured out to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. This annual trek takes us to one of the most scenic places on earth to chase the mountain trout that the area is famous for. If you have never fished this area, you do not know what you are missing!
The camping weather was spectacular, with cool nights and warm days. The fishing was just, okay. Fish were being caught every day but only one or two six inch or smaller fish. We did not even see a decent fish. After talking to other fishermen they were all having the same luck.
Every day was warmer than the last and expectations were high. The fish seemed to be in their winter doldrums. However, the camping weather was wonderful and we all thoroughly enjoyed the trip. For more information please refer to our GSMNP Outing Resources page. We are still looking for an outing leader for this outing. If you are interested in helping coordinate this outing or have any further questions, please contact David Hudnall. **Attention MTFF Members** At many of our outing locations, online reservation are possible through www.recreation.gov. You may reserve most campsites up to six months prior to your arrival date. We are finding that some may be available even sooner. All Tennessee State Park locations there are no reservations and are on a first come first serve basis only. Please refer to the "MTFF 2013 Events Calendar" in the right hand column, or go to the MTFF Outings page. Do not hesitate to contact the outing leaders if you have any questions. From the Board... WE ARE LOOKING FOR FLY TIERS!
New logo! Looking for CLUB VOLUNTEERS.... Education Committee Communications Director Fly and Knot of the Month Club Merchandising “Fly Casting Competition” Committee |
MTFF Meeting MTFF Outing Caney Fork River MTFF Education
Fly Of The Month Blue Wing Olive For more information, check out the Fly Tying Fishin' Forum. Introduction to Fly Fishing This class is for anyone interested in learning to fish with a fly rod. The class covers all of the basics and is geared toward preparing those who are just starting out in the sport. There will be instruction on the basic equipment, knots, basic entomology, and hands-on fly casting. If time allows, hopefully - if generation permits, there will be some on-stream fishing time with an MTFF member on the Elk River. Bring your own equipment if you have it. MTFF will provide rods and reels for those who do not have their own. If you need other equipment, such as waders, please contact MTFF at the contact below. Coffee and donuts will be provided in the morning and MTFF will grill burgers and hot dogs for lunch. Tims Ford State Park Fees: Please pre-register here. We will also have a sign-up sheet at the April general meeting. This class is limited to 20 students. If you have any questions, please contact Vernon Bennett at v.bennett@mtff.org. Casting for Recovery Retreat The CFR- Middle/West Tennessee Program is gearing up for our fifth annual retreat. Each year we serve 14 women in Middle and West Tennessee, whose lives have been touched by breast cancer. Each year a group of wonderful volunteers and river helpers staff each retreat, sharing their passion for fly-fishing, helping each woman to forget about her illness and giving her hope for the future . . . “to fish is to hope.” In 2013 our retreat will be held at PARISH PATCH FARM & INN in Normandy, TN. The Middle/West Tennessee program is supported by our local fly-shops and fly-fishing organizations, local businesses, health care corporations, Susan G. Komen of Greater Nashville, and other non-profits. Thanks to their generous donations, we are able to provide our annual wellness weekend to breast cancer survivors throughout Middle Tennessee at no cost to participants. Several MTFF members have been invited to guide these wonderful women during this event. 2013 Southern Classic Musky Weekend Tournament Towee Boats is pleased to announce that registration is now open for the Southern Classic Musky Weekend tournament to be held May 3rd and 4th, 2013. This fly only tournament will be headquartered in Rock Island, Tennessee and showcase some of the South’s finest Musky waters. Anglers will have a choice of fishing the Caney Fork/Collins River or Melton Hill Reservoir on Friday. All anglers will fish the Caney Fork/Collins River on Saturday with an awards dinner to follow. The registration fee is $145 per angler and includes two days of fishing, event t shirt and dinner with beverages on Saturday night. Contact Todd Gregory at todd@toweeboats.com to register. "We ask a simple question
and that is all we wish: Are fishermen all liars? Or do only liars
fish?"
William Sherwood Fox, Silken Lines and Silver Hooks, 1954
Our brochure
contains lots of club information in one place. It tells about
membership, outings, classes, contacts, and has a map with directions
to the meetings!
 MTFF is now on Facebook!
Check out the Federation of Fly Fishers (FFF) membership benefits by clicking on the logo above. You will also find a links to FFF and the FFF South Eastern Council by following the "Resources" tab in the menu at the top of the page. The FFF is a 46 year old international non-profit organization dedicated to the betterment of the sport of fly fishing through Conservation, Restoration and Education. The FFF and its Councils are the only organized advocate for fly fishers on a national and regional level. Check out the latest |
Mike Proctor-Bjorgo has spent a lifetime fishing, hunting, and exploring out of the way places. Unfortunately, accidents happen. Drawing from his years of paramedic experience, both in and out of the wilderness, Mike will introduce you to backcountry first aid as well as how to handle environmental emergencies and medical and trauma situations. The talk will be both informative and entertaining. You are encouraged to come with questions.
For as long as I can remember I have loved the feel of a fishing rod in my hand. At thirteen I decided that I wanted to become a professional bass fisherman. From that day forward my future fishing career was the basis for every decision I have made. During high school I worked at Pohick Regional Park. School and work kept me very busy but whenever time allowed, I found myself on the water fishing. I started tournament fishing at the age of sixteen when I fished local and regional open tournaments. The following year I joined The Virginia Bass Federation and found myself as a student in a different classroom. There were many older anglers who taught me as much as they could. I believe those more experienced fisherman enjoyed tutoring me, as they could see the ambition and determination that drove me to be the best fisherman possible. Thanks to the help of many friends and teammates I began my journey as a good bass angler at an early age. - Brian Carper.JPG)
The Cherokee Indian Reservation offers a variety
of fishing opportunities for the trout fisherman with regularly
stocked streams, trophy waters and three trout ponds. The nearby
Oconoluftee River flows out of the Smoky Mountains National Park
through beautiful historic Cherokee N.C., home to the Eastern
Band of the Cherokee Indians.
Several memebers will be staying at the River
Valley Campgrounds outside of Cherokee, NC. River Valley Campground in Cherokee, NC began accepting reservations March 24, 2013. RESERVATIONS
ARE BY PHONE ONLY. This campground books fast so please call and make your reservations for the May outing on or near this date. Please
refer to the 
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park has approximately 2,115 miles of streams within its boundaries, and protects one of the last wild trout habitats in the eastern United States. The park offers a wide variety of angling experiences from remote, headwater trout streams to large, cool water smallmouth bass streams. Most streams remain at or near their carrying capacity of fish and offer a great opportunity to catch these species throughout the year. - nps.gov
There were some sporadic hatches for fifteen minutes or less each day. The dry fly action was virtually non existent the entire week. We were reminded several times that their weather is about 60 days behind last year and 30 days behind normal. Entomology samples were taken at every location. We found higher populations of insects in the Little River stretch between Elkmont and Little River Road. The water down to Metcalf Bottoms did not have as many insects. The nymphs were hatching from their egg stage but are very small. We did find a couple small stone flies. Surprisingly, caddis had the highest population. All our fish were caught on nymphs...March Browns, Red Buds, Prince Nymphs and Stick Baits.
We are looking for fly tiers willing to tie and donate flies to the Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing Event at on Caney Fork River in June. The more tiers we have, the less each tier will need to tie. So, if you are interested in tying for this great event, please contact Bill Coyne at 615.403.4623
We’re also in need of tents anyone would be willing ot lend to the veterans participating in the Project Healing Waters Event on the Caney Fork River in June. Please call Tony Mitchell at 615.646.7687, or Roger Cooper at 615.399.0492, if you have one or more tents they can use.
Project Healing Waters
