Overmountain Chapter Trout Unlimited
Did you know?
The Overmountain Chapter of Trout Unlimited (OMTU) isn’t just a fishing club—we’re a cold water conservation group. Sure, many of us love chasing trout with a fly rod, but our real passion is protecting and preserving the cold water streams that make those moments possible.
Our mission is simple but important: To conserve, protect, and restore cold water fisheries in the Watauga, South Holston, and Nolichucky watersheds in Northeast Tennessee.
We’re always looking for passionate volunteers to join us—whether that’s helping out in the field, supporting local outreach, or just spreading the word in your community. Every little bit helps.
Can’t volunteer? No problem. Consider supporting our efforts with a donation. Your contribution helps us continue important work to keep these rivers healthy and thriving for generations to come.
Get involved. Make a difference. Protect what matters.
Our Next Chapter Meeting
TDEC - Hampton Creek Projects Update
We are honored to welcome Lisa Huff as our featured speaker this month. Lisa manages state natural areas in East Tennessee for the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, overseeing both the ecological and recreational aspects of these treasured lands. Her work spans conservation management, ecological restoration, invasive species control, and environmental research, with extensive field experience as a wildlife biologist and ecologist.
Over the years, Lisa has been our primary point of contact for many local projects, especially in the Hampton Creek Cove area, where she has been instrumental in securing funding and seeing projects through to completion. As she prepares to retire later this year, Lisa will share updates on our current projects and introduce us to the person who will take over as our new point of contact.
Don’t miss this chance to thank Lisa for her years of partnership, hear her insights from decades of conservation work, and learn what’s next for our local efforts.
We’ll be meeting at the Golden Corral in Johnson City. Social time begins at 6:00 PM, and the presentation will start at 7:00 PM.
We hope to see you there!
🗓 Tuesday, September 16 @ 6:00 PM
📍Golden Corral Buffet & Grill (3104 Browns Mill Rd, Johnson City, TN 37604)
Todd Burleson Memorial Cleanup
Come out and join us as our chapter volunteers team up with the residents of the Roan Mountain area to clean up the Doe River and it's tributaries. Everyone is invited to help out with this effort.
Bottled water, gloves and garbage bags will be provided. The Burleson Family will be providing breakfast and lunch for all of the participants and we will be giving away some prizes. We hope to see you there!
🗓 Saturday, September 27 @ 8:30AM
📍Roan Mountain Community Park (146 Carter St, Roan Mountain, TN 37601)
Blue Lines Fishing Series
Discover new waters and reconnect with nature through OMTU’s Blue Lines Fishing Series. This is your chance to hike into quiet streams, cast in water no wider than your fly rod, and chase wild trout in some of the most scenic and remote parts of our region. Whether you're a seasoned angler or just starting out, these adventures offer something special.
📍 Laurel Fork
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Sunday, September 21 @ 12:00 PM
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Meet: Dennis Cove Recreation Area
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Trip Details: Meet up at the Dennis Cove Recreation Area in Hampton, TN at noon before partnering up and carpooling to the many tributaries of the Laurel that house native brook trout..
Bring your fishing gear, sense of adventure, and a love for wild water. We’ll see you on the stream!
Fly Tying Social
OMTU is hosting a fly-tying social at Mulligan's Irish Pub. Come with your fly tying gear and materials or borrow ours. Learn a new fly from the experts or just come hang out over a beer.
🗓 Thursday, October 2 from 6PM - 9PM
📍Mulligan's Irish Pub (308 E Main St, Johnson City, TN 37601)
Stream Sampling with TWRA
TWRA is looking for volunteers to help with stream sampling on some of our local trout streams!
We’ll be collecting fish to gather data on species diversity, abundance, and stream health—critical info for protecting wild trout populations and maintaining healthy coldwater habitats.
Want to see science in action? Come out, get your boots wet, and learn what lives beneath the surface! This is a great way to get hands-on experience and learn more about our local streams.
No experience needed—just a good attitude and a pair of boots!
Beaverdam Creek Site 1
🗓 Wednesday, Aug 27 @ 9:30AM
Beaverdam Creek Site 2
🗓 Thursday, Aug 28 @ 9:30AM
Doe Creek
🗓 Friday, Sept 5 @ 9:30AM
Laurel Creek Site 1
🗓 Tuesday, Sept 9 @ 9:30AM
Laurel Creek Site 2
🗓 Wednesday, Sept 10 @ 9:30AM
Rocky Fork
🗓 Tuesday, Sept 16 @ 9:30AM
📍Rocky Fork Trail Parking (501 Rocky Fork Rd, Flag Pond, TN 37657)
Doe River
🗓 Thursday, Sept 18 @ 9:30AM
Stony Creek Trash Trout
A Trash Trout was installed on Stony Creek in Carter County, thanks to a team effort between Overmountain Trout Unlimited (OMTU), Asheville Greenworks, and some generous donors. This floating trap is designed to catch plastic and trash before it can float downstream into the Watauga River, helping keep the water clean and healthy for fish and people.
OMTU will check and empty the trap about once a month. The project was made possible with support from Tennessee Tri-Fly and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), who helped cover the costs. It’s a great step toward protecting our local streams and keeping them clean for everyone to enjoy.
Hampton Creek Grant
We are excited to share that we have been awarded a $25,000 grant to repair the Brook Trout barrier on the Left Prong of Hampton Creek. Our gratitude goes to the FishAmerica Foundation and The Brunswick Foundation for funding this important project. We also extend our thanks to the Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation (TDEC) and the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) for their assistance in securing the grant. Construction is scheduled to begin in May or June 2025.
2025 Tailwater Roundup
What a day! 138 volunteers came together to restore the Watauga and South Holston rivers, with over 110 on the Watauga, alone. This has been our largest clean-up EVER! Several large dumpsters of trash were filled with trash, tires, and other debris at several locations along the rivers.
While significant improvements were made, there is still much to do after the unprecedented damage caused by Helene. Expect to see other clean-up opportunities in the future.
After the clean-up, volunteers met for BBQ and beer at Appalachian Sun Brewery LLC, where lots of folks walked away with sweet gear and guided trips generously donated by local businesses. Organizations providing volunteers included Overmountain Chapter Trout Unlimited, Blue Ridge Guide Association, Appalachian Paddling Enthusiasts, East Tennessee State University, and several local outfitters.
THANK YOU to all of our fantastic volunteers and our sponsors!
OMTU Story
Here is a video that was made by OMTU members back in 1999. It tells about the mission of OMTU and some of the past projects that we have worked on as a chapter. The narrator of the video, Paul Anderson, recently passed away so we decided to post this video in his honor. The projects that we have worked on over the years may have changed, but the mission remains the same.
