Overmountain Chapter Trout Unlimited
Our Next Chapter Meeting
Annual Business Meeting
by Rhett Morris
It is that time of year for our Annual Business Meeting. We will be reviewing what we accomplished in 2024 and discuss our plans for 2025. We will also be electing board members. This year we have two directors that are at the end of their term. Ryan Turgeon and Evan McDougall are up for re-election for another term. If anyone else is interested please contact Rhett Morris.
2025 Board of Director Candidates
Ryan Turgeon
I am originally from Pennsylvania but have called Johnson City home since 2012. I became involved with OMTU in 2015 and joined the board of directors in 2017, serving as Vice President and President for several years. Currently, I also serve as the Chair of the TN Council of Trout Unlimited. While I enjoy fishing the local tailwaters, my true passion is hiking into the mountains to escape the crowds and fish the mountain streams. In addition, I love camping, hiking, hunting, and kayaking. During my time on the board, I’ve had the privilege of seeing many impactful projects implemented in our area. I’ve truly enjoyed my experience and look forward to continuing to serve on the board in the upcoming term.
Evan McDougall
I’m originally from Louisiana, where I learned to fly fish for speckled trout in the surf. For the past five years, I’ve lived in Jonesborough and have enjoyed fishing everything from brook trout in small mountain streams to large bass in the area’s lakes. I’ve been a member of the board of directors since 2022 and currently serve as the events coordinator. I’m excited to continue serving on the board in the upcoming term.
Dinner will begin at 6:00PM. The Annual Meeting will begin at 7:00PM
WHEN
Tuesday, January 21st
6:00PM
WHERE
Golden Corral Buffet & Grill
3104 Browns Mill Rd
Johnson City, TN
Watauga Bluffs Work Day
Hurricane Helene caused considerable damage to the Watauga Bluffs. Although we usually conduct our annual cleanup during the Tailwater Roundup in March, the severity of debris and garbage in the area has made an additional cleanup necessary this year. During this effort, we will collect and stack trash and debris in designated spots, which will later be removed and taken to dumpsters during the Tailwater Roundup. Additionally, we will be repairing the small wooden bridge and several posts in the parking lot.
OMTU will supply gloves, bags, and water. Please bring rakes, pruners, and waders or boots.
Join us in the parking lot at 9:00 AM on Saturday, January 25th, to help with this effort.
WHEN
Saturday, January 25th
9:00AM
WHERE
Watauga River Bluffs State Natural Area
3511 Steam Plant Rd
Watauga, TN
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.
Fly Tying Social
WHEN
Thursday, February 6th
6:00PM
WHERE
Mulligan's Gaming Pub
318 E. Main Street
Johnson City, TN
Trash Trout
We’re thrilled to announce the purchase of a Trash Trout for Stony Creek in Carter County, acquired from Asheville GreenWorks. This device will be installed near the lower end of the creek, roughly half a mile upstream from its confluence with the Watauga River. Fabrication is expected to take about six weeks, and we’ll finalize the installation date as more details become available. The Trash Trout will help capture plastics and other debris, keeping them out of the Watauga River. We would like to thank the Tri Fly Tournament for their generous donation to help pay for this project.
Applications for Trout Camp will begin on December 1st
John Thurman Trout Adventure Camp is for middle-school-age girls and boys, scheduled June 16-21 in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
The camp, sponsored by the Tennessee Council of Trout Unlimited (TU) and supported by proceeds from TU’s Tennessee Conservation License Plate, is based at the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont.
The camp is aimed at youth 12–16 years old who are interested in learning conservation through the sport of fly fishing in a mountain stream environment. Campers can be boys or girls (TU does require at least two campers of one gender) and are encouraged to be Tennessee residents.
John Thurman Trout Adventure Camp promotes an appreciation of coldwater conservation through activities in stream science and fly fishing. Campers receive instruction in fly casting, fly tying, how to fish mountain streams, as well as being guided on fishing trips by experienced mentors.
Science activities include catching and identifying aquatic invertebrates and flying bugs that trout eat, learning how they are duplicated with artificial fishing flies, trapping and identifying fish that live in streams, and observing fish in their natural habitat by snorkeling in a stream. Although activities are planned for every day, there is also time for recreation including swimming, hiking and fishing.
If you know a boy or girl that would be interested in attending please
REGISTER HERE.
Tailwater Temperature Monitors
The cellular temperature monitors for the South Holston and Watauga Rivers are now fully operational, all 6 transmitters installed.
South Holston River Temperatures
Bill Beazell & Allen Robbins Memorial Tailwater Roundup
Thanks to everyone that came out to make the Tailwater Roundup a huge success. Over 120 people showed up to do their part in cleaning the rivers!!! A special thanks to Jason McReynolds, Jon Hooper, Jonathan Huckaba and Patrick Fulkrod for all of the planning that went into this event. We would also like to thank all of our sponsors for donating money and/or items.
239 Flies
828 Flies
Asheville Anglers
Asheville Fly Fishing Company
Barrett's River Lodge
Boone's Fly Shop
Cheeky
Competitive Angler
Cortland
Crooked Creek Holler
Douglas
Due South Outfitters
Eastern Fly Outfitters
Elk Creek Outfitters
Flying Soho Guide Service
Foscoe Fly Shop
GoGuides
High Country Boats
High Country Guide Service
Holton Distributing
Mahoney's
Mike Adams Fly Fishing
Mountain Sports
Orvis
Overmountain Chapter
Shane Griffith Fly Fishing
South Holston River Company
South Holston River Fly Shop
South Holston River Lodge
Southern Drifters Outfitters
Tailwaters Lodge
The Fly Box
Trophy Waters Guide Service
TVA
Watauga River Guides
Thank you!!!
2023 Fundraising Banquet
Our 2023 Fundraising Banquet was a huge success. This year we raised over $5500 that will go towards our chapter's programs and conservation projects. Thank you to all that attended and contributed to our banquet and raffle. We would like to give a special thanks to our sponsors. Please help us show support to our sponsors by supporting their businesses.
Grand Slam Level Sponsors
Scott Abel (Brook Trout Rod)
Brookie Level Sponsors
Brown Level Sponsors
Rainbow Level Sponsors
Sculpin Level Sponsors
Carrabba's Italian Grill
Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen
Holiday Lanes
J’s Corner
King City Distillery
Mahoney’s Outfitters
Red Lobster
Stir Fry Restaurant Group
Texas Roadhouse
The Chop House
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.
