FAQ

You are always welcome and encouraged to contact me by phone or email with any questions, but below are some frequent questions I get that may save you a little time.

Supply of Waders and BootsQ: Do you supply gear?
A: Yes. If you have your own wading gear and/or rod that you’d like to use, please do. If not, I have a full size run of waders and boots, plenty of rods, and I always take care of terminal tackle such as flies and tippet.

Q: Where do we meet?
A: It depends on where you are staying and where we’re going. We will always communicate beforehand and I’ll select a convenient meeting place based on that info.

Q: Where should we stay?
A: It depends where you want to fish. Townsend and Gatlinburg are located near destinations in the mountains but will be a little less convenient for someplace like the Clinch. If you’re uncertain, give me a shout ahead of time and I’m happy to make recommendations.

Q: Do we keep the fish?
A: The short answer is no. This is not a “charter” where the object is to fill the cooler. I encourage catch & release, but as long as you provide a way to store and transport your fish on the stream and in the vehicle, and it is legal to do so, you may.

FIshing in a Cold Rain Smoky MountainsQ: What kind of license do I need?
A: Refer to the Licenses page on this site.

Q: What if it rains?
A: We go fishing. Rain often makes for better fishing. Refer to Policies & Restrictions under Booking & Rates for more details about when and why trips might be cancelled.

Q: Do people always catch fish?
A: Two words that don’t exist in fly fishing are “always” and “never.” There are a lot of factors from weather, to destination and species, to the angler’s skill level that determine that. But people usually catch fish.

Black bear Scavenging on Little River, TNQ: Will we see any bears?
A: Maybe. Bears are rarely seen on guided trips but are always a possibility, particularly on backcountry trips.

Q: Do you take kids?
A: Yes, but not under the age of 10.

Q: How many people do you take at once?
A: One or two people, though never randomly paired. If you book a trip for one person, your day is your day. I won’t put a stranger with you.

Q: Why don’t you take more than two anglers with one guide?
A: Mountain streams are not built for crowds and fishing more than one person in the same spot at the same spot just doesn’t work. When you try to rotate three anglers, it’s a lot of downtime for the ones not fishing. When you spread three anglers out, it spreads me too thin, rendering me pretty ineffective.