I had the privilege of attending the The Fly Fishing Show in Cahrlotte, NC this past Friday and Saturday where I had the pleasure of meeting and chatting with Jim Casada, Outdoor Writer. Jim knows the Smoky Mountains National Park better than anyone that i have ever known. He gave a seminar on the Smokies laced with tales and humor. I quickly realized he was far more familiar with the Park and fished more streams than I had. I have fished there for about 20 or 25 years so I asked Jim how long he had fished there; and he said that it was about 57 years! Then I noticed this article "North Carolina’s Walk-In Trout Fishing" in the "Game and Fish" magazine. Jim Casada is the author of the award-winning book, Modern Fly Fishing. To order this work or other books from him, contact him at 1250 Yorkdale Drive, Rock Hill, SC 29730 or visit his Web site, www.jimcasadaoutdoors.com
While you are on his web site, you will be able to sign up for a copy of his new book " Pursuit of Passion: An Insider's Guide to Fly Fishing in the Smokies" when it is released later this year. It will contain far more detail on Park streams than any of the existing books on the subject. "Getting Back of Beyond". a term Jim uses to detail the many small feeder streams that are often overlooked. The book will run well over 300 page. Other features will include considerable input from Bobby Kilby, who has explored hundreds of minor streams in the Park; graphs showing features of individual streams such as elevation changes on a mile-by-mile basis, key waypoints such as feeder creeks, trail crossings, and backcountry campsites.