News and Announcements

Rod Smith Joins Troutprostore With Blogs

I am proud to announce that Rod Smith of CH Marine will be joining Troutprostore as a contributor and we anticipate some interesting blogs of stories or news from Rod in the coming days. Rod is presently the Managing Director of the C H Smith Marine Company, 16 Langridge St, Collingwood VIC 3066, Australia. Rod is also the former president of the Boating Industry Association and he has a passion for boating and fishing. Rod is willing to share his passion as well as his mastefful expertise with our visitors at Troutprostore.

Great Smoky Mountain Park Bear Alert

Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials have closed Mt. Le Conte Backcountry Shelter and trails to the popular Cliff Tops area due to bear activity until further notice. At this time, trails leading to the summit of Mt. Le Conte remain open, but hikers are strongly encouraged to hike in tight groups of three or more and carry bear spray.

Native Brook Trout in NC

Brook trout are the only native coldwater trout in North Carolina. These trout generally exist in cold, clean mountain streams above 1,500-feet in elevation; however, most populations of wild brook trout are in streams over 3,000-feet in elevation.

In 2013, the General Assembly authorized the creation of a special license plate to promote the Native Brook Trout. All proceeds from the sale of this plate will be used to fund public access to and habitat protection of brook trout waters in the state.

Weber River Bonneville Cutthroat Trout Study

Good news for fly fishing Utah’s Weber River as the Utah Department of Wildlife Resources, with the help of Utah State University, is using sophisticated technology to understand and improve the Weber River population of the native Bonneville Cutthroat Trout. These unique trout grow to be quite large and they travel a long way up tributaries for spawning.

Bestway Outdoor Supreme Hair at Cabelas

Today, I was pleased to find Bestway Outdoor Supreme Hair available at the amazing new Cabelas store located just outside of Charlotte, NC and just inside the South Carolina border. After a major tour of the entire store where I took many photos, I entered the Fly Shop where I was not surprised to find the Supreme Hair. Cabelas has been a great partner with Bestway Outdoor for many, many years.

Winter Trout Stocking Schedule for Tennessee

Each year 80 streams and small lakes located in mid to western Tennessee are stocked to provide a trout fishery. Due to the warm summer water or due to habitat that does not support trout preproduction, these streams have low abundance of wild trout, or no trout at all. The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) stocks about 325,000 9-12 inch trout between February and October. While trout fishing is allowed year-round on most of these streams, many of these waters are too warm for trout by mid summer.

Southern Trout Fly Fishing Fair 2015

The second annual Southern Trout Fly Fishing Fair will be held at the LeConte Center in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee again this year. The Southern Trout Fly Fishing Fair will be held on Saturday the 31st of January 2015 which is the last day of the 25th Annual Wilderness Wildlife Week that runs from Saturday the 24 thru Saturday the 31st of January.

Appalachian Brook Trout Gill Lice

Appalachian Brook Trout are North Carolina’s only native species and they are my favorite trout for several reasons. They are the most colorful and their fall colors make them subject of many phonographs. They are found in small streams that exist in the higher elevations where the scenery is the most enjoyable. The hike in to these streams is enjoyable to me as well, not to mention the exercise.

Too Cold for Fly Fishing Yellowstone National Park

Hey anglers, the winters in the Yellowstone National Park provide plenty of opportunities for the family to enjoy winter activities. First, lodging at one of the great lodges can be enjoyable as you sit by the fire at one of these great lodges.

Restoring Hatchery Creek Kentucky

Approximately 200 feet of Hatchery Creek in Russell County will close to fishing this week as part of an ongoing stream restoration project. The upper 150-foot section of the creek will remain open for fishing. The overall project involves construction of a 6,000-foot channel to divert the creek’s flow away from the heavily eroded ravine which introduces large amounts of sediment into the Cumberland River. Construction on the new channel will feature a naturalized course with pools and riffles designed to reduce sediment; the project is scheduled for completion in the spring.