Howdy all, I'm back and on the other side of the Mississippi now

[TroutBum]

Howdy all,  

After a considerable absence, I am back.  DW and I moved this summer from Idaho to Knoxville, TN.  We made the trip with our camper.  Much nicer to just check the AAA camping book at lunch and call to make reservations for the evening based on our rate of travel instead of trying to find a motel.  Spent the first night somewhere in Nebraska, and the 2nd night in Mt. Vernon IL.  

It was DW's first trip having to tow anything with her Cherokee.  She towed my drift boat while I towed the camper with my Dakota.

DW found a great job at Bush Bros Baked Beans as a computer programmer and I have started a fly fish guiding company.  I will be guiding in the Smoky Mountains National park and doing float trips on area tailwaters.  

Check out:
//www.smokymountaingillies.com
if you want to see some killer pictures of big fish.

Flyfisherman... I know you live in NC, how far are you from the park on your side?  Have you ever stayed at Cataloochee Creek?  I have done most of my fishing on the Little River, Greenbriar, Treemont, and the Oconoluftee so far.  The Cat is too far to be of interest for my business (most of my trips are going to come from Gatlinburg and Townsend) but is seems like it would be the perfect place to take the pup on overnights.  Give me a shout if you want to meet in the park some time.

Everyone else...  are there any unique challanges to maintaining a pup in the south?  Idaho was really dry and there were no issues with storage.  

Does anyone else know of good dry camping places off the beaten path.  I did some grouse hunting in the Cherokee Natl Forest this winter and found a few places.  I am open to suggestions.

Otherwise, we are just getting settled in our house.  Lots of rennovations to eat into my fishing and camping time.

Take care all

[tlhdoc]

Can't help you with camping in the area, but good luck on the new business.

[flyfisherman]

Check out:
//www.smokymountaingillies.com
if you want to see some killer pictures of big fish.

Flyfisherman... I know you live in NC, how far are you from the park on your side?  Have you ever stayed at Cataloochee Creek?  I have done most of my fishing on the Little River, Greenbriar, Treemont, and the Oconoluftee so far.  The Cat is too far to be of interest for my business (most of my trips are going to come from Gatlinburg and Townsend) but is seems like it would be the perfect place to take the pup on overnights.  Give me a shout if you want to meet in the park some time.

Everyone else...  are there any unique challanges to maintaining a pup in the south?  Idaho was really dry and there were no issues with storage.  

Does anyone else know of good dry camping places off the beaten path.  I did some grouse hunting in the Cherokee Natl Forest this winter and found a few places.  I am open to suggestions.


Take care all

Wondered if you had gotten washed down stream! (LOL)

I'm over on the coast and it's a 300 mile (min.) trip to the NC moutains.

I try and fish the Cataloochee every spring and I stay right there at the SMNP C/G.  Some nice brookies live in that stream and I try hard to have a couple of enjoyable dinners ("dinning" with them and on them), creekside and next to a nice fire.  Watch out for the elk ... they'll run over ya! Since it's a high elevation (for east of the Mississippi anyway), you'll have to sleep under a blanket even in mid-summer - hence EVERYONE flocks up there in the heat of summer and it can be hard to find a spot. At least they will put a sign out saying the C/G is full, saving one from having to climb the ridge in vain.

For Nat'l Forest dry camping I perfer the Nantahala further to the west.  Seems  the Pisgah is getting more and more visited and overrun every year.

When you close-up the camper for the season you might want to consider using a moister absorber.  I put them in a small. low plastic bucket (maybe 1 gal) and that seems to do a good job.

This year the "crew" (old, broken down flyfisherman) are taking Curtis Creek for the spring get-together. Seems one of them caught a nice bow in there last year.



Fly