Legendary Memories

By Jim Parks

While out on my first fishing trip of the year, my mind wondered as I watched my streamer making its erratic path through the current. I began following a train of thought that took me down a path more direct than that of my fly, but still permitting me to maintain focus on any trout that might slam my olive wooly-booger. What rose to the surface were my memories of the late, great, legendary master fly-caster Lefty Kreh.

Using my then recent marriage as a time reference, we were living in an apartment which I believe it was 1988 when the Fly Fishing Conclave was held in nearby Gatlinburg. Having been fly fishing about ten years and being in my early twenties I thought, as do most at that age, that I knew pretty much everything I needed to know about the sport….LOL!!! In my defense, back then there was no internet and very little information about trout fishing except what was learned through questionable rumors and found in magazines that related mostly to distant waters. So, the fly fishing event piqued my interest.

I pulled into the Glenstone Lodge, parking my wife’s Mercury Capri around the back at the far right corner of the parking lot. Noticing a stretch of tarp about four feet wide and one-hundred feet long laid out in the parking lot, I parked about 3 spaces beyond one end of it. I remember reading that a “casting demonstration” was to be held. As an “experienced” high-sticking nymph fly fisherman in the small streams of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, I rarely had to cast over twenty feet and I never thought I would need to. It was truly a small world for me. So as I left my wife’s car behind, I had no doubt it was safe from whatever was to come.

Having attended a seminar or two that morning, I followed a few guys out back where there was a crowd lined up making me wonder

Continued, see LEGENDARY MEMORIES Page 12

Tennessee River Valley

continued from page 6

From the waters around Knoxville “all the way down into Pickwick, where I fish a lot, to Wilson to Wheeler to Guntersville,” the Tennessee River has versatility, said Swindle, ticking off a list of bass-bearing features of the lakes that make it a paradise for fish and fisherman alike.

“It’s grass, it’s rocks, it’s bluffs, it is channel swings, it is sandbars, it’s gravel bars, it’s mussel bars,” said Swindle. “The Tennessee River offers something that every fisherman is going to like.”

The Tennessee River’s growing reputation as a premier tournament fishery can be attributed to its prime habitat for both largemouth and smallmouth bass. If there is one consistent aspect to the system that puts Tennessee River lakes in the top-tier as bass fishing destinations it is the robust baitfish populations. The fertile waters teem with minnows, chubs, shiners and darters, providing ample and readily available schools of food for bass to build their populations and bulk up to hefty weights.

“The Tennessee River is probably one of the healthiest fisheries in the United States, and regardless of where you are in the Tennessee River, there is always lots of shad,” said Greg Hackney, a two-decade pro and 3-time Elite Series champ. “There are all types of shad on the Tennessee River – gizzard shad, threadfin shad, Pickwick has yellowtails, skipjack herring. Without a doubt, the reason that the bass do so well is the bait population.”

Hooking trophy-sized largemouth and smallmouth bass is synonymous with fishing the Tennessee River. Its net-busting bass catches make for memories that anglers of all skill levels can acquire and cherish. “It’s got giants that swim all the way up and down it,” said 7-time Elite Top 10 finisher Scott Canterbury of Odenville, Alabama. “It is a fertile fishery – one of the best fisheries in the United States throughout the whole river system.”

The lakes of the Tennessee River Valley are managed by the Tennessee Valley Authority, and the agency goes to great lengths to ensure healthy recreational fisheries as components of both its environmentalstewardship and economic-development missions. TVA has joined forces with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and other state and federal fisheries managers to work toward creating thriving fish habitats by adapting innovative technologies and helping organize cooperative river cleanup and community conservation events.

The Tennessee Valley boasts a rich angling heritage deeply rooted in the region’s culture. This manifests itself in a friendly, welcoming spirit toward visiting fishermen. Communities along legendary bass lakes like Kentucky, Pickwick, Wheeler, Watts Bar and Douglas -in addition to Guntersville, Chickamauga, Tellico and Ft. Loudon -- offer an array of lodging, services and well-maintained recreation infrastructure geared toward making it easy and convenient to cast off the stresses of life on land, and get out on the water casting for lunkers.

The reverence for fishing and the great outdoors also drives communities to take active steps in preserving the Tennessee River’s natural ecosystem. Volunteers form the backbone of the conservation movement in the Tennessee River Valley, and their contributions are crucial in maintaining the region’s natural beauty. From organizing river clean-ups and monitoring water quality to assisting with habitat restoration projects, these dedicated individuals work tirelessly to make a positive impact.

Conservation efforts, such as habitat restoration projects, water quality initiatives, and sustainable fishing practices, have played a pivotal role in maintaining the river’s pristine condition and ensuring the longevity of its bass fishery. Anglers visiting this area can appreciate not only the exceptional fishing but also the commitment of local communities towards preserving this natural treasure.

LEGENDARY MEMORIES continued from page 10 if the Rolling Stones were in town! People were standing shoulder to shoulder on each side of the tarp, one row facing the other for the entire length. To cheers out walked this older gentleman, a bit chubby, with a smile on his face. He was a funny guy who laughed and told jokes as he began stripping out fly line.

As a young fly fisherman, I was told two things about fly line. First, NEVER allow it to touch the water as it would surely scare the wild trout and two, the main purpose of fly line was to take up space on the reel. So, needless to say I was a bit puzzled as I watched this guy strip out all ninety feet of his fly line! In a matter of perhaps two back casts, he was laying his leader across my wife’s car from the far end of the tarp where he stood!

As if that wasn’t enough, he took the rod apart and repeated the cast using only the last segment of the fly rod!! Watching Lefty about sixty feet to my left, my chin lying on the asphalt at my feet in shock, he flips the line straight up in the air and calls out, “Guy on the right in the red hat.” I looked at the guy standing ten feet to my right. Lefty, with little motion sends a perfect cast down the middle of the tarp with the last three feet of his line laying gently across the guy’s right shoulder!!! To this “experienced” fly fisherman, what I had just witnessed was more shocking than if Elvis had handed me by Big Mac in the drive thru at the McDonald’s in Pigeon Forge!

That was my first experience with Lefty Kreh. The following years blessed me with more exhibitions of his amazing skills, and to say he made a HUGE impact on me is a true understatement. Ten years later, I used his book to teach myself how to cast greater distances, sans the shoulder loop, to prepare for my first saltwater trip to chase bonefish. To this day, I occasionally refer back to that little book.

My last visit with Lefty was when he made an appearance at the Little River Outfitters in Townsend, Tennessee. After his casting demo we walked inside. I walked out to my car to get my copy of his book for him to autograph. Upon my return he was commenting how he had seen his wife very little recently due to his travels. Like mine, his wife never begrudged him of his time away. She had a special understanding of his value and service to the fly fishing world. As I approached him with my book, he graciously autographed it as I thanked him for his help. We chatted for probably 10 minutes when, ever the instructor, he nodded his head toward the back door, “Let’s go out back and I will help you with your cast.”

To be honest, I was a little nervous about having a one on one with Lefty. I did not feel worthy of his time and wanted to just get to know the legend on a personal level. So I answered, “Lefty, weren’t you just saying you haven’t seen your wife much lately? If you start working on my cast, you’ll never get to see her again!”

With that, Lefty flashed that big smile of his and we went on talking fly fishing. Whoa….was that a nice brown that just flashed at my streamer?!

Jim Parks, a native of Newport, TN, has spent over forty-five years flyfishing in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which he considers his home waters. Jim has written articles for Fly Fish American and The Angler Magazine. He works with and gives talks on fly fishing to various civic organizations. Jim is the author of “Tails of the Smokies”. For copies, he can be reached via his Instagram page at “TailsoftheSmokies”