With all the other outfitters, fly shops, and guide services out there, why book with Fly Fishing the Smokies you might ask?

The answer isn’t that simple really.

Choosing a great guide service shouldn’t be a chore, even though picking the right one is sometimes hard to do. At Fly Fishing the Smokies we understand that, and want to make it easy for you. Below are some points of interest about us that may help you with your decisions.

• We are a Drug and Alcohol Free outfitter. All of our employees are randomly drug tested.
• Your enjoyment is important to us, but so is your safety. While the goal is to learn fly fishing and catch fish, our number one goal is your safety. Our guides are certified in CPR and First Aid. Some of our guides have an Outdoor Leadership Degrees, Military Combat Medic training,  Wilderness First Responder certifications, and all are very capable outdoors-men.
• We are fully licensed and insured. We carry Special Commercial Use Authorization Permits for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and the US Forest Service.
• We are licensed guides by the State of North Carolina and Tennessee.
• We only hire patient, professional guides with a long time guiding history. Our guides have a strong work ethic and want nothing more out of a day of guiding than to teach you, and put you on the fish. Our guides are delighted to see you smile and have a good time, and are dedicated to bringing out the best possible experience for you while on the water.
•  Almost every guide we hire is a father with children of his own. These guys are great with teaching children to fly fish and have miles and miles of patience, great big smiles and a friendly attitude. A great guide not only is a good teacher and angler, he must have a great personality. This is especially important when working with children.
• We guide children! We have no age restrictions for kids. It’s our belief that too many activities these days don’t have room for children or have age restrictions. We find that as parents ourselves, too many activities are not not family friendly, and leaving someone out is unquestionable. That’s why we have no age restrictions for kids. Its about having a great time as a family and enjoying your time together outdoors!
• We are all born and raised in the mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee and have spent our entire lives fly fishing the streams and rivers that we guide you on. We simply will not hire a guide who wasn’t a native mountain boy! There’s so much history and tradition in the mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee that it could never be read from a book or taught, it has to be lived and passed down generation to generation.
• Just about everyone of our guides are professional competitive fly anglers who travel the country and abroad, fly fishing in numerous National and International Fly Fishing Competitions, and large scale televised fly fishing events. Many of these guys you may have seen on Saturday morning fishing shows guiding celebrities, television hosts, and personalities.
• Collectively our staff logs more than 1500 days of Guiding clients per year.
• We supply all the fly fishing gear and equipment you would need at no additional charges. including all flies that are hand tied by your guide, often times just the night before your trip!
• We only use top quality equipment for our clients. It’s much easier, and more enjoyable to learn to fly fish with top quality gear. You can expect to see waders and boots from Simms, Chota, and Korkers. Fly rods and reels from Orvis, St. Croix, Sage, Redington, TFO, R.L. Winston, Lamson/Waterworks, Abel, and Ross. We put in your hands the same gear we use!

Many of our guides have been nationally ranked Pro Anglers for many years in competitive fly fishing. One of them is the Founder of the North Carolina Fly Fishing Team, which has been the top fly fishing team in North America for the past several years. He went on to win or place top 5 in  numerous regional and national level fly fishing events, including qualifying for 4 Us National Fly Fishing Championships. That same guide also founded one of the richest prize payout tournaments in the US, the Rumble in the Rhododendron. Another of our guides is a member of Fly Fishing Team USA, and coached the Youth division of the US Fly Fishing Team to win two Gold Medals in the Fly Fishing World Championships in 21012 and 2013. He also won and placed top 5 in numerous national and international level events, including qualifying for 4  US National Fly Fishing Championships. Together both of these fellows were one of the winningest duos in competitive fly fishing in the country! One of our guides was an Army Ranger Scout for 8 years. You don’t get to be one of the elite soldiers in the US without being able to perform under pressure and handle yourself in any situation. This same guide has been a fly fishing guide for 8 years and was Lead Whitewater Rafting guide on some of the country’s most demanding rivers, including the Gauley River in WV, the Ocoee River in TN, home of the 1996 Olympic White Water venue, and the Nantahala River, home to the 2013 World Championships of Freestyle Kayaking.

Every Fly Shop, Outfitter, and Guide Service around self proclaim to be the “premier” or “number one choice” in the area. Really? What makes them the “premier’ or the “number one choice”?  Is it highest prices, flashy websites, fancy fly shop, swanky brands? Must be… however we have a different opinion. Look up the word “Premier” and you’ll find that it says “first in occurrence” Hmm.. we have been in business since 1999, making us “first in occurrence”  before those folks who claim “premier”. That leaves us with “number one choice”. To be Number One choice, you probably would need to be ranked as number 1 in something, by an entity scoring a ranking right? Well, after nearly 16 years in business, we haven’t seen such an entity. Maybe they are talking number one choice for highest prices…

We sincerely hope to earn your business and the opportunity to spend time with you on the water in our mountains!

Tight Lines;

Shannon Angel~ Owner, Fly Fishing the Smokies