The Smokies trout camp sponsored by the Tennessee Council of Trout Unlimited (TU) has been renamed in honor of longtime TU volunteer John Thurman, the person most instrumental in the camp’s establishment.
Thurman, of Norris, died in October after a long battle with cancer. He was a charter member of the Clinch River Chapter TU, and had especially enjoyed teaching children about trout, aquatic bugs and fishing. In 2014, he received Trout Unlimited’s national Youth Education Leadership Award.
The John Thurman Smoky Mountain Trout Adventure Camp, founded in 2011 as the Great Smoky Mountains Trout Adventure Camp, gives middle school girls and boys an appreciation of coldwater resources through the sport of fly fishing.
Participants learn about stream ecology, stream physics and water chemistry along with aquatic entomology and diversity of fish species in Smokies streams. Experienced mountain anglers teach the campers fly fishing skills and guide them on fishing expeditions to streams in and near the national park. Other activities include snorkeling to view aquatic creatures in Little River.
About half the cost of the weeklong camp is underwritten by proceeds from the Tennessee TU Conservation License Plate. Tuition in 2021 will be $540; if needed, financial support for campers is available through local TU chapters.
The camp convenes each June at the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Due to the pandemic, the 2020 camp had to be canceled, but plans are going ahead to hold the camp June 21-26, 2021. Applications will be accepted starting Jan. 1; details are available at https://tntroutadventure.org, or from Steve Young, managing director, at steve_y@earthlink.net.
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