3 Rivers Angler

Brownlow Newman, aka Sh****ad, Boo, Stinky, and Bocephus, passed this morning having finally succumb to an aggressive cancer which ripped through his body over the course of the last year. Stoic and stubborn to the end, he never let on that he was bothered by the tumor in his gut even as it spread throughout the rest of his body. He was the exemplar of a good dog.

A handsome dog, his coat was a brindled masterpiece of brown and orange stripes which children loved as they thought he resembled a tiger. That same brindled coat made him invisible in his natal environment along the banks of the rivers of East Tennessee and served him well in his favorite pastime of hunting muskrat. A tremendous judge of character, Brownlow was wary of riffraff, ne'er-do-wells, otters, any vehicle which possessed straight pipes (or no muffler at all), and let’s not forget trains.

Brownlow was the Andy Griffith of dogs. Sly and cunning, he employed a country dumb persona while bending all he met to his will. Brownlow was always holding the best hand; we just never knew it. Having come into our lives as the result of the passing of his original owner, Chris Kelly, I always claimed that Brownlow was never really my dog. I still hold that as true though I know for fact I was his human. His outright refusal to defecate in our yard relegated me to a decade of morning, lunchtime, and evening walks. Cold, rain, or snow, these were never short jaunts as Brownlow required at minimum a mile to find just the right spot.

Like all dogs, Brownlow served as a bridge to the chapters of my life. Acquired during the ‘divorce years’, he was the impetus for the completion of the fence in the backyard of the then new house. As it came to pass, an unnecessary task for a dog who refused to stray. He served as defacto mascot for more than a few of the boys’ soccer and lacrosse teams. And to all those that knew him, he was the quintessential shop dog at 3 Rivers Angler. He helped me see the boys through childhood, early adolescence, and finally young adulthood. Together, we were champions of the pandemic.

Though his age was not known precisely, Brownlow lived a long and glorious life full of jet boat rides, fishing trips, long walks with rolls in the grass and a weekly tradition of sharing a T-bone steak. He was my constant companion, a task he deemed requisite, and he will be sorely missed.

Going, going - gone! All flies $1.00 through Saturday!

Come help us celebrate the twelve plus years we’ve been serving the East Tennessee region. Up to 50% off store wide! Sale starts today and runs through next week!

Labor Day Sale starts now. Everything in the store 25% off. Flies 50% off! Come by while the gettin’s still good!

With school back in swing and everyone getting back to the grind, we’ll be closed on Monday for the foreseeable future. Please plan accordingly.

Happy Fourth of July, wishing you all a peaceful and blessed Independence Day!

3 Rivers Angler will be closed Monday, July 3rd and Tuesday, July 4th to celebrate with our friends and family.

July Fly Fishing 101 class schedule is live. Give us a call at 865.200.5271 or drop us a line at [email protected] if you’re ready to learn to fish!

The Knoxville program is headed to Mossy Creek 2023 Invitational!!!! Good luck to Larry Cummins and Gary Pickens this weekend!!!!

The event on Sunday at will LOADS have prizes from .goods Come check it out!

Fishing Forecast 5/11/2023

Here we sit, somehow, heading into the second weekend of May and conditions are primed for a fantastic weekend of fishing. Low flows abound as the Valley and surrounding areas are tiptoeing dangerously close to drought conditions. Flows in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park are low with the Little River flowing at 1.76 feet or 119 c.f.s., the daily normal being 237 c.f.s. Water temperatures are cresting the 60 degree mark and that makes the fish and the bugs pretty darn happy. Yellow Sallies have begun to make an appearance so anything small and yellow seems to be the ticket. If I wasn’t seeing fish actively eating on the surface I’d probably try a dry with a lot of flotation with a dropper underneath. No secrets being reveled in that suggestion.

The tailwaters, by all accounts, have been fishing pretty phenomenal. The Holston is experiencing good numbers of bugs throughout the day. Caddis are coming off early in the day until about midday with sulphurs showing up later in the evening hours. Regardless of the time of day, it seems like you can find pods of happy fish looking up throughout the day. I’ve been switching over to size 18 quasimodo pheasant tails about 12 inches under an indicator when the surface activity wanes a bit. We haven’t been out on the Clinch that much this year due to the low flows currently being released by TVA, but everyone through the shop has been pretty jazzed by the good wade fishing they have been having of late. Be advised, there is a special event this Saturday, Veterans on the Water, hosted by the Clinch River Chapter of Trout Unlimited at Miller’s Island. I know they were looking for a few last minute volunteers to lend a helping hand. If you are interested and available please contact Bernie Maloy (865-324-9341 [email protected]) and/or Steve Burman (865-805-1018 [email protected])

Small mouth are entering their post-spawn phase and are looking for an eat. We are still a bit early yet for the topwater bite so make sure you get a streamer (clouser, tequeely, or the like) down in their face. I did notice the first June Bug in my basement the other day so hopefully that topwater bite will be coming sooner rather than later. The bottom ends of both the Holston and the French Broad are thick with all manner of fish. White Bass and Skip Jack are stacked at the shoals and if your ripping a clouser or a wooly bu**er through the moving water you are sure to catch more than your fair share. You may also hang into a small mouth or walleye. Spring is a marvelous time to be out and about in East Tennesssee!

The weather forecast has a chance of rain through Monday. Given the way things have been going, I don’t think I would let that deter me from getting out on the water. Probably a good idea to pack a rain jacket in order to hedge your bets. Where every you get to this weekend, have fun and be safe!

May Fly Fishing 101 classes are filling up. Give us a call or drop us an email if you are interested in learning how to fish the fantastic waters we have here in East Tennessee!