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Archived Outdoors

Casada releases premier fly-fishing book of the Smokies

Award-winning outdoor writer Jim Casada has just published what he describes as “my book of a lifetime.”

Fly Fishing in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park: An Insider’s Guide to a Pursuit of Passion, features separate chapters covering every major stream in the park and many feeder creeks. Casada is a native of Bryson City and grew up probing the creeks and streams of the Smokies that lay just beyond his doorstep.

“My intention was to provide fisherman, whether newcomers to these storied streams or veterans who have fished them for years, with a truly comprehensive guide to the hundreds of miles of trout-holding water found within Park boundaries in North Carolina and Tennessee,” Casada said. “The Park provides the finest fishing for wild trout east of the Rockies, and it has provided me an incredible measure of pleasure over all but the earliest years of my life.”

The 448-page book also incorporates a great deal of natural and human history, looks at tactics and techniques, visits “Seasons of the Smokies,” discusses equipment, and addresses safety issues for anglers. Dozens of simple maps show the profile of a creek’s elevation gain over its length, marked with waypoints of note such as backcountry campsites, trail crossings, and feeder creeks.

There are scores of photos, including many of historical significance; graphs showing monthly variations in temperature and precipitation; information on guides and outfitters; and a removable folding map of trails and backcountry campsites.

Paperback is $24.95 and hardback is $37.50. www.jimcasadaoutdoors.com; or by calling 803.329.4354.