Orvis Knoxville

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of taking a fly fishing lesson at Orvis Knoxville. If you recall, I lived a fly fishing resort for the better part of 20 years. If I wasn’t living at the resort, fly fishing certainly wasn’t that far removed from my every day, whether I was on the boat or near the water or just watching the fishing happening around me. The Catskills are known for the fly fishing. And while I did some casting and fishing I never really learned the ins and outs of fishing. So when the opportunity to take an intro course to fly fishing at my local Orvis shop presented itself, I jumped at the chance to dive into all things fishing.

Our Orvis shop is located in a part of Knoxville known as Bearden. It’s not far from the University of Tennessee campus and has a good location in a shopping plaza with plenty of room to stretch out and cast a fly rod. We started the day with casting. It was a two hour class so the first hour was warming up our casting arm. I was happy to see that muscle memory came into play and I was able to cast a little better than I thought I would. I even tried my hand at the ‘double haul’. That was the one thing I never really learned but it was taught to me in a way that made sense and I was able to try to get the rhythm down.

Our second hour was spent inside going over flies, rods, reels, tippets, leaders, and everything that goes along with equipment. The shop was very busy, which surprised me. Of course Orvis is more than fishing. It’s a lifestyle brand, a hunting brand, a sporting dog brand, and a fishing brand. Oh. And it also happens to be home to my favorite waxed cotton field coat-Barbour.

But, back to fishing. I really enjoyed having a rod in my hands again. It was a good feeling knowing that those 20 years at a fishing lodge were not all wasted. I don’t have any plans to go fishing yet. I don’t have a rod and reel. Those got left behind in my haste to leave NY. I have waders and boots though. So we’re halfway there. Hopefully one day soon I will be able to get my hands on another rod and reel and hit the water. The rivers are different down here. Much bigger than what I was used to fishing. And most of the bigger water is dammed by TVA and has a release schedule that can mean the rivers rise fast. But there’s also the smaller creeks in the Smokies. That’s what I’d like to try my hand at next. I think that would much better suit me rather than the tailwaters of east TN.

But, I can’t leave you without a few pictures. I love a nicely outfitted store. And Orvis definitely has a keen eye for the decor. Just look at those peanuts! Anyway. If you happen to be in the Knoxville area, keep an eye on the events hosted by Orvis. They have sporting movies, a monthly fly tying night, and free classes. And you get to browse through the store and see all kinds of fun things! What’s not to love?

‘til next time
-k
xoxo