GUIDE STAFF
Chad Williams - HEAD GUIDE
(423) 237-1107
Chad Williams has been guiding for The Smoky Mountain Angler for over fifteen years, and has been guiding in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park for almost 20 years. He has been tying flies for just as long. He keeps the shop in stock of his provided patterns and also participates in local fly tying events throughout the year, as well as, writes a monthly forecast for The Angler Magazine. Chad grew up 30 miles east of Gatlinburg in the town of Newport. He now makes Sevier County his home. He is a great instructor for teaching traditional fly fishing in the park. For the last few years, he has been helping clients pick up nymphing skills by showing them his version/method of high stick nymphing and euro/tighline nymphing. Which are both great methods for picking up the more spooky wild GSMNP fish. He believes that it is possible to catch fish in the mountains in almost any condition. The fish are wild and smart, but will almost always eat if fished for with the right technique.
CJ Stancil
(931)801-4204
Cj was born in Chattanooga Tennessee, eventually he moved to South Florida and lived for 10 years. There he pursued a career in professional baseball but always found time to salt water fish. After giving up baseball he changed his bat out for a fly rod. He continued deep sea fishing and salt water fly fishing before moving back to Tennessee. He has been fly fishing for wild trout in the GSMNP for more than 9 years. CJ has chased trout from one end of the state to the other in its wild trout streams and tail waters. He loves teaching the art of fly fishing to beginners. CJ is currently forming the Black Bear Task Force which works in cooperation with the Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency, Appalachian Bear Rescue and the National Park Service. You always receive a quick lesson on bear management or as he says "people management " while on his fishing outings.
Chad Fouts - MANAGER/ HEAD FLOAT GUIDE
(865) 604-9206
Growing up as a Navy Brat gave Chad the opportunity to fish both fresh and salt water. At only two years old, he already had a fishing rod in his hand. He was very interested in bass fishing, along with salt water whenever he had the chance. On an unforgettable family vacation to The Smokies, Chad caught his very first trout. He immediately fell in love with the species and was hooked. Trout fishing became his new passion. It seemed he couldn't get fly fishing off his mind, especially for trout. He graduated high school early to come work for the Fisheries Biology Team in The Great Smoky Mountain National Park. He did extensive studies on the Smokies trout health and population, as well as multiple restorations of the Native Southern Appalachian Brook Trout. Once he was done working with the park he joined the Coast Guard. Vacation time and port calls became completely devoted to catching fish on the fly. After the Coast Guard, he returned to his family home in middle Tennessee and continued to catch bass and trout. However, he couldn't forget the beautiful Smoky Mountain natives and quickly moved to Gatlinburg so he would never have to be without a fly rod in his hand. He has been the manager of The Smoky Mountain Angler, as well as a guide for almost 10 years. If he's not in the shop, you can bet he's on the water. You can find him on instagram @tn_onthefly.
Jesse Huddleston
(865) 306-9155
Born and raised in East Tennessee, Jesse learned how to fish at a very young age. Living just miles from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, he used to almost miss the bus every morning before school in order to wet a line. Jesse has spent many years of his life learning the ins and outs of our local watersheds. This has helped immensely in his ability to provide an excellent, well informed day on the water. While Jesse spends most of his time targeting trout of the GSMNP, he also loves to chase smallmouth bass and other warm water species on float trips.
In Jesse’s free time you typically will find him on the water, or behind a vise, coming up with new, creative fly patterns to trick those trout. You can find him on instagram as @appalachianflyguide to see what he has been tying and catching!
Elden Snapp
Elden grew up in Gatlinburg with her father owning a fly shop. This allowed her to start fishing at a young age, quickly coming to find out that trout are her preferred species to target. When she took a trip to Wyoming at 8, she realized two things, that fly fishing and horseback riding were her cup of tea!
As a teenager she started to explore and fish the Smoky Mountains, as well as pursuing a competitive horse career. After Elden aged out of her junior years of riding, she decided to focus on the passion of fly fishing. With her fathers help this allowed her to further her knowledge of the park fisheries, and other local waters. Elden also enjoys learning about the vast amounts of plant life in the GSMNP, not only can she put you on fish but you may also get a lesson in local flora and fauna on your trip! You can find her on instagram @snappintrout.
Hunter Palmer
(865) 253-5031
Hunter Palmer has been fly fishing for about 10 years now. He grew up his whole life trout and crappie fishing with his dad in East TN and has really fell in love with fly fishing in the smokies ever since his first trip. As much as he loves to fish in our skinny water, his love for chucking big streamers for trout in the tailwaters and fishing the lakes for bass, carp and especially musky is second to none.
Even though he loves to fish, his love to tie flies is just as grand. He says
“Experimenting and trying new things and learning from people way more talented than myself has really taken me even deeper into the industry. Tying your own flies really gives you an appreciation for all those that came before and gives you an even deeper connection to the fish that you catch and it is something that I love to do”
JACK BELCHER
(865) 414-6415
Jack started trout fishing in East Tennessee & Western North Carolina 30
years ago . To him there is nothing better than seeing an individual catch their
first trout on a fly rod. His goal is to spread his knowledge of the area and
fishing to as many individuals looking to experience something new, and to
help grow the small sport of fly fishing.
JACOB COALSON
(804)720-3997
Jacob was born in Virginia raised on fishing. Jacob has been fly fishing since he was 15 and grew to love the sport and the outdoors more. As time went on he discovered that Tennessee is where his heart was and started learning how to fish in the smokies. Eventually moving here to become a guide to show folks how to fly fish and share his passion of the sport. Also working in the shop he always lights up to answer any question about fishing.
BILL WARGANICH
He is a retired AH-64 test pilot and US Army Desert Storm Veteran. Bill has been fly fishing since he was 12 years old. Has fly fished all over the country, including California, Nevada, Wyoming, Montana, Kentucky, Georgia, Texas, and even Germany. He has been fly fishing in the Great Smoky Mountains for a long time. Out of all of the places he has fly fished for trout, there is something he finds magical about the Smoky Mountains.
