Profiles of legendary fly fishermen, influential reel makers, rod makers, guides, fly tyers, fly creators, artists, authors, conservationists, and cold water resource leaders
Ray Bergman (NY - Special Exhibit) – writer who introduced fly tyers and anglers to the readers of Outdoor Life Magazine; wrote the book Trout: The Trout Fishermans Bible
Silas Walker “Cy” Blanton, Sr. (NC) – legendary storyteller and angler
Phil H. Bracewell (NC) – legendary angler, founding director of Trout Unlimited in NC and also the NC Nature Conservancy
Joe Brooks (MD) – outdoor editor of The Baltimore Sun, author, fly-tyer, fly creator
Mark Cathey (NC) – legendary angler, local guide and fly-tyer; known for "the dance of the dry fly"
Benny Joe Craig (NC) – master fly tyer; inventor of the "red head" fly series
Beverly “Bev” Dew Hairfield (NC) – active supporter of protecting the Catawba River & proponent of the development of the Morganton Greenway
Bernice Allene DeHart Hall & Fred Hall (NC) – husband and wife known as innovative fly tyers and creators of a number of fly patterns including "Thunderhead" and "Adams Variant"
Cato Holler (NC) – fly tyer, and fly creator best known for the fly pattern "Infallible"; early advocate for stream management, founding director NC Trout Unlimited
Don & Dwight Howell (NC) - brothers known for custom tied flies and hand-crafted rods
Tom Landreth (GA) – outdoors artist known for watercolors of mountain streams and wildlife
Joe Manley (GA) – first chief forester, Great Smoky Mountains National Park; author Fishing in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park & Adjacent Waters
Joe Miller Messinger, Sr. (WVA) – legendary angler, fly tyer and fly creator known for the fly patterns "Bucktail Frog" and the "Irresistible"
Ray Mortensen (SC) – long-time Trout Unlimited grassroots activist; the TU Ray Mortensen Conversationist Award is the highest honor TU bestowed to an individual annually
William Murray (VA) – legendary angler, introduced smallmouth bass to the eastern slopes of the Virginia Appalachians
Thaddeus Norris, Jr. (VA) – pioneer in the evolution of fly fishing and the developer of the American split bamboo rod
Ernest Peckinpaugh (TN) – first to manufacture commercially-tied fishing lures
Tommy Reese (NC) – honored with the National Trout Conservationist of the Year Award, founding director Trout Unlimited NC
Newland "Zip" Sanders (NC) – fly tyer and fly creator; inventor of the "Sheep Fly"
George W. Snyder (KY) – reel maker known for the first American-made fishing reel in 1820: The Kentucky Reel
Stanley Tuttle (NC) – legendary angler, fly tyer and fly creator
George “Cap” Weise (NC) – legendary angler and fly tyer, first president of Trout Unlimited NC
Frank Young (NC) – legendary angler, "Son of the Smokies"
A hand-built McKenzie-style drift boat - The first built in the southeast and used for commercial guiding
A short video conversation with the late Cato Holler, a founder of the NC Council of Trout Unlimited, and an early advocate of stream management. He spins a few tales and demonstrates a proper catch and release. In addition to "A conversation with Cato Holler," other videos are featured in rotation, including a 1959 trout fishing trip in the Linville Gorge.
A fly fisherman’s gear: stream attire, landing and wading tools, and stream gadgets
"Evolution of the Fly Rod": showcasing 30 rods from the 19th and 20th centuries.
"Evolution of the Fly Reel": showcasing 27 reels from the 19th and 20th centuries.
Split cane rod making and building
Fully-equipped fly-tying desk, plus fly-tying video
Fly-tying tools and materials
Basic knots
Bill Everhardt’s Southern Appalachian flies
Dwight and Don Howell’s Southern Appalachian flies
Roger Lowe’s 101 Smoky Mountain flies
A collection of realistic flies, which artistically represent insects exactly
Locations of streams & rivers in the Southern Appalachians
Timeline of the evolution of fly fishing from 8000 BC with hooks carved from bone to present day.
Organizations using fly fishing to heal such as Project Healing Waters for recovering veterans, Casting for Hope for ovarian cancer patients and Casting for Recovery for breast cancer patients.