Little River Outfitters - Fly Fishing in the Great Smoky Mountains

Walter Babb
Walter has been fly fishing in the Smokies for over 50 years. He has been a professional fly tyer almost that long. He has fly fished for trout all over the country using techniques and skills of the highest level. Walter is an instructor and guide at Little River Outfitters. He teaches beginner fly fishing, beginner, advanced and intermediate fly tying. He is also a bamboo rod maker. Walter will be tying proven trout patterns. Walter is a graduate of the Joan Wulff Instructors School in Roscoe, New York.

Byron Begley
Byron and his wife Paula own Little River Outfitters. Byron began fly fishing and tying flies when he was eleven years old. He has fished for trout throughout the Eastern United States and in the Western States. He enjoys saltwater fly fishing and catching bass and bluegill. Byron is a graduate of the Joan Wulff Instructors School. He teaches specialty fly tying.

Paula Begley
Paula and her husband own Little River Outfitters. She has fly fished since 1991. She began teaching beginner fly fishing students in 1998. To prepare for teaching she attended three of Joan Wulff’s schools in New York. In fact, Paula structured our beginner classes to be similar to Joan’s because they work so well. Paula enjoys fly fishing for trout, salmon and all saltwater species including tarpon, redfish, and bonefish.

Dean Campbell
Dean grew up in Waynesville, NC, where he fished the streams of the Smokies at every opportunity. He started learning to tie flies at age 10, from his uncle Ralph Mills. He moved to Knoxville in 1979, a began to take advantage of all the warm water fishing opportunities that TVA has provided for the area. His favorite is catching stripers on a fly rod, below Melton Hill and Ft. Loudon dams. He has landed over 600 stripers on a fly. He has demonstrated tying and conducted tying workshops at TU functions and FFF conclaves in numerous states, including twice at the International FFF Conclaves. he was awarded Fly Tyer of the year for the Southeastern Council of FFF in 2001, appeared on Fly Fish TV demonstrating his unique foam poppers in 2004, and had one of his original patterns published in Patterns of the Masters.

Brad Cook
Dr. Brad Cook is an Associate professor of Biology at Tennessee Technological University. Dr. Cook holds a Ph.D. in Zoology from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale and he specializes in fisheries and aquatic ecology. Much of Dr. Cook’s research has been performed on streams in middle and east Tennessee, with several projects relating to trout in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. He has been at Tennessee Tech since 1993 and has enjoyed fly fishing many streams and tailwaters in Tennessee during his free time. These experiences have shown him the important link between his professional interests and his love for the sport of fly fishing. Brad teaches our Aquatic Entomology for Anglers Class.

Brian Courtney
Brian is a longtime member of the Little River Outfitters family. The Clinch River is near Brian’s home so he fishes there often but he also likes the small streams of the Smokies and spends lots of time on them as well. He fishes in the Eastern US for trout from Tennessee through Virginia, Pennsylvania and the Catskills of New York. Brian likes the challenge of spring creeks in the Summer when terrestrials are working. He teaches Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced and Terrestrial Fly Tying Classes at Little River Outfitters.

Tee Culp
Tee teaches Beginner Fly Fishing at the school. She is also an excellent technical caster. She likes to fish Tailwaters in East Tennessee and the Smokies. She has also fished throughout the East and Western United States, in Canada and South America. She is an avid wingshooter,skeet shooter and hiker. Tee is a graduate of the Joan Wulff Instructor School.