WFS 372 – Fly Fishing Tennessee with Seth Fields – Tennessee Tarpon, Hatch Outfitters

Show Notes: wetflyswing.com/372

Presented By: FishHound Expeditions, Zoe Angling Group, Country Financial, Range Meal Bars

Sponsors: wetflyswing.com/sponsors

Seth Fields, owner of The Hatch Outfitters, is here to walk us through the diversity of Tennessee fly fishing. We chat about some of the species they target around the Chattanooga area – trout, smallmouth bass, Tennessee tarpon, gar, and more.

Seth tells us how he started writing articles for some of the well-known magazines around like American Angler, Gray’s Sporting Journal, and Fly Tyer Magazine. We also find out what they have going at the fly shop – Oyster Roast and Casting Competition, Fly Tying Nights, and the 24/7 beer bar!

Fly Fishing Tennessee Show Notes with Seth Fields

03:00 – Seth is a product of the movie, A River Runs Through It. His father is an avid outdoorsman and he later found out that his great-grandfather is a fly fisherman.

07:30 – Seth and his family now live in Chattanooga. It’s been their dream to live there.

20:30 – Hatch Outfitters is the only fly shop in Chattanooga

21:30 – Seth used to be a Graphic Designer and then started contributing to magazines like American Angler, Gray’s Sporting Journal, and Fly Tyer Magazine – he wrote articles, ran their websites and social media, etc.

23:15 – He became an Editor for the Angling Report publication

26:45 – In May 2020, Seth bought Hatch Outfitters fly shop

37:00 – The local streams in Chattanooga are their first option for trout – North Chickamauga Creek and Big Soddy

40:00 – Hiwassee River and Elk River are about an hour away from Chattanooga

42:00 – Seth targets muskies from Fall to Winter until early Spring – around November to May

45:50 – Seth talks about hooking people up with some excellent local guides in the area

51:15 – He uses a Hog Island skiff boat

57:00 – Seth talks about fishing for buffalo fish that looks like carp but they’re a native species

1:02:00 – Seth is also a huge gar guy

1:04:00 – I mentioned one of our past episodes with Jon Morris at WFS 361 where we focused on gar fishing

1:10:00 – They have an event coming up on October 22, 2022 – Oyster Roast & Casting Competition

1:11:00 – He talks about the Tennessee tarpon – it’s the nickname of Skipjack Herring

1:15:25 – We had Tim Landwehr on the podcast in episode 273 where we talked about sight fishing for smallmouth bass. Tim’s operation guides on the river that Seth’s cabin is on.

1:25:30 – They have a beer bar at the shop

Show Notes: wetflyswing.com/372