H. Clay Aalders taught himself how to fly-fish almost 20 years ago on his Uncle’s bass pond in Ohio. After graduating from Kenyon College, Clay worked at an outfitting shop in Cleveland while guiding for steelhead trout on the Lake Erie tributaries in Ohio and Pennsylvania. Following graduate school, he moved to Idaho where he built Hyde Drift Boats and guided on the South Fork of the Snake River.
Clay now lives in Knoxville with his wife Niki, newborn-daughter Emery, and their Labrador – Billie Holiday. He opened Smoky Mountain Gilles in 2007. He is a graduate of an Orvis Endorsed Guide School in Colorado and has over a decade of guiding experience.
Clay is an Orvis Endorsed Fly-Fishing Guide. All Orvis Endorsed (ELOG) fly-fishing operations represent The Orvis Company’s high standards of Experience, Professionalism and Service and are reviewed on a yearly basis. For information on the Orvis ELOG program, click here. Additionally, Clay is a member of the Hyde Drift Boat Pro-Team
Other guides you may be working with include Sean McKay, and Tim Doyle. All of our guides have many years of experience serving clients and providing exciting and safe fishing trips. Your satisfaction is of utmost importance to us and we will strive to provide you with memories that you will treasure for a lifetime.
Check out Clay’s website at www.smokymountaingillies.com
