Sean
McKay Head Guide/ Owner
is
a West Tennessee native who grew up fishing for big Brownies on
the Little Red and White Rivers in Arkansas with his dad and brother.
After high-school, Sean moved to Missoula, MT, where he attended
the University of Montana and pursued a degree in Forestry. It
was while fishing the Bitterroot, Madison, and Clark Fork Rivers
that Sean realized that he had become an incurable Trout Bum and
would need to start looking for a job within the fishing industry.
His search led him to Knoxville, where he continued his studies
and began guiding at Blackberry Farm in Walland, TN. He was an
integral part of Blackberry's becoming the first Orvis Lodge of
the Year east of the Mississippi, and the first back-to-back winner
(2003-2004). He was eventually promoted to Program Supervisor,
responsible for the day-to-day operation of this world renowned
program.
After leaving Blackberry Farm in 2007 Sean continued to guide
independently before opening Smoky Mountain Troutfitters in 2009.
Sean is equally at home on a wide variety of waters. He is an
accomplished small-stream fisherman, tailwater guide, and he makes
an annual trip to the Bahamas in pursuit of bonefish and tarpon.
He lives in Maryville with his fiance Mandy and Labrador, Holston.
His other interests include home brewed beer, disc golf, and backpacking
and camping in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
