Ian & Charity Rutter, R & R Fly Fishing

Townsend, TN
866.766.5935

Ian has been fly fishing non-stop since the early 1990’s. He scheduled his classes around fishing while at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. Ian graduated with a Bachelor of Science in 1994 and began guiding fly fishers in 1995. He is among the most sought after fly fishing guides in the Southeast and is on the pro staffs of both Scott Fly Rods and Hyde Drift Boats.

Ian is equally comfortable guiding on the streams of the Smoky Mountains and the large tailwaters of East Tennesse and Western North Carolina. He wrote Great Smoky Mountains National Park Angler’s Companion, Tennessee Trout Waters: Blue Ribbon Guide, and Rise Rings and Rhododendron: Fly Fishing the Mountain Streams and Tailwaters of Southern Appalachia.

While Ian has logged countless hours on the water in Tennessee and North Carolina he spends a good deal of time fly fishing in the Rocky Mountains every year. He also makes regular trips to saltwater destinations like Florida and Belize for bonefish, tarpon, permit, and redfish.

Charity is a native Oklahoman and moved to Townsend in 1998. She met Ian and took up fly fishing a short time after. Charity was captivated by the sport and essentially fished non-stop in her first few years. She has been guiding since 2002 and maintains a busy guide calendar March through November. In 2014 Charity was recognized by Field & Stream magazine as on of the top female fly fishing guides in the nation. Charity is a pro staff member for Scott Fly Rods and Hyde Drift Boats. In addition to fishing all over the Southeast and parts of the West, she is addicted to saltwater flats fishing, especially tarpon.

Charity holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Graphic Design and operates her own design business, Charity Designs. The few times she’s not on the water, she designs logos, brochures and other print materials. Her skills are evident in the graphic design of Great Smoky Mountains National Park Angler’s Companion, Tennessee Trout Waters, and Rise Rings & Rhododendron.

"The first drift boat I ever rowed was a Hyde, I was so impressed with how easily I could maneuver and control it. The boat moved across the water with such ease and didn’t take as much muscle as one might expect. I love the storage in our Hyde – my clients have plenty of space for their extra gear and cameras in addition to my life jackets, camp table, chairs and rod tubes. The carbon fiber oars are just awesome, they are so much easier to use than the heavy wooden oars I’ve used in other boats. By fishing from our Hyde, I’m able to chunk big streamers and reach parts of the river I could never access on foot."

- Ian & Charity Rutter, R & R Fly Fishing