Chapter Mission

The MISSION of the Mountain Bridge Chapter of Trout Unlimited (MBTU) parallels the Trout Unlimited mission but is focused on upstate South Carolina, specifically: "To conserve, protect, and restore South Carolina’s trout fisheries and their watersheds (and on a selective basis, those of western North Carolina) through chapter and member activities, advocacies and common goals."

In addition, our VISION reflects our mission, which is: "To ensure that robust populations of native and wild coldwater fish continue to thrive within their original South Carolina range, so that our descendants can enjoy healthy fisheries in their home waters." All our efforts and activities are ultimately directed toward our belief in these tenets.

The Mountain Bridge Chapter is the original South Carolina chapter of Trout Unlimited founded and headquartered in Greenville in 1974. It was founded by Bob Martin, Jerry Alexander, Larry Vickery and others with the initial effort to facilitate the transfer of private property of Jones Gap to the State of South Carolina - now Jones Gap State Park. A few years later, MBTU members helped to start the Saluda River Chapter in Columbia, SC, and later, the Chattooga River Chapter in Clemson, SC. These three chapters, along with at-large members in the lower and coastal regions, make up the South Carolina Trout Unlimited State Council and comprise over 1,600 members.

Our MBTU chapter currently has over 600 members primarily from upstate South Carolina’s greater Greenville-Spartanburg area and extending over to the Rock Hill area. Our members cover all adult ages, are both male and female, and come from all walks of life, socio-economic status, and interests. We all share the same passion to preserve, protect and restore cold water fisheries and to spend time together fly fishing for trout in those cold rivers and streams of South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, and beyond. We meet monthly featuring a speaker with specific expertise and experience on various areas of our interests in trout and trout fishing, conservation, and community service. Additionally, we have chapter outings at popular regional fishing streams during the spring and fall, along with other scheduled social and conservation activities. There is much more information about us and our activities on this web site.