New memoir chronicles outdoor adventures of late Tennessee businessman

For most people, accruing two or three truly story-worthy outdoor adventures over the course of their lifetime would be a stellar accomplishment. Charlie Tombras, a native of Knoxville, Tennessee, celebrated dozens, taking him within a hair’s breadth of losing his life to grizzly bears, Arctic storms, raging seas, sharks, and warfare.

Tombras’ knack for immersing himself in harrowing adventures and living to tell the tales had a lot to do with his absolute fearlessness as well as an unceasing drive to become the best at everything he did. He was also very lucky. He recounts moments of peril and joy in his memoir From Out of the Smokies: Stories of Fly Fishing and Life, published in August by The University of Tennessee Press. The release sadly occurred posthumously; Tombras, a successful retired advertising executive and Knoxville businessman, died July 2, 2025. He was 83.

Tombras had an appreciation for nature that spanned eight decades. He earned several world records in fly fishing, but his passion for the sport outweighed any chartable achievements. In From Out of the Smokies, the author’s fishing experiences impart inspirational and universal lessons in character, friendship, and loss. His writing imbues a deep sense of place.

“I couldn’t help but feel that Charlie had, in some way, visited the very place I hold in my heart—or perhaps one that mirrors it closely,” said Zak Lancaster, chief financial officer of Smokies Life and an avid fly fisher. “Places I hadn’t thought of in years came rushing back—those quiet bends in the river, trails that led to nowhere and everywhere, and hidden spots just off the road where time always seemed to slow down. Most of them involved a fly rod, moving water, and someone I cared about deeply.”

It all began in the Great Smoky Mountains. As a young boy, Tombras attended Camp LeConte in the Elkmont area of the national park, honed his skills as a fly fisher, and learned to cope with adversity from bears and inhospitable terrain.

“Like many locals from the area, Charlie recounts the joy he found learning to fish the remote streams in the park,” said Jerry DeWeese, a Smokies fly fisher for 30 years and a Smokies Life board member. “He shares the excitement of his first overnight fishing trip and the toil of getting to the seldomly fished creek. The reader feels the adventure and adrenaline as Charlie shares the story of his first fish. Likewise, his trips around the globe for the next big fish or world-record catch captivate.”

Before his world-traveling lifestyle, Tombras graduated from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and joined the Army, becoming a ranger during the Vietnam War. After recounting heroic stories of the war, he writes about coming home and restarting his civilian life.

Tombras excelled in his family’s advertising business, so much so that he could afford to test his limits as an outdoorsman in exotic places—from the most remote corners of Alaska to the hinterlands of South America—in endless pursuit of the wildest places and waters. He plied the oceans for world-record fish caught on lightweight tackle not unlike the flyrods he used on the Little River in the Smokies. Tombras faced down gigantic grizzly bears and endured Alaskan storms with the grit of a frontier fur trapper. In his personal life, Tombras faced challenges, too.

“Charlie faced personal hardships throughout his life that money could not remedy,” DeWeese said. “The loss of his first wife and his battle with leukemia led to years of reevaluation and reflection. His values shifted, and the reader can grasp that focus change and appreciate its impact.”

Tombras spent his last days on a ranch in Colorado with his second wife. His stories became more subdued as his body tired and more of his time was spent remembering his childhood days in the national park. He reminisced about childhood fishing holes and the simplicity of rural life near the park, and it brought him contentment.

The extensive time Tombras spent outdoors had a profound lifelong effect on him, as it can for many people who answer its call, Lancaster said. “I found myself following a man drawn to a place that seemed to hold his soul—somewhere that would always be near and dear to him. I think we all have a place like that. A corner of the world that, for reasons we can’t always explain, feels like home.”  

DeWeese echoed that sentiment. “His simple, humble upbringing near the Great Smoky Mountains National Park led Charlie on global adventures and, eventually, the memories of his early days are what brought him peace and joy.”

In an age when many young people may not have given much thought to partaking of the agonies and ecstasies of wilderness adventure, nor imagining their profound influence on self, this book is a welcome addition.

For information about and links to purchase From Out of the Smokies: Stories of Fly Fishing and Life by Charlie Tombras, check The University of Tennessee Press. The book is available in hardcover, paperback, and e-book formats.