Walter Babb was born in Lenoir City, Tennessee, and lives in Sweetwater, Tennessee. He is the originator of the Smoky Mountain Candy, a Wulff-like fly pattern that is highly effective in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Walter is a well-established, nationally recognized fly tier. Babb has been tying flies and fishing the Smokies for 50 years. He has tied flies professionally for nearly 40 years. He teaches fly fishing classes and fly tying classes at Little River Outfitters. He is an accomplished bamboo rod maker with a backlog of orders from customers and 285 bamboo fly rods delivered to date.
Walter was inducted into the Crafts category in 2023 as a professional fly tier who is widely recognized for sharing a lifetime of knowledge and experience as a fly rod builder, fly tyer, Smokies fly pattern historian, and dedicated fly fisher.