Well, since Bob's broached the topic, I'll lay out the advantages of Townsend:
1. Variety of lodging: hotels/RV Parks/Campgrounds both inside and outside the GSMNP. They can be as "spendy" as you want (e.g. The Inn at Blackberry Farms) or $20 bucks a night or so if you stay at an developed campground in the Park. (Of course, if you're set up for primitive camping,you can literally stay for free at the Backcountry Campsites in the Park.)
2. Meeting Place: Little River Outfitters has rooms upstairs we could probably use as a "club-house," as well as a nice casting area behind the shop. I think a (possible) central location--as well as a place to come out of the rain--will really help folks interact.
3. Fishing options: Waters in the Park range from "big water" (by Eastern standards) that hold smallies and big browns to spring creeks (E.g. Abrams in the Cove) to backcountry brookie streams.
4. "Family Considerations": While Townsend bills itself as the "Quiet Side of the Smokies," Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg aren't too far away in case non-fishing spouses want to do the boutique/outlet mall thing.
The major drawback of Townsend--and it's not insignificant-- is that the end of October is "high season" tourist-wise, but that would probably be true of anywhere in the Mountain South.
As I mentioned before, I'm willing--indeed, eager
--to see other parts of the country, but the "infrastructure" here might be tough to beat.
Jon