By Joe Woody
I’ve made a commitment. I will go fishing at least once a week for the rest of the year…or at least as long as the weather holds out.
Now you may be wondering, why would a publisher of a fishing magazine need to make a commitment to go fishing?
Well…let me answer that question by first stating that I love my job. I get to travel around the mountains of Western North Carolina talking to people about fishing and hiking…and kayaking and rafting…and lost streams and adventure. However, the day to day responsibilities of the magazine can make it tough to get out on a stream or a river or a lake. So believe it or not, I have to place fishing trips on my calendar, then make a commitment to actually go on that fishing trip. It’s a sacrifice, I know, but one I’m willing to make… you know, for research purposes.
So that’s how I ended up on a steep trail in the Linville Gorge last Thursday night. I’d just finished a three day business trip in Boone and Ashe County recruiting writers and selling ads when, low and behold, my calendar told me to go fishing… that was it. The little alarm on my smart phone said “Go Fishing”. So I obliged.
I didn’t really have a plan. I knew I needed to push myself a little but a quick glance at my waistline reminded me that I didn’t need to push myself too much. It’d been some time since I’d fished the Linville Gorge. I would be driving right through the Linville Falls Community, so that would be the place where I would go. I also knew of a very steep, but shorter, trail down to the river… I love how detailed plans come together.
So I found myself standing at the top of Piney Gap Trail at 7PM. I knew it would be a twenty to twenty five minute walk down to the river where I could fish for approximately 40 minutes. It would take me thirty minutes to walk back up the trail. If all went well, I would be standing beside my truck before dark with a few minutes to spare.
I stepped off down the trail already making up stories about the Large Browns and Smallmouths I would land in the 40 fishing minutes allotted. If you’ve ever been on the trails going down to the Linville, you know they can be steep, rocky and tight. Piney Gap fits this bill. Half way down, the hair on the back on my neck stood up. I knew I was not alone. Something was bird-dogging me. I could not see it but every so often, I would hear a sound. It was behind me so I did not want to go back up the trail. I kept moving down to the river.
When I reached the water, I quickly made it to the other side and placed myself high on a rock in an over watch position so I could get a good look at what I figured was following me down the trail. After a minute or two, a young bear walked out onto the riverbank following the trail I had just taken. He walked out into the middle of the river, stood up on his hind legs, and started looking for me. We made eye contact… I yelled at him and clapped my hands together hoping I could convince him to not follow me anymore. If you know bears, they are either ambivalent or scared… curious is not a good sign. My new bear friend did not run. He just walked across the river and onto the steep bank where he disappeared into the underbrush.
I quickly crossed back over the river to keep the water between us. I then retraced my steps back up the steep trail where I found myself standing beside my truck much quicker than I intended. It was kind of exciting. I’ve had plenty of bear encounters, but never one where the bear actually followed me. It was also sobering to realize that a bear had actually followed me. After some reflection, it seems more logical that the bear and I ended up on a trail at the exact same time going in the same direction and he was just trying to keep his distance from me. Which would strengthen the ambivalent bear theory… I hope that is what happened. Anyway you shake it, the Great Spirit allowed me to have an adventure that day.
I have to admit something. There is a part of this story that is untrue… I don’t have a calendar.
Joe Woody is Co-Publisher of The Angler Magazine WNC with his wife Debra. He is an Army Veteran and a self proclaimed “Adventure Angler”. You can usually find him wandering around Western North Carolina telling fishing lies. He is also a baseball nut and a crazy FCS Football fan. He has a Bigfoot magnet on the back of his truck.