By Joe Woody
I’m not sure when the fever took over. Could be, it was instilled early in my life while listening to my father and grandfather talk about trout fishing in the mountains of Western North Carolina, but that is not the fever I’m talking about. Back then, their idea of trout fishing was a can of corn… a lounge chair… a Zebco and a deep hole. I remember sitting in the same spot all day waiting for a trout to come by.
Don’t get me wrong… I loved doing that, but that type of fishing could at times be torture to a young boy full of energy. I remember thinking, “why don’t we walk to the next hole and try our luck there?” Even then, I was a hopeless explorer. The urgings of a young son to walk down the river fell on deaf ears. I now know it was because my grandfather was suffering from the initial stages of Parkinson’s. My father wanted me to experience fishing with him while I still could. After all, my Grandfather could catch fish in a mud puddle. His stories were rich… hilarious and peppered with a few too many expletives for my young ears to hear. They often involved the “bumblings” of his two fishing buddies… Ralph and Lee Roy. I could not get enough of them and would beg him to tell me the stories over and over. I knew I wanted to live that life. I wanted to experience what my grandfather experienced… and one day tell my own stories to my children, grandchildren or anyone that would listen.
My fishing stories took on a life of their own. They often involved walking long distances in order to catch small brook trout. I have very few other hobbies. Don’t take that as me being single minded and narrow in focus… I’m not. I love sports, especially when they involve the SOCON, the ACC or the Atlanta Braves. I love to play golf. However, if I have to make a choice, I will walk the 8-9 miles up Hazel Creek to where the Brookies come to play. It’s on those long walks where adventures happen. I have encounters with bears and coyotes. I track animals that aren’t “supposed to be there”. I catch large trout in small streams. I run into interesting people who have the same fever I do. I’ve broken bones and I I’ve run into serial killers. I’ve spent long nights in the rain without a shelter and on and on and on…
The fever… the adventures… all those small streams have led me here… The publisher of a fishing magazine. I don’t get to fish as much as I used to but I do get to meet interesting people and listen to stories that are rich, hilarious, and full of “bumbling fishing buddies”. I guess you could say, I’ve come full circle.
I know many of you reading this are full of the same stories I’m talking about. We are always looking for them. So if you feel inclined… type them out… write them on a napkin with a crayon and send them into us, we would love to publish them. Share your “fever” with the readers of The Angler Magazine Western North Carolina.
Joe Woody is Co-Publisher of The Angler Magazine WNC with his wife, Debra. Email him at woody@theanglermagazine.com or give him a call at 828-768-9663.