By Meredith Sessoms
As I’m entering my 3rd trimester of my first pregnancy, I often wonder, will the sport and outdoors oriented lifestyle that I love so much live on for fellow generations? How can I, along with my fellow outdoor enthusiast friends, help my daughter and future generations grow to love this sport that I am so passionate about?
I currently play two roles in the angling community – I am the owner of Due South Outfitters fly shop and guide service, along with being the President of the local Trout Unlimited chapter. Each day, we work to, not only teach current anglers new tricks of fly fishing, but also introduce novice anglers to the sport. It is absolutely imperative for business owners like myself, and anglers alike, to work ardently toward ensuring that there will be a “next generation” of anglers.
I frequently cross paths with youth, or first time anglers, that are simply enthralled with the sport of fly fishing. Unfortunately, they sometimes resonate stories of curmudgeons both in the industry or simply out on the water, that don’t embrace new anglers. Without a question, we as anglers, sportsmen, and outdoor enthusiasts must establish a policy of embracing new members into our community. Lets not forget, the majority of the American population now lives in urban areas, and a staggering number of Americans simply cannot unplug from laptops, cell phones, or televisions long enough to enjoy a day outdoors.
I am writing this excerpt with a plea- If you are an angler, hunter, sportsman or outdoor aficionado, please make sure that your actions do nothing but encourage more members to join into our family of outdoors-people . While it may be a bit annoying to have a new angler unknowingly walk through your favorite fishing spot, lets not forget- we all started somewhere. Lets work together as a community to kindly educate and welcome new members into the outdoor sports that we all cherish- after all, no fly fishing video game will ever be able to take the place of a day on the water.
Meredith Sessoms and her husband, Patrick, own Due South Outfitters fly shop and fly fishing guide service located in Boone, NC. They are Boone’s only Trout Unlimited Endorsed fly shop and guide service and also were recipients of the 2017 Blue Ridge Outdoor’s Best of the Blue Ridge Fly Fishing Outfitter award. In their spare time, they enjoy hiking with their two black labs, Mae and Gus.
