Segment 3, February 10th, 2024

Many call Bryson City, NC, the Fly Fishing Capitol of the south. With 4 different rivers running into the area as well as Fontana lake, there’s no better place to spend a day wading than Swain County. However, since 2019 there is more to do in Bryson City than just fly fish. The Fly Fishing Museum of the Southern Appalachians now plays host to an aquarium where you can view more than 50 species of freshwater fish, without the hassle of catching them first! Today, we take a closer look at what it took to bring the museum together, and what keeps people coming back.

Alen Baker is the founder of The Fly Fishing Museum of the Southern Appalachians. Alen also helped rejuvenate the Rocky River Trout Unlimited Chapter in Charlotte, and recently joined Bill Bartee, host of the Carolina Outdoors to speak about the founding, development and history of the Museum and Aquarium in Bryson City.

Things You’ll Learn by Listening:

Show Highlights:

• History of Fly Fishing– dating back to 10,000 BCE
  
• Regionality of Fly Fishing and what makes it special in the Southeast
  
• Potential development of a new museum in the western part of the country
  
• Baker has contributed all this to fly fishing in his retirement, after 34 years at Duke Energy
  
• Baker’s Foundation of the Rocky River Chapter of Trout Unlimited, and joining the Hall of Fame
  
• What makes Bryson City so special for fly fishing
  

The Carolina Outdoors is powered by the local, independent fly shop, Jesse Brown’s.