Folks travel from all around the world to Northeast Tennessee to fish the South Holston and Watauga Rivers. Fly-fishing combines a skillful practice with the healing elements of nature. For some, the legacy of fishing carries over for generations. Plan your fishing trip to Northeast Tennessee this spring!
A Legacy
Pam Dean has been fishing since she was four years old. Her father started her off with a “cane pole,” a fishing pole made of sugar cane with a string and single hook tied to the end. This is somewhat of a southern tradition. “I think for me it was just something that came natural to me,” Pam said, “Cause to be four years old, my parents made a joke that I heard the rest of my life, if you want a babysitter for Pam just put a pole in her hand.” Pam would spend hours fishing on the docks and grew up with a love for sitting by the water.
Fisherwoman
When asked what she would like to be called, as someone who has spent a lifetime with a love for fishing, she replied, “It would be a tie between fisher and fisherwoman, I mean I’m not a man, so obviously fisherwoman.” Pam has fished in competitive environments, as well as oceans, lakes, and rivers across the United States.
Generations
As Pam’s passion for fishing grew over the years, so did the relationship with her three sons. She raised her three boys and shared her enjoyment of fishing with them. Pam taught her son, Taylor, how to fish at age three, starting him a year younger than she had. “I think everybody is born with natural curiosity or talent,” said Taylor, “and so that natural curiosity was met with instruction (referring to his mother).” Pam said that fishing has created a bond between her three boys that continues to keep them connected through the years. “Of all the boys, Taylor is the most advanced fisherman,” she said.
Bristol, Tennessee
Taylor grew his love of fishing into a guided fly fishing business, River Run Angling, based in Bristol, Northeast Tennessee. He takes guests down the South Holston and Watauga rivers fishing for brown and rainbow trout. “I absolutely love these rivers, the clarity and the temperature of the water, the beauty, and the mountains,” Pam said, “The South Holston is a very safe river to get on, with the rainbow and brown trout, along with the challenge of catching these smart fish.”
Wildlife in Nature
On the banks of these rivers, you find eagles, otters, and other serene creatures. The wildlife, scenery, and the healing components of nature in the Appalachian Mountains is plentiful. Taylor takes guests out on the rivers in Northeast Tennessee to share a peaceful and rejuvenating experience. “There’s a little bit of healing in every stretch of water that goes down this river,” he said, “Your body needs to feel the water, your brain needs to see it.” Fishing and eco-tours along the South Holston and Watauga Rivers are a great way to experience the peaceful feeling that comes from being outdoors.
A Lifeline
“As children grow and they move away and they get older, fishing is something that has kept us connected,” Pam said. Taylor is now a father himself and took his daughter, Cooper, on her first river float at 6 months old. He plans to teach her to fish as soon as she can hold a rod, continuing his mother’s legacy.
Pam said she feels a great sense of pride to see her son carry out the generational tradition of fishing, and that in some ways, it has had a healing experience in all of their lives. “There’s a peace that comes from getting to stand on the banks with your son and cast,” she said.
Pam and Taylor continue to this day to connect through the sport of fishing. “The full circle of mine and her story was that she may have been the first one to put a rod in my hand, but I was the first person to ever put a fly rod in her hand,” Taylor said.
There’s More Up Here!
Plan your spring adventure hiking three of Northeast Tennessee’s Best Waterfalls!
