If anyone understands the power of water, it’s a fishing guide. But even the most experienced trout guides in the Southern Appalachians were astonished at the devastation wrought by Hurricane Helene. While the storm and its unparalleled flooding have led to an outpouring of aid and donations to support the area’s recovery, an effort is now underway to raise funds for direct grants to local fishing guides and outfitters, who are facing months of wrecked income and great uncertainty as the region rebuilds.
To help guides directly, the Blue Ridge Guide Association (BRGA) has started a Disaster Relief Fund, with 100 percent of donations going to guides, fly shops, and lodges affected by the stunning floods. Scores of fishing guides in Western North Carolina, East Tennessee, and portions of the high country in Georgia, South Carolina, and Virginia operate on the region’s creeks and rivers. As the storm immediately shut down fishing across much of the area, reserved trips were suddenly wiped off the calendar. Even accessing fishable waters remains challenging or impossible for many.
It’s been incredible to see the shipments of clothes, toilet paper, and propane coming into the mountains, says Jon Hooper, BRGA’s president and the general manager and head guide for South Holston River Lodge in East Tennessee. “But after a few days, we realized that what our industry professionals were going to need was assistance with loss of income. There were other avenues that were taking care of supplies and materials, which is wonderful, but nobody was doing this.”
To fill the gap, BRGA’s Disaster Relief Fund will operate in phases. The initial effort will get relief money out as quickly as possible, while a longer campaign will raise funds to help restore rivers that were scoured to the bedrock, choked with downed trees, and littered with debris.
But for now, the needs are dire. “The mortgages don’t stop, the car payments don’t stop, the boat loans don’t stop, and these guides still need to feed their families,” Hooper says. “When you have a sudden hard stop on all the trips on your books, all the money that was on the calendar is gone. That’s why we’re doing this. We need to help these guides be able to still be guides down the road.” Guides and shops do not need to be members of BRGA to qualify. “We want to help as many people as we can,” Hooper says.
If you’ve ever cast a fly to a Southern Appalachian trout, your life has been enriched by the South’s gorgeous waters and still-wild corners. Here’s your chance to give back. For information on donating to the fund, click here.
And here’s a bit of positive news, and another way to lend guides a hand: The Fly Fishing Film Tour stop in Elizabethton, Tennessee, has been rescheduled for December 14 and will raise funds for the BRGA and its initiatives. The tour brings fly-fishing films from around the globe, raffles, auctions, a cookout, and a bevy of local guides, all under the stars at the Stateline Drive-In theater. Tickets are available here.
