LENOIR, N.C. – Grassroots Appalachia has been selected to serve as an official satellite of the Fly Fishing Museum of the Southern Appalachians. It includes profiles of local fishing legends, books of fly fishing and fly tying, flies for sale and two fly rods and reels for display.
Alen D. Baker, founder of the Fly Fishing Museum of the Southern Appalachians, shares why he selected Grassroots Appalachia to host this history exhibit. “I appreciate this store and the Appalachia theme. We focused on the Southern Appalachians for the fly fishing museum to collect and recognize the rich history of fly fishing in our area. Grassroots Appalachia is a perfect place for an official Satellite Location of the museum. This store will share a local hint of our heritage in fly fishing which is but one of many stories to share about Appalachia.”
Baker is the author of Our Fly Fishing Heritage: The Making of the Fly Fishing Museum of the Southern Appalachians. He is also founder of the Cap Weise Fly Fishing Center, located on the Patterson School Campus in Happy Valley, N.C. He is a member of the Southern Fly Fishing Hall of Fame.
Local author Gretchen Griffith has collaborated with many of the region’s fishing legends. Among her books are Fly Fishermen of Caldwell County and Southern Fly Tyers by Ron Beane and Gretchen Griffith; and Fly Fishers of the Caldwell County Area, by Alen Baker and Gretchen Griffith.
Responding to the addition of the museum at Grassroots Appalachia, Griffith said, “In my years of collecting life stories from here in the Appalachians of western North Carolina, I have come to realize the importance of sharing our history with others. The rich culture we were handed by those who went before us is a gift we must cherish in these days of constant change. Those who fly fish, as well as those who tie the flies to fool the fish, have a connection to nature that few others have. Their stories found in this satellite museum at Grassroots Appalachia begin the conversation. It is up to us to continue it.”
We are doing so, particularly through the voices of the six legendary fly fishermen that constitute an oral history of fly fishing in Caldwell County and beyond. All have passed on, but their stories remain. They came of age during the Great Depression. While they may have thoroughly enjoyed fly fishing, it wasn’t a sport for them. It was survival. It put food on the table. That is just one of the aspects of our fly fishing history that we will exploring as our museum grows.
George “Cap” Weise served for several years as the Headmaster at Patterson School. He reportedly often fed the students with his catches from a day of fishing. As the story goes, he would fish the majority of the length of Wilson Creek in a single day, beginning before daylight and focusing on all the most productive pockets under darkness.
Newland Saunders was always tying flies and experimenting to create new fly patterns. In 1950, Newland created and was the first to tie the sheep fly. The fly imitation was smaller than the common horse fly, so he simply named it ‘sheep fly.’
A.J. Johnson, after soon moving to the area, soon met Cap Weise and began fishing Wilson Creek, the first stream to be secretly stocked with brown trout in North Carolina. A.J. fished for large brook trout in Garden Creek, a place known for illegal “liquor stills” and gun carrying protective locals with truck radiators in the creek for distillation.
Clark Cecil Harmon had as fishing partners Cap Weise and Ron Beane. He was a lover of the outdoors and was happiest in the mountains.
John Turner, growing up in hard depression times, developed his skills at hunting and fishing to supplement the family with food. He fished well over sixty years, into his late eighties, according to his son, Johnny Mack Turner.
Bill Barlow lost three fingers running a corn picker. Even though he lost his fingers, he could still tie flies with just his thumb and his little finger using his right hand, according to his son, Robert Barlow.
It addition to history boards and books, we also have fishing flies by David Anders for sale, another novelty or two, and antique Fly Fishing rods and reels on display.
Learn more about Grassroots Appalachia here, don’t forget that we have a Song Circle coming up Tuesday night, and learn about our next Art Exhibit, “The Spirit of Appalachia” here.
About Grassroots Appalachia
We believe Appalachia’s greatest resource is her people. Helping to create conditions favorable for community life is why Grassroots Appalachia exists. We work to connect and cultivate Appalachian people and traditions in Lenoir and beyond. We are located at 458-B Harper Avenue in Lenoir, N.C. Our normal business hours are Wednesday thru Saturday, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. and other times for events.
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© Michael M. Barrick, 2026
