Back to the Mountain Streams

I started fly fishing in 1989. Back then it was mountain streams and spring creeks in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.  One of my first instructors was Henry Williamson, a guide from North Georgia. He taught me to cast when my loops were the size of boulders. Henry, from Sky Valley, Ga. was born to be a guide. He likes a good cup of coffee and a good story to start his day. Usually, he always delivers both.
The first trip with Henry was with my dad, who had a mountain house up in Sylva, N.C. Back then, fly

Henry and Jimmy Carter

fishing was not as popular as it is today. A River Runs Through It, after all, had been released. Henry was one of the few guides in the Western N.C. area at the time. We found out about him through word of mouth. We were not disappointed. It's been almost 25 years since that trip and my father and I are going fishing again next week to celebrate his 70th birthday near Cashiers, N.C. Fittingly, Henry will be our guide.