Fishing Village and River Club

A couple of weeks ago as I was hurrying up to the DH on Wilson, I realized I had no food stuff to sustain me through 6 hours of fishing. I had noticed the transformation taking place at "the old campground store" at the entry way to the Pisgah. For at least 20 years and probably much longer, this area had been a campground. That's Appalachian term for a place where people of modest means have their second home, or travel trailer or tent as it be. But basically its private property on some body of water, where a group of people lease a spot of ground where they can erect or drag some type of living structure. They then come with family and friends during the scorching days of summer and find cool respite. The camp ground also provides amenities- a small store, picnic areas, and sometimes even water slides and some improvements to the "swimming hole". Such is or was the campground at the entry to the wilson creek gorge.

But things are a changing in these mountains. A few years ago I noticed that another "campground" further up the stream, one of decided ill repute and marked by a tattered rebel flag, had been completely torn down and refurbished to a more natural state- making lost canoers feel much safer I'm sure. So I think last year, I noticed a sign go up on the campground store, "Got flies"- that was interesting, since most of the wilson creek patrons don't care if the zipper in their cut-off blue jeans works or not. So on this hurried day with out food stocks I decided to stop in and see what was going on at the old camp store. The wooden trout over the door, orvis, simms and other logos plastered to the windows was only exceeded by the person inside. After years of chasing new waters, I've been in my share of little country stores all over Appalachia- I have never seen a fit, patagonia wearing, running shoe clad woman of 45 in such a store, let a lone running it. She gave me the low down. She and her husband were managing the place and turning it into a "fishing village and river club", complete with weekly stay cabins, private water here at the "village" as well as guided trips into the wild waters feeding this federally designated "wild and scenic river" as well as open fishing in the Delayed Harvest section. WOW. I was amazed. She was super nice and actually gave me a prepacked salad for lunch and showed me the petition they were taking to dissuade the county government from building a public park up in the DH section where the old mill structure sits. As I was leaving her husband drove up and explained to me more about the vision they have. I made the mistake of saying, "Yah, I was wondering what was going on with the campground"and he replied very seriously, "campground is a term we don't use around here." He invited me to come back and fish the private water where he has a variety of trout stocked- including cutthroat in some "very technical water". I don't know exactly what technical water is, but I think I will take him up on the offer the day after the DH ends and every cutoff wearing, egg piercing, meat head officially takes every trout out of the stream.

I don't usually like things to change. I'm not real crazy about all of the exclusive second home communities that until the economy stopped, where sprout up all around my stomping grounds. But I also must concede that the typical campgrounder and drunken wilson creek skinnydipper are not exactly my cup of tea. So, maybe I need to withhold judgement and see how this "fishing village and river club" works out.