Recently, Charlotte Magazine stopped by Jesse Brown’s Outdoors to chat with Wes Lawson, General Manager, to discuss an article they were writing on a certain special hobby which rapidly became of interest during the lockdowns and stay-at-home orders over the last year: fishing.
Just today, May 18th, 2021, the article was published and released, and we think it reads incredibly well, giving insight into this pastime, hobby, sport, and passion!
Titled, Hooked: A Wave of New, Young Fishing Enthusiasts May Outlast the Pandemic, the author dives into the discovery of this sport among locals, how Jesse Brown’s Outdoors has assisted and welcomed beginners into the sport, and of course where and how to fish in and around Charlotte.
Quoted below is an excerpt of the article:
“At Jesse Brown’s Outdoors in SouthPark, general manager Wes Lawson and his staff would normally outfit families for spring break trips to the Bahamas or Belize. But since last March, they’ve had trouble keeping up with the demand for fishing gear. “The business definitely took a hit, but fly-fishing carried the ball further down the field for us,” he says. “We’d sell out of waders a week after we’d get them in. It brought new energy into the store.”
“They also saw a surge in guided fishing trips to nearby destinations like Davidson River and Mitchell River. The full-day trips, designed for one or two anglers, meet streamside for a day of casting instruction, water reading, entomology, and hook setting. The cost is $300 for one angler, $375 for two, and includes lunch and all gear for the day. Lawson says customers rarely flinch at the expense of the trip or splurging on a $250 pair of waders if the cheaper ones were out of stock. “When we realized we’d be in this for a while, people started committing, buying waders, rods, and more gear,” he says. “Now they identify as anglers.”
Read the full article here on Charlotte Magazine’s website, or in-print wherever local publications are sold.
