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Fish Tales
Written By: Deena Bouknight | Issue: June 2023
If every dog has its day, it’s probably inevitable that Trout would have their event – Talking Trout is the 2023 Jan Wyatt Symposium at Canyon Kitchen in Lonesome Valley, Thursday, June 15.
There are plenty of fish tales out there.
But instead of embellishment and hyperbole-laden information about fishing, attendees to the will be provided with lots of helpful and factual information about the history and evolution of native trout and fly fishing in Western North Carolina. “Talking Trout” will take place on Thursday, June 15, 8:30 A.M. to 4:00 P.M., at Canyon Kitchen in Lonesome Valley,
A 2023 Jan Wyatt Symposium event, “Talking Trout” delivers answers to questions concerning local trout species and their future health and wellbeing. In fact, experts will address such queries as:
• Are brook trout native to local streams?
• What are the habitat requirements for
native trout species?
• Where are the trails to popular fishing
spots?
Speakers include naturalist/historian Dennis Chastain, outdoorsman Herman Walker, and Brookings Angler’s part owner Matt Canter; they will present the history of fly fishing as well as information about native trout and local river access. Lunch will feature guest speaker Sally Jennings Hudson, founder of Sunburst Trout Fish Hatchery.
Plenty of afternoon options offer participants hands-on experiences in tying flies, building and casting bamboo rods, and more, and a Speakers Round Table enables attendees an opportunity to glean in-depth information from Symposium guests.
“Talking Trout” is sponsored by Cashiers Historical Society, which, in 2005, presented the first Jan Wyatt Symposium as a way to preserve the history of Cashiers Valley through education. Featured topics over the years have ranged from historical figures to geological issues to cultural aspects of the region, such as traditional mountain music, heirloom gardens, and more.
Sandi Rogers, Cashiers Historical Society, explained that the Symposium is named after Jan Wyatt, who served as a past president of Cashiers Historical Society in 2004.
“She was a true visionary. The Symposium was named in her honor, for her endless hours of dedication and many visions she helped to implement as president,” said Rogers.
Wyatt died in April 2021.
For additional fish and fishing-related information, interested individuals can visit, from June 14 – June 24, an on-going Native Trout Exhibit located in the Zachary Tolbert House at Cashiers
Historical Society on Highway 107; this exhibit draws further attention to the historical significance of several trout species. For more detailed information and the schedule pertaining to “TalkingTrout,” visit cashiershistoricalsociety.org.
