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An Annual Affair
Written By: Deena Bouknight | Issue: May 2023
Though they’re in it for fun, most 3 Rivers Fly Fishing anglers are pretty serious about the stakes. For more information, visit 3riverflyfish.com, or contact Chris Wilkes at (828) 526-5298.
For 11 years, Atlanta-based Scott Offen has been teaming up annually with his long-time friend, Dennis Simeone of Canton, Georgia, to participate in the 3 Rivers Fly Fishing Festival. In 2021, the team won the event.
The 12th Annual 3 Rivers Fly Fishing Festival takes place this year during the weekend of May 4-6. Up to 50 teams fish within the boundary of 2,200 miles of fishable rivers in Western North Carolina to not only compete based on specific criteria, but also in an effort to raise money for the Town of Highlands Scholarship Fund for Highlands School graduates.
Guided and non-guided team competitions involve catching trout from one native river, one hatchery supported river, and one delayed-harvest river.
Offen, retired horticulture buyer, has been visiting the Plateau with his family for many years. And it’s his connection with the Wilkes family, owners of Highlands Hiker, that first piqued his interest in the tournament. While neither he nor Simeone, owner of a wholesale nursery in Jasper, Georgia, own a home in Highlands or Cashiers, they stay at a friend’s home during the tournament and sometimes bring friends and family members to be involved in some way in the weekend’s activities.
Shared Offen: “I’m one of these guys who started out as a bass fisherman and became interested in fly fishing in the mid-1990s. I’m self-taught and always learning. I’ve fished in Montana, lots of places in North Carolina, and in North Georgia. Participating in 3 Rivers is not only a great time of comradery, but it’s also rewarding when you come up with the right fly and determine the right spot.”
The top waterways that the Offen/Simeone team prefer are the East Fork of the French Broad River, the Tuckaseegee near Cullowhee, and the Davidson River.
“And then the tournament means that you can be totally removed from the stresses of life – just surrounded by natural beauty. And it’s great to see all the wonderful settings, even if you’re not successful.”
Chris Wilkes, an owner of Highland Hiker, which is one of the main sponsors of the event, explained that all proceeds from the $500 per two-person team entry fee benefits the school.
The festival schedule includes the 6:00 P.M. May 4 Opening Night Cocktail & Skills Competition, at which time the tournament’s rules will be addressed. On May 5, participants declare destinations and head to the rivers, but not before grabbing coffee and a bagged lunch. Saturday concludes with a 6:00 to 9:00 P.M. Awards Dinner and Auction.
