NCPI Workmark
Articles in regional publications that pertain to a wide range of North Carolina-related topics.

The Season of our Discontent

Record #:
43208
Author(s):
Abstract:
In this article the author is discussing his reputation of being called the “bowfin guy.” He discusses that in 2007 he had submitted his first of six different applications to the North Carolina Angler Recognition Program and in the end he was recognized as a “Master Angler.” In 2014 he was contacted by a TV producer for a reality TV show and later on he was awarded a grant to finish a book he was working on. In an attempt to be able to travel to other places to catch bowfin fish he used tournament fishing under the guise of research. The author considered this to be a failure because he spent the last three years traveling North Carolina but had not won any money from said completions. This lead to the author putting in more work during the years of 2016 and 2020 by going to tournaments in Texas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Louisiana and Arkansas. Through these competitions he was able to fund his “foolish idea.” The author talks about how in these other states he did not catch one Bowfin like he would have while in North Carolina. During the year of 2020 the author said that they were in a state of “panic” and “stubborn denial.” During this time he did not go to any out-of-state event but made the one exception for the KBF National Championship. The last part of the article the author discusses that he had finally caught a Tennessee River Bowfin which was the first he had caught while being outside of North Carolina.