New Book on Fishing in the Park

[JohnH0802]

Jim,
Just got my copy of your book in when I got home from work yesterday evening. My son had soccer practice, so I have not gotten to spend as much time with the book as I would have liked, but I am already impressed.

Thanks,

JohnH0802

[Rebelsoul]

I read it every night along with a map of the park...it's a great book,one I know I'm going to use as a reference for years to come.
Thanks again Jim,I also watched your interview on the tv show that's linked from your website,it's good to see you talk and I also learned that I was pronouncing your last name wrong....I said Cuh-sah-duh,it made you sound Eye-tal-yun.....
Rick

[Jim Casada]

Rick--Thanks, and my name gets mispronounced pretty much on a daily basis. It sounds Italian or Latino, but the family roots are Scotch-Irish. Since you listened to me talk you have to realize I'm as much a product of the mountains as a mess of ramps or poke sallet--plenty of formal education did absolutely nothing to change my mountain accent, something for which I'm thankful.
Jim Casada
www.jimcasadaoutdoors.com

[WNCFLY]

Jim, is this book available in any stores in the Asheville area? I would like to pick up one before the weekend as a gift. Thanks

[Jim Casada]

Originally Posted by WNCFLY

Jim, is this book available in any stores in the Asheville area? I would like to pick up one before the weekend as a gift. Thanks

WNCFly--No, the only place the book is presently available, other than through my web site, is at Little River Outfitters. It will eventually be available through other outlets including book stores and purveyors of fly-fishing equipment.

The explanation is pretty simple. I wanted to more or less exhaust the market I could reach directly (I get all of the sales income from those sales) before beginning to wholesale it to other outlets.

Byron and Paula were the sole exception for a very good reason--they were extremely helpful and encouraging in the "lead up" to the book actually appearing in print.

I will be doing a bunch of signings in coming weeks, including a couple in WNC. You can learn about those on my website, www.jimcasadaoutdoors.com

[Jim Casada]

Originally Posted by WNCFLY

I will admit that I have been against these guide books and have said so many times on here. I have also spoke out against open information sharing on the site, especially when it refers to specks. With that being said I have been reading Jim's book and I am hooked. Its a great read and I really enjoy the history aspect in it. I have a special place in my heart for these streams because my dad and grandpa have fished them their entire life. I believe thats why I get upset when "guide" books are written all the time about them. With Mr Cassada's book I didn't feel the same because it was more about the history and life of the streams than just telling some outsider how to find specks. I am impressed to say the least MR Cassada. Good work.

WNCFly--Some of the thoughts in your post go right to the heart of things I agonized over as I prepared the book. Like you, I'm blessed to have had a father and grandfather who fished Park waters (and pre-Park waters too, for that matter). Grandpa, in particular, was loathe to reveal much of anything in the way of favorite fishing holes. "A man's got to have some secrets," he was fond of saying.

In the final analysis I did reveal some secrets, in fact all of them I was aware of to at least a certain degree. But my larger purpose was to give the reader something beyond hard information in the form of an appreciation for the Park's lure, lore, and legacies, all the while attempting to evoke something of a sense of place and a "feel" for the many and varied wonders which make fishing the Park so special.

Thanks for your kind words, and I suspect we are pretty much kindred souls when it comes to our perspective on these storied waters.

Jim Casada

www.jimcasadaoutdoors.com

[Jim Casada]

To all who have followed this thread--First of all, thanks to you for the generally warm receiption accorded my book. I put a lot of my heart and soul into it and I hope that it shows in some small degree.

If you've read it you will soon realize I have a keen interest in the history which surrounds places in the Park and the people who once lived there. I have an equally strong, indeed if possible stronger, interest in those who have figured prominently in the evolution of fly fishing in the Park. I devote considerable attention to old-timers who called these storied waters home in the book, but I also realize I've done little more than explore the tailings of a veritable gold mine of information.

With that by way of an introduction, I have a request. I would appreciate it if forum members could point me in the direction of old-timers, especially those who tied flies but just simple fishermen as well, who really knew the Park and spent a great deal of time there. I'm particularly interested in deceased individuals--folks like Fred and Allene Hall, Frank Young, Mark Cathey, and others I mention--but would also like to learn of living legends.

Someday I hope to do a book dealing with several aspects of the Park's history--great hikers and their books, the folks who had to leave and those few (like the Walker sisters and some in Cataloochee) who stayed, pioneers like George Masa and Horace Kephart, and a section on fishermen and fly tiers.
Any help would be much appreciated.

Jim Casada

www.jimcasadaoutdoors.com

[AKSkim]

Mr. Casada:


I received my hard copy of your book, thank you very much for the inscription.

The first thing I noticed when I opened the box was the weight of the book, high quality pages that you don't see very much any more.

Even though I have had it only a couple of days I have not been able to put it down.

I found Appendix 3 by Don Casada very unique and very informative.


Again thank you.

Dennis