There will be a free casting clinic at Harris Lake this weekend.
The Three River Fly Fishing Festival and Tournament is celebrating its 10th Anniversary September 23-25 in Highlands.
The group anticipates this event to raise more funds than ever before for the Town of Highlands Scholarship Fund - approaching $100,000 in total over the years.
Thanks to the generous support of the community, the events are done at little to no cost. The teams each receive admittance to the opening night reception on Thursday at Lullwater House (sponsored by White Oak Realty), the Happy Hour Check-In on Friday at the Highlands Smokehouse, and the Saturday night finale catered by Midpoint and hosted by The High Dive.
“We are also excited to announce a new addition to our festival itinerary in partnership with the Highlands PAC,” Hilary Wilkes said. “The musical/comedy duo Trout Fishing in America is performing on Friday night tickets are available to the public starting at $30. All the proceeds go directly to the Town of Highlands Scholarship Fund.”
This fishing competition is open to men and women of all skill levels with more than 2,200 miles of public water available to fish. Each team will fish one native, one hatchery-supported, and one delayed-harvest stream.
Wilkes said the festival has grown exponentially over the last few years thanks to a committed group of individuals who have worked hard to bring in teams from all over the country.
“Most of our teams this year have fished before - we have a really high return rate,” Wilkes said. “Thanks to the generosity of the community, we have worked hard to make our events top quality, and also fun.”
Wilkes said the thing she is looking forward to the most is revisiting some highlights of past tournaments.
“I’m most looking forward to celebrating ten years of fishing for a cause and revisiting some of the highlights of past tournaments with our founders Eric Nesmith, Steve Perry and David Wilkes,” Wilkes said. “It’s been amazing to watch this event grow and there are lots of stories to tell.”
The reason it is one of Highlands largest events, Wilkes said is because of the community feel.
“This year’s event more than ever takes on a community-wide festival feel. For those that are not fishing, we hope they will attend the benefit performance of Trout Fishing in America at the Highlands PAC on Friday,” Wilkes said. “They are a hilarious comedy duo, and all ticket sales go directly to the Town of Highlands Scholarship Fund. For families and fishing novices, or for those that just want to come practice, we are also excited to host the free casting clinic at Harris Lake from 10 - 11:30 a.m. on Saturday. No equipment needed, rods and reels are provided by Highland Hiker.”
- By Christopher Smith