River of Love

At twenty years old, Patrick Sessoms started his own guiding business from the back of a pickup truck with nothing more than two fishing rods. “It doesn’t get more bootstrap than what we did,” he chuckled. Since then, business has grown. Today Patrick and his wife Meredith own Due South Outfitters, a fly shop and guide service for the Boone and Banner Elk area.

Both students from North Carolina State University and North Carolina natives, the husband and wife duo moved to Boone so Patrick could pursue his love of the outdoors. Where did this love first blossom? Boone, of course. “I spent my childhood summers here kinda bumming around the rivers and streams and fishing,” Patrick explained. “I’ve always really enjoyed teaching folks, and at the same time I’ve always loved the outdoors. And so in essence, guiding is a way for me to kind of manifest that love of teaching and love of the outdoors.”

Patrick is a full-time fishing guide, working in the field 200 days out of the season. Meredith books all of their trips, makes sure all guides show up where they need to be on time, does all inventory and payroll, and manages the entire business and marketing side of things. “While he’s guiding…” Meredith started, “…she runs the show,” Patrick finished. However, they both credit baby Ruth and doggy Gus as the true owners of Due South. 😉

The team regularly posts videos to their Youtube channel Wild Fly Productions to educate viewers on fishing gear and guiding tips. With over 6k subscribers, Patrick reviews products, gives tutorials, and captures the experience of fishing in the High Country.

We discussed the business community here and they both stated they feel Boone is something special. “There’s a lot more individual business owners in the Boone area than anywhere else I’ve ever been,” Meredith noted. “Every time you turn around and meet somebody, they’re like ‘Oh yeah, I own Peppers’ or ‘I own Local Lion’. There’s so many local businesses in Boone, which is what makes it such a unique spot.”

We couldn’t agree more. We are beyond lucky to have business owners such as Patrick and Meredith (and Ruth and Gus!) who appreciate the magic of our town, and want to share it with others.