Angler
Austin Shoemaker is from Canton, North Carolina. He started fishing when he was three years old, and switched to fly fishing at the age of eleven when his grandfather taught him how to fly fish for trout on the Raven Fork in Cherokee, North Carolina. He has always been competitive and wanted to test his skills against other elite anglers in his area; so he started competing individually in 2016 and joined Team Dead Drift in 2018. He really enjoys competitive fly fishing because it allows him to be part of a team, learn from other elite anglers, and spend time with people who share the same passion for competing. He has also made some really good friends through competitive angling, and I enjoys the team camaraderie. Throughout his career as a competitive angler, he has been fortunate enough to earn the title of “Top Rod” on Team Dead Drift three times. He was also fortunate to place first in the Southeast Fly-Fishing League individually in 2022. His biggest accomplishment came this year when he fulfilled his lifelong dream of making Fly Fishing Team USA. Outside of competing he is a professional fly fishing guide of eleven years. For the last three years, he has been guiding through Rivers Edge Outfitters in Cherokee, North Carolina. His favorite part of guiding is seeing how happy people are when they catch a fish for the first time. He also loves seeing returning clients become better anglers by practicing the techniques he’s taught them. He feels very fortunate to have a career he’s passionate about.
If you would like to book a trip with Austin, you can contact River’s Edge Outfitters in Cherokee, North Carolina at 828-497-9300, or on their website at www.wncfishing.com.
Social media handle: @austin_272
