Jim Casada is a son of the Smokies who was born in Sylva but grew up and cut his sporting teeth in Bryson City, NC. He lives in Rock Hill, SC and says that “a corner of my heart” still belongs to the high country. He is married to Ann Fox, who does not fish but has joined him on many back country trips. Their daughter, Natasha, does fly fish and has journeyed to western waters with Jim. He has a B. A. in history from King University, an M. A. in history from Virginia Tech, and a Ph. D. in British imperial history from Vanderbilt. He taught history (1971-1996) and coached soccer (1975-1986) at Winthrop University, where he won numerous excellence in teaching awards before retiring to be a full-time freelance writer and photographer. While at Winthrop he wrote more than a hundred scholarly articles and five books, was recognized as the institution’s Distinguished Professor in 1983, and served two terms as graduate faculty chairman. For many years he taught fly fishing, backpacking, and nature writing through the University of Tennessee’s Smoky Mountain Field School. He is a past president of the SC Outdoor Press Association, the Southeastern Outdoor Press Association (SEOPA), and the Outdoor Writers Association of America. Jim is the recipient of more than 170 regional and national awards for writing and photography. He was the 2006 recipient of SEOPA’s Tom Rollins Award for outstanding service, the National Wild Turkey Federation’s 2007 Communicator of the Year, and in 2011 was recognized as a “Wild Turkey Legend” in the collectible calls series from Close Calls.
He is a life member of TU, an honorary life member of the International Federation of Fly Fishermen, and recipient of its Arnold Gingrich Memorial Award for contributions to the literature of the sport. Jim was a founding board member of the Professional Outdoor Media Association. He is the author of more than 4,500 magazine and newspaper articles on fishing, hunting, conservation, and natural history. His has written or edited more than 40 books in these fields and on sporting history. They include Modern Fly Fishing (1993), Beginner’s Guide to Fly Fishing (2006), and Fly Fishing in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park: An Insider’s Guide to a Pursuit of Passion (2009). Jim has provided forewords or introductions for scores of books and is a popular seminar speaker on fly fishing and turkey hunting. He serves as Editor-at-Large and Books columnist for Sporting Classics magazine and has held masthead positions with several other publications. He is a regular contributor to regional and national magazines and has credits in publications such as Trout, Turkey Country, Outdoor Life, Sports Afield, The Fly-Fisher, South Carolina Wildlife, and dozens of others. He writes weekly columns for two newspapers, The Smoky Mountain Times (Bryson City)and The Herald (Rock Hill).
Jim caught his first trout on a fly at the age of nine and, while largely self-taught, was greatly influenced by his father and a number of other legendary Smokies’ anglers. His favorite fishing focuses on WNC, particularly Park streams and the Nantahala Gorge. His most memorable days include his first limit of trout on Indian Creek, a 200-trout day on Montana’s Sheep Creek, and a magical outing for specks in the Pisgah National Forest.
Jim Casada — Inducted in 2016 in the Communications category as the author of numerous outdoor publications and as a seminar speaker who has shared a lifetime of experience with us all.
