My buddy and I stopped in Boone for a couple nights on the way down to GSMNP
back in June 2000. We mostly stopped to drink beer and check out the town,
but we drove around and found two flyshops - one in town and then
Appalachian Anglers. We talked fishing for a few minutes, explained our
situation, and asked for some recommendations. The guy at the flyshop
downtown was cute and evasive, pretty much of a prick, the guys at
Appalachian Anglers pulled out maps, drew up stools behind the counter, and
we proceeded to have a great conversation. Then some guy pulled up in a
Vanagon, you could tell he pretty much lived in the van and fished, and he
came in to talk. My buddy and I made a point of buying some stuff we didn't
exactly need (a hat, a chest pack, a bunch of flies, etc.), and the couple
streams they put us on provided us with non-stop, small to medium-sized,
non-selective trout. Just what we asked for. It's a great place and they
were super hospitable, it was a great balance of comfortably talking for a
while and then getting pretty much perfect dope.