STEPHEN ROCKARTS
“Taking things for granted is how we lose what was once cherished. The Cahaba River is a critical artery to ‘America’s Amazon,’ supporting amazing biodiversity and providing drinking water for hundreds of thousands of Alabamians. I am determined not to take it for granted.”
STEPHEN ROCKARTS first fell in love with creeks and streams after canoeing upriver from one of his family cabins at Yellow Creek, a tributary of the Black Warrior River. At age 7, Stephen paddled up a tributary to Yellow Creek where he encountered clear water for the first time. He saw snapping turtle hatchlings swimming along the pebbled creek bottom as rays of sunshine pierced the water's surface. Stephen spent his childhood paddling and fishing the small streams, as well as a lake on his property. He fished mostly with worms harvested from a worm farm they had developed. Stephen turned to fly fishing in 2016, when he opened his own fly fishing guide service, Fly Fishing Alabama. He shares his love and passion for wild native fish and their habitats with others in hopes of creating other stewards. Stephen donates a percentage of all trips to the Cahaba River Keepers, who work to protect the river, home to 1 of 2 endemic Alabama species of redeye bass. His interest in NFC is driven by a desire to preserve our rivers and streams and the wild native fish that inhabit them. Stephen can be reached at Info@nativefishcoalition.org
