CJ and his friend Steven cast drop their lines right off of this dock. They drive 20 minutes to fish here regularly and I met them while working with the Tennessee Aquarium. He is happy to talk to me and tells me about the types of fish here and asks where I am from and what I am doing in Chattanooga. Every minute or so I notice he glances away and I realize he’s keeping an eye on the 5 or 6 lines he has cast further out in the water.

He shows me a photo on this phone of a huge 45 pound catfish he recently caught. I ask what he did with it and he says that threw it back as it likely took years to get the large and he wouldn’t want to stop that. I thought of some of the places I have worked at and with and how processes and cultures develop over time and the impact of shifting that and recognizing the assets and history that are present.