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Taylor LeBlanc leads fly fishing tours in the Upstate as a guide for Mt. Yonder Fly Fishing.
Photo by Matthew Franklin Carter
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LeBlanc is known to drop a line in the Reedy River in downtown Greenville on a lunch break and keeps a compact rod under the driver’s seat of his car, just in case he stumbles upon a good fishing spot.
Photo by Matthew Franklin Carter
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On his first largemouth bass fishing trip of the year, LeBlanc helped a client land an 11-pounder.
Photo by Matthew Franklin Carter
Taylor LeBlanc
Age: 33.
Resides in: Travelers Rest.
Claim to fame: As a fishing guide for Mt. Yonder Fly Fishing, LeBlanc has landed his customers on big fish. LeBlanc is known to fish in downtown Greenville’s Reedy River during his lunch breaks.
Best catch: LeBlanc made a last cast one day when his 6-month-old daughter, who had come alongside his wife, needed to go home. It was worth it—he landed a 10-pound largemouth bass.
Co-op connection: Grew up as a member of Laurens Electric Cooperative.
Stepping out for his lunch break, rod in hand, Taylor LeBlanc goes to fish in spots few anglers attempt. Along downtown Greenville’s Reedy River, LeBlanc hunts his favorite species, largemouth bass. He prefers to fish a stretch near the city’s famous waterfall, with lightweight tackle.
LeBlanc’s fishing spots are unique but effective. The largest of the largemouth he’s snagged on the Reedy weighed about 6 pounds—not a bad catch.
“At first it was, ‘Go have fun pulling a few fish during lunch.’ And then it turned into ‘Hey, there’s some nice fish in here,’” LeBlanc says.
LeBlanc got hooked on fishing as a kid in Louisiana. There, he fished for redfish and speckled trout in the state’s coastal marshes. South Carolina’s largemouth bass, LeBlanc says, compares to the fight of a redfish.
“Once a largemouth gets over about 5, 6 pounds, they’ll really put up a good fight. And that’s really what I love,” he says.
Rather than traveling to large lakes, such as Lake Hartwell, LeBlanc sticks to smaller waters. He keeps a compact rod under the driver’s seat of his car, just in case he stumbles upon a spot.
“What I’ve found is a lot of the local lakes, the water is clear, so I can sight fish for them. That’s generally how I like to do it, being able to really hunt the fish,” LeBlanc says.
LeBlanc doesn’t only catch fish; he helps to conserve them. He’s on the board of South Carolina’s chapter of the Native Fish Coalition, an organization that protects and restores native fish species. He’s also a former vice president of Greenville’s Trout Unlimited chapter, a similar organization focused on trout populations.
He also offers his expertise as a fishing guide for Mt. Yonder Fly Fishing. In his first largemouth trip of the year, LeBlanc helped his client land an 11-pounder.
“To put somebody on an 11-pound bass out the gate was an incredible feeling of validation that it could be done and that it’s something I can take people to do,” LeBlanc says.
Find out how to book a tour with LeBlanc or other Mt. Yonder fishing guides by visiting mtyonder.com or calling (864) 816-0506.