Up-Close Outfitters LLC Information

Up-Close Outfitters, LLC is a hunting and fishing guide service offering unmatched, guided trips to hunt national forest land and to fish lakes and streams in Western North and South Carolina lakes. We strive to provide the most diverse and knowledgeable outdoor adventures available. Whether fly fishing for wild brook trout, fighting Striped bass up from 50 feet of water, or calling wild turkeys off the roost, we will outperform any other guide business on customer satisfaction and attention to detail. Up-Close Outfitters, LLC respects the outdoors and enthusiastically adventures onto the water or into the woods at every opportunity. When we are not guiding we are making user-friendly maps of the area's lakes and forests with the latest mapping technology and in the field GPS. We also attend outdoor shows, enter fishing tournaments, and film fishing and hunting videos. We are proud supporters of conservation and encourage catch-and-release; however we understand if a few fish are kept for a family fish fry! Remember, we set an example of stewardship for generations to come. Our head guide, Captain Frank Askew, grew up hunting and fishing in Eastern North Carolina. He began his career fishing offshore charter boats and then started fishing commercially on his own, now he owns a successful guide business in up-state SC and western NC. Over the years, he honed his fishing techniques competing in big and small game tournaments. In 2000, Captain Askew moved to the North Carolina Mountains, where he diversified his skill set to include mountain stream and lake fishing and focused his energy on learning techniques for hunting deer and wild turkeys in the rugged mountain terrain. He earned two bachelor's degrees in geography and cartography from Appalachian State University, with a concentration in applying Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology to map patterns for hunting and fishing game species. He then earned his captain's license in 2008. Captain Askew spends most of his days on the water or in the woods striving to continually improve his techniques and provide a better experience for his clients. Up-Close is a fully insured and licensed guide service, carrying special use permits to guide in both the Pisgah National Forest and Nantahala National Forest. With knowledge of and access to more waters and forests than any other outfitter in the state, the challenge is deciding which outdoor adventure to pick. All of our guides are licensed through the North Carolina and South Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and are certified in first aid and CPR. If any questions arise, please feel free to call us. We can recommend a certain lake due to conditions and time of the year. Our friendly staff will describe our packages in more detail and suggest the package that best fits your group. We have expertise in all aspects of hunting and fishing, and our customer satisfaction is of the utmost importance.