On the Blue Ridge
On the Blue Ridge features conversations with people shaping the Blue Ridge Mountains. Hosted by Asheville-based journalist Jon Page, the show explores the ideas, creativity, and vision driving Western North Carolina forward.
Through long-form interviews and on-location storytelling, each episode captures the evolving story of these mountains. The conversations focus on people doing meaningful and inspiring work across the region, from conservation and outdoor recreation to the arts, agriculture, food and beverage, entrepreneurship, and beyond.
On the Blue Ridge
Mike McKearin on Fishing, Family, and Designing the GoReel
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
Mike McKearin is the co-owner of Crystal Creek Gear, a Pisgah Forest, North Carolina-based company creating minimalist fishing gear designed to fit in your pocket.
Mike and his wife, Susie, started Crystal Creek Gear after years of getting their four kids outside in Western North Carolina. What began as a family project, with early GoReel prototypes built on a 3D printer in their garage and tested by their kids on local ponds, rivers, and trails, eventually grew into a business.
The GoReel itself is simple: a compact hand reel with no rod and no moving parts. It’s designed for the kind of moments when you’re hiking, biking, camping, or playing by the river and want fishing to be easy enough to bring along.
In this episode, Mike talks about his earliest memories of fishing; falling in love with the mountains after coming to Brevard College; the early garage prototypes of the GoReel; what it was like turning a family project into a business; and more.
Crystal Creek Gear
crystalcreekgear.com
Theme Music
The song "Goa" was written by Lyndsay Pruett and performed by the Jon Stickley Trio.