PATRICK HUNTER
about highway 22 outdoors
Patrick Hunter is the founder of Highway 22 Outdoors. He started fly fishing in college, and during his sophomore year at Clemson University, he took a fly fishing leisure skill class and over the course of the semester learned to cast a fly rod and tie flies. He started fly fishing for trout, then quickly moved to striped bass on Lake Hartwell. He’s a civil/environmental engineer by trade, and would spend most of his day working inside but dreaming of being outside. Patrick is an avid outdoorsman and enjoys hunting, fishing, camping, photography and recently outdoor writing.
Highway 22 Outdoors started because Patrick wanted a place to share and post his hobbies and passions. He lives in Conway SC, and Highway 22 is the road he takes when he leaves his house to go hunting or fishing. He feels the name is representative of the journey. For Patrick, being an outdoorsman is not just about the act of hunting or fishing, but the journey to get there.
WHY DO YOU TIE?
I got into fly tying while taking that class in college. I was an engineering major, and tying flies became my stress relief. I would watch YouTube videos and read books on how to tie flies for everything from trout to tarpon. Tying is my favorite part of fly fishing. Fooling a fish by perfectly mimicking a prey with a fly that you tied. It's another element of the chase that makes the connection to the fish that much more special.
what ARE YOU THROWING?
I have one of my Fly Caddy XL’s loaded down with topwater flies for bass and panfish. I fish the Kermit Popper a lot on the golf course ponds near my house in the evenings. It slides and pops, and I love to watch bass blow up on it. My other XL is loaded with striped bass and smallmouth flies. I fish the EZ Shad on a full sink line in the current for big stripers, and will switch over the Jiggy-Craw on a floating line for smallmouth.
