Greg Dawsey is the Reason We Travel to Fish
When I bought a fishing trip to Louisiana’s Grosse Savanne at the 2018 Bass Fishing Hall of Fame induction banquet, I was all-in on the fishing. People including James Overstreet and Keith Combs and Mark Zona had told me that it was off the charts good, and that turned out to be 100% accurate. But on our 2019 trip it was more than that – it was the food and the setting and the people of South Louisiana, one in particular, who made it exceptional.
We didn’t know Greg Dawsey before we got in his truck that first morning, but by the time we got the boat launched it was like we’d known him forever. We were immediately cutting up and had a great time, with the situation enhanced by the fact that even in subpar conditions the bass were chewing the paint off of our lures. His winning personality made the trip.
While there are many downsides to the prevalence of social media, one of the huge advantages is that it allows us to maintain friendships of all types, at any distance. Over the past five years, we’ve watched the news both good and bad out of Lake Charles, and we’ve watched Greg’s success, and his young son’s growth, via the lens of Facebook. Every once in a while we’ll exchange “likes” or messages, but that’s about it.
While I’m sure that the other hunting guides at Grosse Savanne are great, when we bought an alligator hunt at last year’s BFHOF auction, I was hoping that we’d get to go into the backwaters with Greg. The fishing is great, but the gator hunting was a more uniquely Louisiana experience (and far outside of our wheelhouse) and I wanted his insights, stories and knowledge. We were thrilled to be paired with him, and literally the moment we saw him we reconnected as if we’d never missed a beat. I got a big smile, Hanna got a big hug and we picked up where we’d left off.
My only regret is that the morning of hunting – which produced eight gators, far more than I’d expected – went by so quickly. We were on the water around 6 and done before 10, so even with the rides to and from the lodge, we didn’t get the full Greg experience. That means we’ll have to go back. You should, too.
While I consider myself a loner and an introvert, I’ve come to realize that the fishing part of our trips is only a small part of what makes them so exceptional. I wouldn’t have admitted that 10 years ago, when I was so focused on the next bite that nothing else mattered, but while I still remember individual fish, it’s the people who turn a great fishing trip into an epic one. That goes for Greg Dawsey in Louisiana. It also goes for Velther Alvarenga in Guatemala. And Rylie Booth (formerly Lyon) in Alaska. And of course Clement Zomba in Zambia, who we haven’t seen since 2016, but whose catch phrases, fish sense and winning attitude made our tiger fishing excursions remarkable. There’s nothing wrong with guides, captains and mates who don’t originally hail from the fishery where they work, but there’s something super-special about going out with someone who has the local water running through his or her veins. Furthermore, we’ve had great days on the water with guides for whom the task is “just a job,” but the best ones are appreciative of every day on the water.
Greg Dawsey is that guy. He’s South Louisiana to the core, a product of boudin and crawfish and words that end in “-eaux.” We’ll be back to Grosse Savanne for a number of reasons, but most of all to absorb some of his reverence for his marshy home turf and passion for the game.
