Fontana Lake Charter Boat Service

FONTANA LAKE

CHARTER BOAT SERVICE

Open Year Round Monday - Saturday

Captain “Wolf” Dean grew up fishing in the Gulf of Mexico before serving 8 years in the US Navy. When his hitch was up, he left the US Navy to seek his Business Degree. His last duty station was in California, so instead of returning home, he stayed there and entered Berkeley University. When not studying, “Wolf” spent all his spare time fishing in the Pacific Ocean, and in the lakes of northern California.

“It’s always been a part of my life, the water, the wind, the freedom… It calls me.”

“Wolf” yearned to be back on the deck of a ship, so he accepted a job on the Mississippi River working as a deck hand and deck engineer where he worked both the Upper Locks and Dams, and the lower runs to New Orleans.

An injury forced Captain Dean to seek a job that was easier on his body, so he moved to Cherokee, North Carolina, and got hooked...err hitched.

“I was out a fishin’ for trout on the Oconaluftee one day, this was a few months after I moved to Cherokee, when I got hooked by the purtiest dark haired Indian woman I had ever laid eyes on. She didn’t believe in catch and release…” (That’s his story, and he sticks to it! )

Captain Dean married his Indian maiden, and told her of his dream to open a charter boat company on Fontana Lake… one day. His wife was very enthusiastic about the idea, and together they worked to save up the money to make the dream a reality. Finally that day arrived, but the dream had to be postponed once again. Captain Dean had continued to serve his country by joining the North Carolina Army National Guard, and unexpectedly, his unit was called up to prepare for the Iraqi War.

Captain Dean served in Baghdad as a Military Policeman during Operation Enduring Freedom, and Operation Iraqi Freedom. In August 2003, he was injured during a night combat mission in Baghdad, and sustained multiple injuries. Some of the injuries were apparent, and some where not.

“They wouldn’t send me out of country for tests because my injuries weren’t life threatening. Instead, they just kept shooting Cortisone in me to keep me going, and when it got real bad, they’d give me a few weeks of light duty… Somehow I made it through the whole tour.”

Captain Dean is now a Disabled American Veteran, but with the help of his loving wife, they have made their dream a reality. Fontana Lake Charter Boat Service is open for business.

“I just want to thank everyone who helped me through the tough times of recovery, especially my brave wife. Without her and all of you… well you know. You gave me the confidence to keep going on. You supported me while I was in Iraq, and when I returned home. You have helped me to get on with my life, and to return to my passion. Thank You.”

Captain Dean has navigated and fished the waters of Fontana Lake for many years. He is certified in CPR, First Aid, and AED by the Emergency First Response Corp., and successfully completed the examination requirements for Operator of Un-inspected Passenger Vessel License for the Great Lakes, Inland, and Near Coastal Operations.

Captain “Wolf” Dean

Aboard

The Dani Jo

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