Fisherman's Catch: Serving Burke County fresh seafoood for over four decades

After 42 years of bringing fresh seafood to Burke County, Greg McGimsey can rightfully say that his business, Fisherman’s Catch, is a regional staple in the seafood industry.

Yet his introduction to the seafood business had a less than auspicious beginning.

LOST AT SEA

The year was 1981 and the Burke County native had just graduated from Mars Hill University. McGimsey met a fella who convinced him to join him on a shrimping excursion off the Gulf Coast for the summer. The final destination was Texas, with a stopover in Fort Myers Beach, Fla., near Sanibel Island.

The young fisherman got more than he bargained for. McGimsey fell overboard off the coast of Texas, 50 miles from the shore in the wee hours of the morning.

McGimsey, a trained Water Safety Instructor (WSI), was stranded for about two and a half hours in the middle of the water, waiting for the boat’s crew to realize he had fallen overboard. He used his survival-floating skills until the captain rescued him the next morning.

“The captain is the head of the ship; he’s also responsible for the crew,” McGimsey said.

On one of his last trips to Sanibel Island, McGimsey caught a batch of fish and asked the rigman if he could take them home, but the rigman refused, demanding half.

“Well, I caught it,” McGimsey said, reliving the story. He insisted he was entitled to the fish he caught. Despite the rigman’s objections, McGimsey took the entire batch home to Morganton.

“I had a first beginning of selling fish that morning,” McGimsey laughed.

WHOLESALE AND RETAIL

Initially, McGimsey only planned to sell seafood temporarily. Long term, he planned to get into the insurance business or go back to school.

As an act of rebellion, McGimsey made a call to everyone he knew through his parents, specifically at Mimosa Hills Golf Club, and sold fish to all of his parents’ friends.

“They hated that,” McGimsey said with a playful chuckle.

Although McGimsey’s gesture may have gotten under his parents’ skin, he admits he enjoyed the seafood business.

“I liked being in the fish business. I liked being around the seafood and the people,” McGimsey affirmed.

McGimsey went on to open one of the first restaurants to offer fresh fish. Captain Pete’s on Independence Boulevard in Charlotte was his first business venture.

“I started one of the most famous restaurants, one of the first to have fresh fish on the menu,” McGimsey said. Eventually, he sold the business and set his sights on a location on East Union Street that he would use as his first wholesale location.

FISHERMAN’S CATCH, INC.

Initially named Direct Seafood, McGimsey rebranded the company in 1982 and incorporated it as Fisherman’s Catch, Inc.

The Fisherman’s Catch enterprise has a wholesale distribution location on East Fleming Drive and a retail location on North Green Street.

On East Fleming Drive, trucks come in and out for deliveries every week. Trucks head to resort locations supplying Grandfather Mountain, Eseeola Lodge in Linville, Stonewalls in Banner Elk, and Twigs Restaurant and Bar in Blowing Rock. The company also participates in a weekly farmers market on Thursdays in Blowing Rock.

Fisherman’s Catch offers over 150 products including fresh fish, shrimp, live lobsters, live oysters, clams, frozen fish, and more. According to McGimsey, the most popular item is fresh salmon.

Fisherman’s Catch has provided seafood to several restaurants in the Burke area including Root & Vine, Market on Main in Hickory, Bones Jones, Abele’s Family Restaurant, Harbor Inn (now Casa de Mexico), and Carbon City Grill.

McGimsey sources fish from Blackburn Brothers Seafood in Carolina Beach, Murray L. Nixon Fishery in Edenton, and locations outside North Carolina such as north Virginia, Miami, and Louisiana. McGimsey gives products a 10-day shelf life to sustain freshness before freezing or discarding.

McGimsey prides himself on the company’s quality, price, and ability to outlast competitors. He describes himself as a conservative entrepreneur who caters to his market, enabling him to stay in business when others, even those with millions of dollars in revenue, have folded. Poseidon Seafood of Charlotte filed for bankruptcy about 15 years ago; McGimsey also pointed to Nestle Cove and Dover Bay Seafood as examples.

When asked what’s next for Fisherman’s Catch, McGimsey is ready to pass the baton. In the next three years, McGimsey hopes to retire, but he’s determined to ensure Fisherman’s Catch continues to thrive under the right stewardship.

“I want to retire and put this baby in someone else’s care,” McGimsey said.

“It’s not going to be a business to just sell off for the money. It’ll be a business that promotes prosperity with restaurants, they’re doing well with a product, they like my business, they like my seafood, and my transportation modes,” McGimsey assured. He owns refrigerated/freezer trucks and trailers to deliver his product.

“If I ever retire, people will know this business when they come in here to buy it, and they will accept the fact that I’ve got clients that have to be taken care of ... If they do not do that, I will not let them have it.”