Interview by Abernathy Cochran Realtor Ricky Lewallen
Meet Capt. Mack Farr! Capt. Mack is a fishing guide on Lake Lanier and has been for the last 35 years! Capt. Mack owns Captain Mack’s Charters and lives has lived in Buford for the last 20 years.
Capt. Mack is married two Lynne and the couple has two daughters, Corbin and Sarah; both are students at the University of Georgia.
Capt. Mack credits his success in his career from the support of his parents and says he fell in love with the sport at age 6.
“I still love it and I meet so many really nice people and most of my days are very pleasant on the water,” he said. “I meet good folks that become friends and still the most satisfying part of what I do is take somebody out, catch them a nice fish and hopefully build a family memory or memory with a friend.”
We want to thank Capt. Farr for taking time with us recently to tell us more about his life and love of Hall County.
Question: What in inspired you to start a guide service on Lake Lanier?
Answer: “I had loved to fish, ever since I was very young and I’m not sure where that came from because no one in my family really fished. I remember vividly the first fish that I caught in my life, I was fishing on a lake in the Greenville, S.C. area…I caught a bream that was about three inches long and that lit a fire in me that still burns today. I can’t explain it and I don’t understand it and don’t even try. At the time I thought it was the coolest thing I had ever seen and I still think that. I tried to read and learn everything I could. I’m grateful for two supporting parents but I remember I came out of school and got into the insurance business which I loved but I entered a tournament on Lake Lanier and finished second and won $5,000 and I resigned my job.”
Q: What has been your most interesting experience as a guide on Lake Lanier?
A: “The experience I get is that I’m still learning and there’s still a lot to learn because the sport has evolved. The lake has changed dramatically since I started. This is how long that I’ve been fishing, we call it BS ‘before stripers,’ people think of this as the striper lake and people don’t realize that stripers were introduced to the lake in the 1970s. We didn’t become a viable striper fishery until the mid-80s and it progressed from there.”
Q: Who is the most interesting person that you’ve met in Hall County?
A: “I’m met a lot of people in boating…Reggie Weaver, who used to be a biologist that has passed away now, a good Christian guy that actually introduced stripers into Lake Lanier when he worked with DNR and by doing so he opened up the door to myself and other people and it really helped our careers.”
Q: If you could travel any where in the world right now, where would you go?
A: “Alaska, just because as a fisherman and outdoorsman that’s a fabulous environment and so different from what I experience here. Just the wildlife and terrain. A second destination would be Costa Rica for the same thing but the other extreme and fishing opportunities in both places would be off the chain.”
Q: What is your favorite movie?
A: “I’m probably going to go with ‘Old Man in the Sea.'”
Q: What advice would you give a crowd of people?
A: “Life’s really short and I teach my kids this and it may sound silly but ‘if you’re not having fun, what are you having?’ Find your passion and follow it.”
Q: What is something on your bucket list?
A: “I’ve always wanted to hike the Appalachian Trail from start to finish. That’s a rigorous, physical thing. If you talk to people that have completed that journey, they talk about the personal growth they got out of it.”
Q: What are your three favorite bands?
A: “The Who, Rolling Stones and Led Zepplin. I’m a rock ‘n’ roll fishing guide.”
Q: Choosing anyone alive and a non-relative who would you have lunch with and where would you go?
A: “I would pick Gov. Nathan Deal…Longstreet Cafe, they do a great job over there.”
Q: What is your favorite thing about Hall County?
A: “I love the area and the lake and I think it’s a really good place if you are an outdoorsman. We have great fisheries and we have good hunting, the foothills of the mountains, it’s pretty and really unique environment and the outdoor opportunities that come with the lake and surrounding areas.”
Q: Where do you see yourself in five to 10 years?
A: “I will still be fishing. We might take it down a notch, I really enjoy what I do and if I could retire I’m not sure if I would ever totally retire…I would see myself going into a part time mode and do more recreational fishing somewhere that you can get salty, maybe the Georgia coast.”
Q: What is one thing that most people don’t know about you?
A: “I’m an avid runner.”
Q: What three words mean “HOME” to you?
A: “Comfort, Security, Peace.”

The Faces of Hall County is a project to showcase the amazing people that live or work in our community. If you would like to nominate an interesting person to be featured please email babernathy@gonorton.com.