Guests have been traveling to Buddy Vines Fish Camp for more than 100 years

All in the Family

Since 1915, Buddy Vines Fish Camp gives families a place to reconnect along the Black Warrior River

PHOTOS COURTESY OF JOHN C. “BUDDY” VINES

It’s hard to beat a sunset on the Black Warrior River.

BY STEPHANIE GIBSON LEPORE

With more than 100 years in business—106 to be precise—sixth-generation owner John C. “Buddy” Vines says, “It’s our turn to take care of the property, and we are humbled by the responsibility.” “Our” is Buddy and his wife, Maria, who run Buddy Vines Fish Camp with occasional help from their daughters, Chelsea Lee and Tila. Buddy took over the family business more than 15 years ago. Here, about 25 minutes west of downtown Birmingham, the Vines family tends to an idyllic spread of riverfront punctuated with charming cottages, spaces for campers, and a 1,200-square-foot Camp House that’s perfect for gatherings large and small.

If the scene sounds Mayberry-like, that’s because it is. Since 1915, people have traveled to Buddy Vines Fish Camp for peaceful time on the water—swimming, fishing, boating—and relaxing with family and friends who, over the years, became family. That’s fitting for one of the oldest family businesses in the state, because guests have become family to the Vineses, too. “This business is our passion,” says Buddy. “We were raised right here along the river bank and maintain the property to a standard rarely seen today. Because our business is also our home, the integrity of our camp is never compromised, and the wholesome environment we’ve created for our children is the one we share with yours.”

The camp was founded by Buddy’s grandfather, John Aaron “Buddy” Vines, in 1915. According to the camp’s history, that same year the creation of Bankhead Lock and Dam made the Locust Fork branch of the Warrior River into the waterway it is today. Buddy’s grandfather, Papa Buddy, “thought a fishing camp would prosper on the new Bankhead Lake, and he was right,” says Buddy. His father, Charles Chelsea “Charlie,” was born later that year, “and so began our camp’s family legacy.”

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Soon, cabin construction began on the property. “By 1916, three two-room cabins were nestled along the river’s banks, and the cost to rent a cabin during the camp’s first year of operation was simply the price to construct it. My father told me it cost around $15 to build a cabin at that time,” says Buddy.

Back then, Papa Buddy and Daisy, his wife, lived on-site in a two-story heart-pine house that Buddy remembers as “The Big House.” Upstairs were living spaces and a wrap-around porch that looked out over the camp. Downstairs, a store was set up to sell tackle, soft drinks, candy, crackers, and those classic camp staples: Vienna sausages and sardines. “The top-selling beverages were Grapico, Upper Ten, and RC Cola,” says Buddy.

After the passing of Buddy’s grandparents, his father, Charlie, and Uncle Marlin took over until Marlin pursued other aspirations, leaving the camp solely in Charlie’s hands. He and wife Kathryn converted part of The Big House into a restaurant, which, sadly, burned to the ground the night before opening. Buddy credits locals and guests with helping the family to rebuild: “In the spring of 1970, we officially opened our doors again, serving fresh catfish dinners, steak, chicken, and hamburgers. We gained a renewed sense of community that is still felt in our camp today.”

Buddy shares this restaurant story on the camp’s website:

On one occasion, when the week’s fishing had been slow and the restaurant had been booming, we completely ran out of catfish. Only one table was left in the restaurant, and, of course, they ordered catfish. After our guests finished their salads, I heard my dad’s boat coming up the river as he was returning from running his trot lines. I raced down to meet him at the pier, and we hurriedly dressed several nice blue cats. My mother selected just enough for our guest’s meals, breaded them, and quickly dropped them into the hot peanut oil. After tasting their fish, one of the guests remarked, “Mr. Vines, these fish are delicious! Are they fresh?” My father, who’d just come in the door and hung up his hat, replied, “You have no idea, lady!”

Charlie later closed the restaurant, turning the building into a store and camp gathering space where the Vines family held Sunday morning Bible study on the porch for four decades. “Hearing the word of God while looking out

Live music brings guests out to mingle on the lawn around the camp.

over His creation is a memory I will always cherish,” says Buddy. The building now serves as the property’s Camp House, which plays host to parties, weddings, and other functions.

Though Charlie passed away in 1995 and Kathryn in 2014, today Buddy and Maria honor their legacy by giving the camp the same care and attention as their predecessors. Buddy spends most of his time maintaining the property to the Vines family standard, as well as keeping up the waterfront and upland areas. This fall, he plans to add more dry storage for boats. Guests come for one-month minimum stays in 12 cottages or at one of 17 mobile home rental spaces, and they mostly stay full. “Most of our tenants have had their cottages or camper sites for many years,” says Buddy. “We have very little turnover. The summers will always be our busiest times on the water, but fall gatherings centered around Alabama and Auburn games have become very popular as well.”

The guests come for the wholesome atmosphere the Vines family works hard to cultivate. They come for fellowship, like that at the camp’s covered-dish and live music Fourth of July celebration. They come to chill out, ride golf carts, and grill. “Children can play safely, and parents can relax,” says Buddy. “The environment here harkens back to the days of kids on bicycles, catching fireflies, listening to croaking frogs, and roasting marshmallows.”

They also come with their jet skis and boats to enjoy the water: “I bet I’ve had 100 folks tell me our boat ramp is the best one on the river!” says Buddy.

For more information, visit buddyvinescamp.com.