This trip solidified why we do what we do.
This trip solidified why we donate adventures to the Veterans through The Fallen Outdoors.
It was a cool crisp 28 degrees Fahrenheit when we met at the launch that morning. Bill climbed into the boat and we started out. Now we had a four minute ride to get out of the no wake zone. Once we got past the edge of the no wake zone I dropped the throttle all the way down. After we were on plane and cruising at about 37 MPH, Bill turned and looked at me and said, You're Crazy. I just laughed and told him it'll all be worth it. We got to the first spot and I set the anchor. Bill proceeded to look for the non existent heater in the boat. I told him just wait the fishing will thaw him out. Within minutes of setting the lines Bill started reeling the blues in! We fished for a solid five hours just making minor adjustments of line positions. Poor Bill reeled in all 27 fish we caught that day. I thought he was gonna pass out on a couple of them. We ended up throwing seven back that were either too small or too big. Bill kept 20 of the catfish he caught. By the end of the trip Bill was happier than a five year old in a candy store.
Bill confessed to me that he had been feeling down and I was able to bring a spark of joy to his life. By the time we parted ways I knew this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I wanted to help spread the joy of fishing to everyone and assure them that no matter how life gets you down you can always rely on nature to help you reset and find your center. Fishing provides that escape from the daily grind and it can be done alone or with friends!
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