PHW at the Congressional Casting Call

Monday, 24 April 2006, was the 6th annual Congressional Casting Call at The Boathouse at Fletcher’s Cove on the Potomac River. Sponsored by the American Fly Fishing Tackle Association (AFFTA), the Casting Call gives fly fishing organizations, manufacturers, suppliers, and outfitters an opportunity to talk with senators and representatives and their staffers about issues affecting fly fishing and fisheries while they try their hands at shad fishing on the Potomac.

Project Healing Waters was invited by AFFTA to participate in the Casting Call to tell of its work with the wounded warriors at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and its plans to spread the program to other military and Dept. of Veterans Affairs hospitals around the country. PHW was represented by Ed Nicholson, Col. Bill Howard, Maj. Doug Matty, 1st Lt. Eivind Forseth, Sgt. Sean Locker, Vietnam veteran Bill Johnston, and John Colburn.

R. P. “Van” Van Gytenbeek, president and CEO of the Federation of Fly Fishers (FFF), spent a great deal of time with the PHW group learning of their work and plans for future expansion. FFF and the National Capital Chapter of Trout Unlimited (NCC-TU) are the major sponsors of Project Healing Waters.

Several of the PHW crew tried their luck at fly fishing for shad, guided by FFF and TU member Suzanne Malone and Jim LePage of Orvis. Unfortunately, due to the high and muddy water, the shad fishing experience was great, but no fish were caught.

John Coleburn