PacBay hosts Project Healing Waters Fly Rod Building Workshop

May 24, 2019

10 regional Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing (PHWFF) volunteers descended upon Sequem, Washington to attend a fly rod building workshop hosted by Pac Bay from May 2-6 2019.

After some flight delays, all the volunteers made their way to Seattle and immediately started to bond, this makes life for a trip leader feel like a proud parent. As usual I was the last to arrive. Once introductions were made we made our way to the rental van, and trekked the almost 3 hours to Sequem. Room assignments were made, and shortly after we all shared a meal together, and then called it a night in anticipation for what lay ahead.

The first day at Pac Bay was spent understanding how rod blanks are made and how each of those blanks works under load, i.e., flex and power. The remainder was spent picking from a 5 or 8 weight fly rod blank, and assembling a completed rod from gluing up the reel seat and cork grip, to attaching guides, all in time to take their completed master pieces home Monday morning. Day two we were in the final stretch finishing up attaching our guides in preparation for the epoxy finish. On day three Scott showed us how to apply the epoxy, and after that it was game on to finish in time to pick our master pieces to travel home with us the next morning, everyone finished ahead of schedule, and this allowed us to take field trip to Olympic National Park, and just relax.

These trips are bittersweet, as you spend 4 days with complete strangers, but yet become friends, hoping some day your paths will cross again. Thanks to Jan, Leslie, Jim, Jim, Paul, Kevin, Richard, Brian and Tony

The purpose of this workshop will allow the volunteers to go back to their respective programs and guide other volunteers and veterans in building their very own master piece. Thanks to Scott and Damon from Pac Bay for their generous hospitality, and to our pro rod builders Eric and Paul Gomez from Leviathan Rods, and Tony Makris from Semper Fly Rods for you PATIENCE and guidance.

L-R: Jim Johnson, Kevin LaGoo, Paul Wilson, Jan Bates, Richard Pike, Larry Braswell, Leslie Masters, Brain Burris, Jim Rohn, Tony Escalona. Photo by Martha Pike

Cork Reaming- Jan Bates, Leslie Masters and Tony Makris

Jan Bates and Leslie Masters

Richard Pike gettin his reaming done

Tony watching the cork dust fly in the dirty room

Richard admiring is handy work

Leslie Masters getting pointers from Paul Gomez and Jan deciding where we will eat dinner

Kevin did you mix 5 or 15 minute epoxy

Jim applying epoxy to his wraps

The master keeping a watchful eye on his pupil

Jim and Tony

Our foody applying epoxy

Your doing it wrong

Scott showing us how it is done

The Project Healing Waters Walter Reed Program recognizes three of their own (and welcomes a special guest!)

February 13, 2019

Photos by Julie Keene and Larry Braswell

Julie Keene the Deputy Regional Coordinator for the National Capital Region, George Gaines and I visited the Walter Reed Program this past Saturday where they presented three of there members with awards. Valerie Takesue received Volunteer of The Year, Benjamin Lawless received Participant of the Year, and Paul Williams was recognized for his support of the program.

Walter Reed also welcomed Joe Pacacha. Joe who is known by some as the godfather of bamboo. Joe traveled from Hunker, Pennsylvania to help out the participants with their rod building, providing valuable tips on how to find the spline of each blank, proper guide placement, and getting their wraps to look right. All of the participants greatly appreciated Joe’s advice.

Joe also supports Project Healing Waters during the annual All Bamboo Event held in Weikert Pennsylvania on Penn’s Creek. Joe provides each veteran participant who attends with an heirloom bamboo rod to use during the event, and to take home with them as a memento.

Thanks to all the participants and volunteers for a warm welcome, donuts and pizza.

If you are veteran, or, you just want to volunteer with the Walter Reed Program, contact Al Warner and follow them on Facebook

It’s All Adding Up for the Frederick, MD Project Healing Waters Program

January 28, 2019

“I have been participating in the program for 3 months and noticed your volunteers’ passion for sharing their knowledge of the sport is overwhelming. Words won’t do it to describe the appreciation and excitement we feel, can’t wait to get on the water. Thank you.” – SFC Paul Kelly USA (Retired)

Julie Keene the DRC for the National Capitol Region and I visited the Frederick, MD program on Tuesday January 22, where that program added two new veteran participants, Ray and Rick to their ranks bringing the program to 8 participants. The Frederick Program is the newest in the region and has only met 3 times up to this evening, so this was welcome news to Dave Wooster the Program Lead and the rest of the members.

Prior to the start of the meeting all members stood a recited the Pledge of Allegiance before watching an Orvis video on Basic Fly Fishing, after a short break Colin Flournoy led all members in a tying session where they tied the San Juan Worm

Members were also treated to a chili dinner with condiments provided by Lynn Ashe.

If you live in or near Frederick, Maryland, and you want more information on the program contact Dave Wooster or visit their Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/Project-Healing-Waters-Fly-Fishing-Frederick-MD-Program

Ray, one of the new participants gets instruction from Chuck on tying the San Juan Worm

Getting registered in the CRM

Fort Meade, MD Project Healing Waters Program Featured in Local Newspaper!

January 18, 2019

We’re excited to share an article from Jack Chavez, writer for Fort Meade’s Community Paper – Soundoff.  The article featuring the Ft Meade Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing program!  You can read the full piece by clicking the link below or by visiting http://ftmeadesoundoff.com/communitynews/news/fish-family-lures-wounded-warriors-vets/

http://ftmeadesoundoff.com/communitynews/news/fish-family-lures-wounded-warriors-vets/

Fly tying and Christmas Celebration with the PHWFF Fort Meade Program

December 15, 2018

Story by Larry Vawter Program Lead for the Ft. Meade Program

Raymond Collette led the Group Tonight with the squirmy wormy … He also surprised the Group with a Little Christmas Cheer . Its a Christmas Tree on a salmon hook in a jar of snow …BEAUTIFUL !!!!! Also His lovely wife Jessica sent Cookies for the group to munch on . . It was a Great Night , Great Group and Special Thanks to the Collette Family for such generosity.

Tying instruction by Ray

Tying the Squirmy Worm

Raymond Collette’s gift to the program

Christmas Gift

La Plata Program Attends Casting Clinic, Ties in Preparation for Striper Trip, and gets Rod Building Tips from Duke Davis

December 13, 2018

Story by Kim Bransom La Plata MD Program Lead

Pictures by Kim Bransom and Larry Braswell

Despite the turn in weather, the La Plata, MD PHWFF program has been busy!

On Sunday, November 25, a group of 7 participants and volunteers traveled to Fredericksburg, VA to meet with Pete Robertson, a Vietnam veteran and certified casting instructor with the Quantico program for a casting clinic. Pete and his wife Julie have a beautiful farm, and graciously opened their home to us. Many of the members of the La Plata program had never touched a fly rod prior to Project Healing Waters, and Pete had a whole course set up to help us learn mechanics and form. After lunch, the group was back at it, learning roll casts, shooting line, and working on accuracy. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the day, the camaraderie, Pete’s expertise, and the laughs!

Casting Clinic

Pete and Gail working on Gails technique before she heads to Belize

Stu Thomas

At our normal meeting on Monday, November 26, our group learned to tie the Lefty’s Deceiver fly. Since most of our local fishing is 8 weight, we wanted to tie flies that could be used in the lower Potomac River and the Chesapeake Bay. This pattern was chosen in preparation for a striped bass fly fishing trip that was scheduled for December 4 with Captain Chad Koenig, an Air Force veteran who owns Dog Days Fishing charter in southern Maryland. Sadly, though our fly-boxes were well stocked, the trip was canceled due to wind and weather conditions. The fish were just too deep in the cold water to be able to reach them with a fly rod. However, the captain is eager to take us out in the spring when the stripers start coming back up to more shallow water and we can get a lot of surface and subsurface action.

L-R Eric Martin Larry Kelly Josh Knotts Larry Thompson Val Wadsworth

Up close with Stu Thomas

On December 4, Duke Davis came to our meeting and gave us an introduction to rod building. Several of our participants will be entering the upcoming rod building contest and almost no one in our crew has ever built a rod before! Duke went over the basics in supplies and technique, showing us how to prepare the cork handle, spine a rod blank, attach the handle and reel seat, mark the locations for the guides, and a quick demonstration of how to attach a guide. He went over the laundry list of supplies needed, and at least one of our participants will probably own stock in mudhole.com before it is all over! Needless to say, he was instantly hooked on this new aspect of fly fishing. As always, when Duke is around, there were a lot of jokes, friendly teasing, and laughter, and we learned a couple things too.

L-R Duke Davis-Val Wadsworth-Larry Thompson-PL Kim Bransom-Larry Kelly-Stu Thompson-Denis Eichorn-Greg Johnson-Tim Cooke

Listening intently to the master

The bar at the Moose Lodge makes the perfect place to lay out the tape measure and mark where your guides go

Duke teaches Val how to ream the cork handle….nope, no jokes made here at all….

Duke shows how to wind the thread onto the foot of the guide