Members of area Trout Unlimited chapters created a fun day of fishing and giving back to military heroes on Aug. 15 during the Veterans on the Fly event at Rushing Waters Fisheries near Palmyra. Army veteran Aaron Richards, above left, holds a trout he caught with the help of Southeast Wisconsin Trout Unlimited member Rick Carr. (Submitted photo)
Trout Unlimited volunteers help vets enjoy fishing at Rushing Waters
Trout Unlimited chapters showed up at Rushing Waters the morning of Aug. 15.
That set the stage for a memorable fishing outing at the trout farm located just off County Highway H southwest of Palmyra.
That’s because visitors from the Veterans Administration hospitals in Milwaukee, Madison and Green Bay soon joined these Trout Unlimited volunteers.
The TU members have been teaching the vets the finer points of fly-fishing — thus the Veterans on the Fly program — as part of their recreational therapy.
Fly rods were put together (they typically come in two or four pieces), lines were strung and dry flies were tied to the end in hopes of enticing one of the rainbow trout that inhabit the pond at Rushing Waters.
Veterans spread out around the edge of the pond along with TU volunteer mentors and began fly-casting. And with hundreds of hungry trout circling in the crystal clear water, it didn’t take long for them to notice the dry flies landing on the surface.
Then the commotion began. The pure joy of a leaping rainbow trout on the end of a tight line created an experience that the veterans won’t soon forget.
Trout Unlimited is a nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving and protecting North America’s cold-water fisheries. Wisconsin boasts more than 5,200 members in 21 chapters.
Many of these conservationists and accomplished anglers are more than willing to share their knowledge of trout fishing with veterans.
Peter Fritch and the staff at Rushing Waters Fisheries have hosted vets participating in these TU programs since 2011.
The fish caught are quickly put on ice and taken to the Trout House, where they’re cleaned, packaged and shipped to local restaurants and grocery stores, creating a win-win situation for everyone involved.
Veterans and volunteers develop camaraderie, which is evident during the lunch break in which TU members provide a traditional Wisconsin brat fry before they all head back to the pond for a few more casts.
Mike Kuhr is the Wisconsin Trout Unlimited and Veterans Services partnership coordinator. For more information contact him at Mikek.trout@yahoo.com or 414-588-4281.
Contact Rushing Waters Fisheries at 262-495-2089 or visit www.rushingwaters.net.
