Wounded Warriors Cast for New Fishing Experiences

RALEIGH, N.C.  – Sgt. Zach Collette stood on the bank and carefully watched the green line floating in the water.

“It takes magic to catch one,” Collette said as he whipped the line back and made yet another cast into the pond. “My cast is horrible.”

Most anglers, however, wouldn’t call a casting technique that netted five trout in less than 30 minutes “horrible,” an enviable feat the Ft. Bragg soldier accomplished during a fly-fishing clinic held at the John E. Pechmann Fishing Education Center in Fayetteville on Wednesday.

The clinic, sponsored by the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission and the Moore County Fly-fishing Club, was conducted especially for soldiers from Fort Bragg’s Wounded Warrior Transition Battalion.

Collette and 16 other soldiers wounded while on active duty, most while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, spent the afternoon fishing for brook, brown and rainbow trout that Commission personnel had trucked in from the mountains last month. Members of the fly-fishing club and other fly-fishing enthusiasts worked one-on-one with each participant, explaining the basics of fly-fishing equipment, teaching casting and knot-tying techniques, and demonstrating proper fish handling.  

“I’m fly-fishing for the first time ever,” Collette laughed, marveling at his beginner’s luck. “This is a new — and fun — learning experience for me.”

While having fun and learning a new skill are two main reasons why the Commission partnered with the Moore County Fly-fishing Club to host the clinics, it was the clinics’ therapeutic value that sold Kristopher Smith, the Pechmann Center director, on the idea of a fishing clinic strictly for wounded soldiers.

“A lot of these soldiers have injuries that prevent them from participating in more strenuous activities, such as running or playing contact sports,” Smith said. “But fly-fishing is a very low-impact activity and can be very therapeutic for someone recovering from an injury, particularly a neck or shoulder injury.”

For soldiers suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, the clinics have an added benefit, according to Connie Piper, Warrior Transition Battalion Family Programs coordinator.

“Because PTSD can affect a person’s ability to interact with others, fly-fishing is an activity the soldiers can do by themselves and feel relaxed, no pressure, no anxiety, just at peace with themselves,” she said. “Plus it gets them out of their rooms and gives them something to look forward to.”
 
The Commission will conduct additional clinics for wounded soldiers on Jan. 28, Feb. 11 and Feb. 25. Pre-registration is required for the 4-hour classes, and soldiers who are interested in signing up should contact Piper at connie.moralez@us.army.mil or (919) 396-6768.

Although the trout are a winter catch only at the Pechmann Center, Smith hopes to create more fishing opportunities for wounded soldiers throughout the rest of the year and plans to stock two ponds with hybrid bass, bluegill and pumpkinseed in anticipation of more clinics.

“The soldiers seem to enjoy the opportunity to get out on the water and cast a line and we’re glad to have the opportunity to provide them with a fishing venue as well as the fish to catch,” Smith said. “It certainly looks like he’s having a good time.”

Smith was referring to Collette who, after catching — and releasing — his sixth fish, this one a nice-sized rainbow, turned to the small crowd that had gathered behind him and grinned.

“I think I can call it a day now,” Collette said.

For more information on fishing programs conducted at the John E. Pechmann Fishing Education Center, call Smith at (910) 868-5003.

For more information on fishing in inland, public fishing waters, contact the Commission at (919) 707-0220 or visit the fishing section.