George Abernathy
In July, the Sun Lakes Fly Fishing Club (SLFFC) was able to sponsor a second fly fishing trip for disabled veterans with Arizona Veterans Fly Fishing to Colorado. Bob Ludwig, a SLFFC member and I joined six veterans and their lead person for two days of exceptional fly fishing in Colorado. We spent the first day fishing nine different private lakes at Rainbow Falls Mountain, which is a private fishery near Woodland Park, Colo. and enjoyed a well-prepared BBQ provided by the guides. Day two brought the group to a private section of the South Platte River adjacent to Lake George, near Florissant, Colo. The fishing was tougher from the start and storms rolling in just after lunch made for a true summertime western river fishing adventure. Overall, over 90 trout including Rainbow, Palomino, and German brown trout were landed from both fisheries.
Fly fishing has been shown to provide significant benefits for individuals with PTSD. The activity fosters a sense of community and connection with nature, which can be therapeutic for veterans, especially on trips like this. Everyone experienced camaraderie and had an outstanding time and per Arizona Veterans Fly Fishing (AVFF), more veterans were able to attend, it was the furthest they ever traveled and caught more fish than on any previous trips.
When you donate money or merchandise, it’s nice to know how it was used and how others benefited. Without the donations and sponsorships from our fundraiser from last year, this trip would have never happened and we are deeply grateful to all of you that helped make this possible.
The SLFFC is open to anyone interested in fly fishing, primarily throughout Arizona. The Club’s philosophy is to bring people together who want to fly fish; no red tape, no politics, “catch and release,” just wet your lines and go hunting. For additional information, please visit www.sunlakesflyfishing.com.
Lastly, if you have fly-fishing gear that’s just gathering dust and no longer in use, we would appreciate it if you donated it to our club. Depending upon what’s donated, it is given directly to AVFF or sold with all the proceeds used to support our heroes. Please contact me directly at Apachescout@gmail.com or at 480-521-1060.
Fish On! Fish On!