Wounded Warrior & NCHS @ NCWRC Pechmann Center 5-12-10

[Al]

Today was the 2nd Wednesday of the month which means it was Wounded Warrior and NC Handicapped Sportsmen day at the NCWRC John E. Pechmann Fishing Education Center located just west of Fayetteville, NC. We have been doing these events for three years now and it has been "feast or famine". Last month we had close to sixty participants while today, when we counted stragglers who arrived after medical appointments, we had a total of fifteen. We would like a full house but many of us are veterans who understand the military and it's last minute "changes of plans". A few of us are also Vietnam Vets and we remember how we were treated when we came home. We are dedicated to making sure our current crop of veterans do not experience the same thing.
 


We were recently contacted by a nurse from Womack Army Medical Center's TBI Neurological Rehab Center who inquired about our program. After hearing an explanation, she decided to bring one of her patients to today's event. This young man is exactly why we open our facility and our hearts to make their day a little better



Our volunteer fly tier patiently shows the various steps required to tie a fly called "Crappie Candy". This young vet was pretty proud of his creation. Now the test will be to see if it will catch a fish?



In the meantime down at the catfish ponds this young lady, the daughter of one of our military members was having a ball. She was  accompanied by her dad and two brothers and was showing them up big time. The last time I checked she was counting in the mid-twenties. 



Dad was using a fly rod for the first time. After a little coaching he enticed several catfish to sample a black woollybugger. They put a good bend in a 5 weight fly rod.



Our TBI soldier is proud as a peacock with this nice catfish he caught with a fly he created with his own hands. He caught several more before cutting off his "Crappie Candy", placing it in his pocket and proclaiming that he was going to show it to all his buddies when he got back to the barracks.



One of our volunteers ties into a nice bream at the end of the day. You will notice they are in the process of shoring up the edges of the ponds which have started to cave in over the years. It will look real nice when finished. You can also see the John E. Pechmann building in the background. We are truly blessed the have such a facility in our neigborhood. 



The NCWRC Pechmann Fishing Education Center will continue to host Wounded Warriors, NC Handicapped Sportsmen and any military and their families on the 2nd Wednesday of each month from 1-5pm - We offer fly tying and basic fly fishing instruction. At least half of the afternoon will be spent fishing.  The trout are gone but we a variety of other fish in the ponds. If you would like to learn to fly fish the bream, bass and catfish are fairly easy targets. We will also offer basic fly tying instruction for those who would like to try their hand at that aspect of the sport. The Pechmann Center provides all equipment for these events, however participants are encouraged to bring and use their own gear. If you're not into fly fishing we have spin cast outfits and bait for use on the catfish ponds. A NC fishing license is not required for these events. The next one will be June 9th.

[phg]

Wish I could have made it again, but work always seems to get in the way of real life.  Looks like y'all had a good day on the ponds, though.

[flip]

That is some good work you do. We need more people like you out there for our troops.    0--0

[Woolly Bugger]

good work  ;hb and a good time too!