Helping combat veterans by introducing them to a passion for fly fishing

As a child, I spent most of my summers hanging out with my grandfather. Both of my parents worked, so I stayed, and spent a lot of time, with him. We spent many days in the woods and on the rivers hiking and fishing, discussing everything from his days growing up during the Great Depression and World War II, to how someday he wouldn’t be around any longer so I needed to live by the best example he could teach me. There were three rules he always repeated: Never discuss politics or religion; never lie or cheat another person; and, the most important, always associate myself with upstanding people. As a seven-year old, those words didn’t mean too much when I was trying to put a fish on the end of my line; however, after he died those words began to sank in. I went into a deep depression after his death (I was 14) for nearly three years. During that time, I don’t think I even touched a fishing rod. But as I got older, I realized feeling sorry for myself was getting nothing solved, and if he was still around I would have gotten a boot in my behind already.

Fast forward a few years. I was just returning from having served overseas, and I was looking for a hobby to relax my brain. Fly fishing was the obvious solution. The more I fished, the more at ease I became with the world. I started to remember the talks I had with my grandfather and I put the last rule to use. That was when I met another veteran, Wes Hodges. Wes had sustained multiple injuries while serving with the 82^nd Airborne Division. I first met him at a speaking engagement he was hosting for our local Trout Unlimited chapter. He was speaking on behalf of Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing, a non-profit organization established to help mentally and physically disabled veterans recover from their injuries by way of fly fishing. The program utilized fly fishing as a type of self-medication so that veterans could remove themselves from their intense recovery process and find relaxation and peace. Even though Wes and I had never served in the same capacity, our commitment to our fellow veterans and our shared passion for fly fishing started upon our initial meeting. It is a friendship that has been shared across the country as we pursue our passion for everything fly fishing.

At first, our fishing trips were simple. We would grab a six-pack after work and jump into Wes’ drift boat to snag a few smallies and maybe a musky on our home waters of the New River in Virginia. But as we grew more confident (and a little bored), we started to branch out to other areas: Atlantic Salmon in Maine, Browns and Cuts in Montana, and Reds in Louisiana and South Carolina. As we became more adventurous, our stock vehicles became abused to the point of needing constant repair whenever we ventured out. That was when I started modifying our vehicles to get us into more remote places. We started with adding larger tires, then beefier suspension, storage units to house our gear, rod and reel storage, boat transport on rough roads, beefier bumpers, and winches. All of the sudden, I was building complete rigs to get us into some of these places. Each time I built a rig, I designed it around a trip we were discussing.

I met with Wes again this past May to explore the waters of Pisgah National Forest. Pisgah is home to hundreds of miles of trout water, with the most famous being the Davidson. It was named a Top 25 trout stream in the U.S. by Trout Unlimited. Unfortunately, the recognition also made it the most fished trout stream in western North Carolina. However, if you’re willing to walk a few hundred yards from your truck, the competition for a fishing hole dwindles significantly.

The morning started off slow. Wes and I jumped out of the truck and rigged up for the day. We worked each hole using a Parachute Adams Dry or a Bead Head Prince. You have to be rather skilled in these waters, as these are very educated fish. The wrong presentation and a fish will spook or the rhododendron will keep your fly. Strike after strike, we tried to set the hook and failed. After two hours we gave in. We decided to head back to the truck and regroup. We let the dogs play in the creek and scouted out our map, trying to figure out where the next 30″ brown would be laying. We drove a few miles up the road and began our routine again, casting each run and pool, hoping for a monster. After what seemed like an eternity…success! A 14″ wild rainbow, then a brown. What started off as a dud of a morning had redeemed itself as a great day on the water. As we made our way back to the truck, my mind wandered to how fly fishing had completely transformed our lives from the military. While we were both humbled and honored to serve, the stress of military life had definitely taken its toll at the end of both our tours. Fly fishing had helped ease that transition and made us once again productive members of society. Wes went on to become one of the premier fishing and hunting guides on the east coast, and I went on to start an off-road and outdoor gear design company. We have never discussed our military service with each other but we have never needed to. There has always been an understanding of what it means to serve, and the risks and sacrifices you make when you do it. We will continue to live our lives the best we can. We owe that to our brothers who never got to return home to do the same. I hope my grandfather is looking down and is pleased in how he taught me.

Places to Explore in Pisgah
Pisgah National Forest is one of the oldest national forests in the eastern United States. Most of it was once owned by George Vanderbilt and the Biltmore estate. With the help of Carl Schenk and Gifford Pinchot, Vanderbilt started the Cradle of Forestry here, a major influence in the start of the U.S. Forest Service.

Pisgah offers many recreational opportunities. For fishing, the watersheds of the French Broad and the Tuckaseegee provide anglers plentiful opportunities to catch trout. The Appalachian, Art Loeb, and Mountains-to-Sea trails also run through Pisgah. Mount Mitchell, the tallest peak east of the Mississippi, is also in the forest.

For overlanders, a person could spend months here exploring the Blue Ridge Parkway and forest roads in its boundaries.

About the Truck
I found this ’92 F150 sitting in a driveway in Shelby, North Carolina. It had been a farmer’s truck and only had 60,000 miles on it. I had the intention of just building some bumpers and adding a lift kit, but the low miles proved that the truck had sat for quite a while and was in need of a complete overhaul. That quickly turned into a complete tear-down to the frame, new motor, solid axle swaps, and custom-built suspension and armor. After talking with Wes, we decided to make it a fly fishing guide rig. The list of mods include:

-Crate 302 motor from Summit
-Dana 60 front and rear axle swap (with disc brake conversion)
-Custom coil spring and radius arms
-Custom bumpers, fender flares and rack
-OGRE fly rod storage container
-RIgid lighting
-Falken AT3W tires

For more information on all of Jason’s vehicle builds: www.ogreoutdoors.com
Wes Hodges can be reached at www.wesleyhodgesflyfishing.com
To learn more about helping wounded veterans, visit www.projecthealingwaters.org

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