By Kate Bishop
Cherokee Tribune Staff Writer
Trout Unlimited member Larry Flegle of Canton knows how to hook a fish.
When a new opportunity popped up for the group to share its fishing joy with combat-injured veterans, the members jumped on it.
The 190-member Chattahoochee/Nantahala chapter of the organization dedicated to preserving fisheries has partnered with the nonprofit group Fly-Fishing for Vets.
The group is focused on helping wounded-in-combat veterans and their families. By teaching them the technique of fly-fishing, the veterans gain many benefits.
"It helps the vet's dexterity, mentality, and it's what you need to fish with," Ken Bachman of Blairsville, a member of the Chattahoochee/Nantahala chapter, said of the program.
Once the group lines up willing, wounded veterans from across Georgia, they take them on a two-day trip to either the Lakes at Callaway Gardens or to the Toccoa River in Fannin County.
With the fly-casting instructor on hand, the veterans tie their own lures and begin to cast using rod-and-reels provided by the group. The instructor is there to help with any questions veterans may have with their fly-fishing endeavors.
Ken Griffin, who founded Fly-Fishing for Vets, on its Web site said he believes, "in the healing effects that being in a peaceful setting among friends and family provides."
The veterans' families aren't left out either. With spa treatments at the hotels for the wives and babysitting for the kids, everyone has an activity during the fishing trips.
Fly-Fishing for Vets relies on the National Guard for local transportation. If a wounded veteran who lives very far away wants to come, they must arrange their own transportation.
Once they arrive, though, they are taken care of completely, with hotel accommodations, equipment and lunches all provided for free.
The money is raised by sponsors such as Trout Unlimited chapters and through donations from people who learn about Fly-Fishing for Vets.
There are more than 900 eligible soldiers in Georgia, and the group works with the Army Welfare and Recreation Center to find eligible families.
"The club gives me one way to 'pay it forward' by helping other people," Flegle said as to why he's glad the chapter is sponsoring the program. "We touch the lives of children, senior adults, veterans and others."
kbishop@cherokeetribune.com
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