Reel Recovery 2017

[BilletHead]

        Just got back from the Missouri 2017 Reel Recovery program. Again held at Westover farms. We had nine participants and ten river buddies. There were memories and new friendships made. Good food and fellowship among all.  The participants,

   We had three fishing sessions so each of the buddies got to take out and fish with three different guys. First session was short about an hour and a half. I greeted the group and asked who drew the short straw. Dan said I always end up short. I grabbed him and said you got me then he laughed and we grabbed a rod and headed towards the water. Dan had fly fished before and new his way around the long rod. he mostly kept it out of the trees . Not much casting in the garden section of the stream and the fish cooperated. This guy was a story teller. We shared stories as he caught fish. We brought thirteen to the net and missed several. Then there was the call for lunch and a break. Dan kept saying one more cast and that led to another and another and so on. He did not want to stop with thirteen. He could not reach the sweet spot. I said let me have that rod and flipped it to the spot, handed it back to him as the indicator went under and just like that we got to go to lunch, the last pair to get in line .  A couple shots of Dan,

   Lunch and a break brought us to session number two. I asked Jeff if he would like to go out and a smile and a you bet and off we went. Jeff had his own rod and had been casting flies since he was fifteen. The garden section had been beat up pretty bad all morning and I asked him if he had anything in mind? Nope what do you think he asked me. I told him I knew of a place on Dry creek that was packed with fish. We peeked over the edge to see a bunch in a deep pool behind a log. I said we would need to get wet and he said I am all about getting wet and we bailed in and Jeff began to pound the fish on streamers. He caught fish all afternoon up to six in the Evening when we quit,

        A good night of sleep and up the next morning to rain (today). Breakfast and then a short session before lunch and closing ceremony. A tiny bit of blue sky showed up for a second and I grabbed Art and off we went.  I asked what he had done the day before and what he wanted to try. He said he wanted to work on his casting and catch fish if he could. We worked up to deeper slower water and worked on what he wanted. He was somewhat slow and too easy on the hook set and we lost some fish. Even the slow drift I seen he was lacking on mending. We worked on that too and then fish came to hand as rain got harder and lightning and thunder was going off. We picked up looking like drowned rats.

   A nice light lunch and closure. New bonds with new friends as brotherhoods formed. A few tears too. Dan thanked each of the three he fished with for listening to his stories!

BilletHead

[MOPanfisher]

AWESOME!

[Johnsfolly]

BH

I think that it is great that you participate in this program! Seems like a really rewarding time. Thanks for doing what you do and then sharing that with us.

[Deadstream]

Bh, can we donate to this program?  Gear, flies, cash?   

[BilletHead]

  Yes Deadstream and thank you for asking. I will get you the info,

BilletHead