Resting and Prepping for the New Year.
By Tim Stouder
It’s that time of the year where we sit back and relax just waiting f for the New Year to begin. We have finalized our list of event dates and locations for the year and will modify them the dates for tournaments are posted. This year, we are looking forward to our overnight event and we added back in the float trip. As in the past, we are thankful for Browns Creek Fish Camp for letting us utilize their facility as our home base and Palm Valley for supplying us with bait.
So it seems that the winter weather has finally settled in. This is actually a good thing for those looking at the opportunity to start bagging some gator trout. Our first event this coming year is February at Palm Valley Outdoors and many of our veterans stand a good chance at catching that gator trout, as long as the winter weather holds.
The trout and reds are starting to school up and feed voraciously on just about anything that gets in front of them. This time of the year, the trout seem to like artificials as slow as possible. When I say slowly, I mean twitch, twitch and take a nap. That’s how slow. The reds are starting to school and are making it easy to catch a limit very quickly when you come upon these schools. Crab has been working better than anything else. Throw it out and let it sit.
We will be going back to Sebastian Inlet State Park, Florida for our overnight event in April/May. This year we are also adding a float trip as the first one was so much fun. Heroes on the Water is not solely about kayak fishing. Sometimes we just want to be one with the water and with nature’s serenity. We are looking forward to floating in some cool water with that summer sun.
As in the years past, we are looking at a blow out at the end of the year for our Veteran’s day Event. This year, we will also be venturing to the other side of the dam at Lake Ponte Vedra (Guana) and taking a shot at the river. The river, for those that aren’t familiar with this area, is very tide specific. At low or negative low tides you cannot make it back to the ramp. We picked a date with perfect tides and will test our luck and see what our Vets can reel in.
As always, we can’t thank our volunteers and donors enough. Without them, we would not be able to provide the service we can. If anyone would like to volunteer or make donations please feel free to contact me at 9049935366 or northeastflorida@heroesonthewater.org
Stay tuned to our HOW NEFL Facebook page for our most updated schedule. Please go to https://www.facebook.com/HeroesOnTheWaterNortheastFloridaChapter to see the schedule, our latest posts, and pictures.
About Heroes on the Water
Heroes on The Water is a non-profit organization that helps injured service members with their physical and mental recovery using the therapeutic qualities of fishing from kayaks. Every HOW event across the country brings together wounded military personnel for guided kayak fishing excursions. Founded in 2007. The service is provided to the Veterans for free. HOW is a non-profit organization under IRS Code Chapter 501(c)(3). Donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. Visit www.HeroesOnTheWater.org
The next Heroes on the Water outing is scheduled for February 4th @ Palm Valley Outdoors. If you are a Veteran, know of one that would like to participate, or if you are interested in volunteering or any other questions please contact Coordinator Tim Stouder at NortheastFlorida@HeroesOnTheWater.org .
If you would like to follow us on Facebook or make a donation to Heroes on the Water, you can do so at https://www.facebook.com/HeroesOnTheWaterNortheastFloridaChapter