Overnight & Curve Balls

Overnight & Curve Balls

By Tim Stouder & Katie Blunk

This month we had the pleasure once again to team up with the State Forestry Division’s Operation Outdoor Freedom.  This joint venture took us back to the newly opened Sebastian Inlet State park where we camped overnight.

Our adventure started Friday May 5th and carried over to the 7th, Sunday morning. The one thing that was pretty consistent all weekend was the wind. Friday, it started howling out of the North West and never quit. Normally on these overnight events, we get everyone up and eat a breakfast and then go fishing. Well this was some kind of special wind and just threw us one heck of a curve ball. Not only was it blowing 20mph, it also brought a chill in the air that was winter like.

Saturday morning the staff from the Forestry division and our own Leadership team started scouring areas that were protected from the wind.  After a few hours of driving around and searching for a launch point, two viable solutions were found. There was supposed to be a break in the wind in the early afternoon time frame to allow for our guests to get on the water. The fishing started roughly around 2pm which is completely out of the norm for our overnight events.  The curve ball that Mother Nature threw us was definitely not going to deter us from fishing.

The area we fished was a secluded chain of islands that were all mangroves and sand bottoms. Once on the water, there were many folks that put a serious beat down on the fish. When fishing mangroves, it is best to get the bait or lure as close the mangroves to include underneath them for best chance at catching fish. We had a few over slot trout, under slot snook, doormat flounder, catfish and sheephead caught all using bait provided by Palm Valley Outdoors and cast netted mullet.

The weekend was a huge success for all those who had the opportunity to attend. We had several people who were unaware that our organizations existed in the state. Some southern HOW chapters will soon find a couple new veterans to service due to the joint venture of this camping trip.

As always, we can’t thank our volunteers enough. On these overnight trips, HOW asks them to do more than normally required at our regular events. Without them, this event would not have been as successful. To you all, I say THANK YOU. To Brian Torres and his team at the Forestry division, you guys are the best at what you do and we can’t wait until the next joint venture.

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, HOW has served more than 6,100 wounded Veterans. 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 June 11th @Cedar Point Boat ramp.  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.