Fly Fishing for Soldiers

  

  

I started fishing when I was 3 but I didn’t learn to fly-fish until I was 12. Now that I fly-fish I don’t even like spin fishing. Its just one big plop in the water but for me fly-fishing is about being outdoors, its about slowing myself down and just focusing on one thing. When I’m casting, I’m not thinking about the next paper I have to write, its all about the line, the fish, and me. I used to go on fishing trips with my mom and dad. They would fly-fish for most of it and when I could I’d spin fish. Of course I did what any 6 year-old would do on a boat but I also sat and watched. I watched my mom and dad fly-fish and I think because I watched for so long, it helped me to pick up the nuance of fly-fishing faster. 

 

  

  

Veteran Anglers of New York, in affiliation with Project Healing Waters does have many waders and boots. On an outing to the Delaware River Club, the owner actually supplied the waders and boots for all of the veterans who went. There are two types of fly-fishing. Salt water and fresh water. If you ask a freshwater guy he’ll tell you that freshwater fishing is harder. If you ask a saltwater guy he’ll tell you that saltwater is harder. I’m a saltwater guy. In freshwater more often than not you’re in waders and boots. Sometimes you can do what’s called a “float trip” where you kind of just float down the river. In saltwater, most of the time you’re on a boat. Sometimes we get out which is what’s known as “wading” (hence waders). But in saltwater, you don’t need waders. You are walking through the ocean, not some cold stream. Since VANY is located in New York, and because logistically wading is easier with a big group, we do a lot of wading with the veterans. However, not all wading has to be done from the actual water. You can stand on the shore and cast. That’s what we did on the last outing with the veterans.

 

 

 

 
Personally, I love the Bahamas. I love to catch bonefish and the Bahamas is one of the greatest places to do it. The scenery is just spectacular and there are some of the biggest bonefish I’ve ever seen. I’ve been to Belize as well and I liked it except for the fact that the bonefish there are considerably smaller. 

  

 

  

  

To me, fly-fishing is a way to get in touch with myself. In New York City, everything is fast-paced and hectic but pick up a fly-rod and it all goes away. The stress just melts away with every false-cast. Fly-fishing lets me, be me. Of course there is always the occasional interruption when my dad corrects my form, but other than that, its all about catching fish. I don’t have to think of anything else when I’m fishing. I get to just relax and have fun. 

 

  

VANY (Veteran Anglers of NY) is just a group of people who wanted to do more for veterans. That group of people also happens to love fly-fishing. We wanted to help those who have served, those who were disabled because of that. We all saw the effect fly-fishing had on us and we all thought that veterans could greatly benefit from the relaxation and stress-relief that comes with fly-fishing. I really do think that its one of the best ways to get in touch with yourself, and that veterans are greatly helped by it. They have experienced the most stressful environments and conditions on earth, so its our job to give them one of the best ways to relieve stress and anxiety. VANY has 7 board members but our meetings usually have anywhere from 10-15 people at them. We were just at the Somerset fly-fishing show last weekend at the Project Healing Waters booth. A man walked up and said “I really want to give back the veterans, what do I do? And where do I sign up?” it’s people like that who really help VANY and Project Healing Waters. Of course there is a core group but that’s just the beginning, the number of people who come to teach the veterans how to cast, and that come to our meetings fluctuates. For more information you could always check out the website, http://www.veterananglersny.org/

  

  

 

Soldiers experienced the most grueling conditions. They went to sleep and woke up everyday fearing for their lives, I can’t imagine something more stressful. We owe it to them to help relieve their stress. My dad is also a veteran, both of my grandfathers were too. The VA hospitals do great things for the veterans but they really can’t make sure everyone gets everything they need. The system is just flawed. So, its our job, the people who they fought for, to give back in anyway we can. I’m only in high school, but I was given the chance to fly-fish, so now its my turn to give someone else the chance, someone who became disabled because what my country asked them to do.

 

What kind of results have you personally witnessed?  How has this changed the lives of some of the people you have been working with?

  
At the casting sessions, I see veterans walk in very seriously. Those whom I work with, are tense at first. Shoulders tight, knees locked, standing erect. I have to tell them to relax, I try to get them to let the line take the stress away. And with every cast, I see it more and more, they relax, they smile, they loosen up. I see the stress beginning to fall away. Fly-fishing is an art, and like with every other art, it takes practice. With that practice they can take this new skill and apply it wherever they want. This is a way to relieve stress and I see the veterans leave some of their stress behind after they cast for just an hour or two. 

 
Where will you go from here? Where do you see yourself in 10 years from now?

  

I think VANY is something that will always stay with me. As I continue on in life, I will certainly continue to fly-fish and I will continue to help Veterans get the same pleasure from it that I do. 10 years from now I’ll be 27, wow that’s a scary thought. And at that time I think I’ll be in residency at medical school. I have wanted to be a doctor for a long time. I want to help people feel better, I want to help people get back to the way they were before they came to see me.  VANY allows me to do that and fly-fish its really a win-win situation for me. I can’t think of another way to give back and have fun at the same time. 

 

And Jasper closed the interview by saying: “Thanks again for the honor of this interview. I hope this will entice more people to help veterans. Jasper Lee”  It’s so great that so many of the kids on the web site are only looking for more awareness and help with what they are doing.

 

See Jasper’s profile on the Kids Are Heroes web site. Give him a shout-out – he certainly deserves it.