SMRFO volunteers assist children fishing off the pier.  They also maintain the rods for this event.  On Thursday, January 16^th, 27 SMRFO volunteers changed out the fishing line on 168 fishing rods.  Their January monthly meeting was dedicated to providing enough fully functional fishing rods so the children could enjoy a morning of fishing. 

Below is Captain Bruno Vasta (left) sitting with David Gaestel (right) changing out fishing line in support of “Hooked on Fishing”. 

SMRFO is a non-profit organization supporting fishing events throughout Southern Maryland.   

The volunteers serving as boat captains included David Meiser, Parran Wilkinson, Russell Bowie, David Seagle, Julian Tsai, and Martin Duby.  Other members who served as first mates or hospital support included Judi Tsai, David Hersh, Bill Bonner, Jeff Stevenson, and Phil Zalesak.

The patients had great weather and caught dozens of perch and spot with an occasional toad fish, puffer fish, flounder, or crab.  All patients and volunteers were treated to a Mission BBQ lunch served by the Greenwell Foundation which served as the sponsor for this event.

Dishes brought by members included scrumptious bean recipes (thank you Shonna Meiser), salads, fruit and other great tasting side dishes, as well as cakes, fish shaped sprinkled cupcake (thank you Theresa Bonner) and cookies.  It was a great opportunity for members to get together, share good conversation, and enjoy each other’s company.

Greenwell State Park appears to be a great venue for future SMRFO events.

The fishing was absolutely great as many campers caught fish in the double digits.  Campers mostly caught spot, perch, and croakers from the pier.

The camps are supported by the SMRFO which has teamed with the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory which demonstrates how oysters filter and clarify the waters of the Chesapeake Bay and uses a seine to demonstrate the diversity of life in the Patuxent River; the US Coast Guard which provides a water safety brief to campers before board boats provided by SMRFO volunteers: the St. Mary’s River Watershed Association which assists campers in pouring and hatching reef oyster balls; and the Tackle Box in Lexington Park, Maryland which provides fishing rods, bait and tackle at a discount. You can learn about this and other camps at the Greenwell Foundation website

Andrew Hair placed his casting weight within 8 inches of the cone and walked away with first place.  Jackson Compesie came in second place; and Cora Bishop came in third place.  Each of the top three winners walked with a brand new fishing rod.

After the competition SMRFO served lunch to all participants and their families and DNR personnel who attended the fishing event.  A special thanks goes out to SMRFO volunteers Dave Hersh, Ron Smith, Dallen Hall, Martin Duby, Bill Dunkin, and Phil Zalesak who supported this local children’s event.

A picture of Zachary Bruce of DNR is shown with first-place winner Andrew Hair.

SMRFO got great support from SMRFO volunteer members, the St. Mary’s County Government, the Maryland State Attorney’s Office community service volunteers, Southern Maryland News, the Enterprise Newspaper, the Coastal Conservation Association-Maryland, Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative, Potomac River Fishing Report (FB), Fishing Maryland (FB), and local radio stations like 102.9 FM WKIK, and two principal sponsors which included the Monterey Insurance Group and Jeffrey Lewis of Berkshire Hathaway Real Estate.

A special “Thank You” goes out to John Richards, President of the St. Mary’s County Fair Association, who graciously hosted this event at the St. Mary’s County Fairgrounds.

In summary, over 1300 paying attendees and plus their children had an opportunity to buy fishing rods, fishing tackle, boats, charter boat trips, artwork, and outstanding food provided by Caney Creek Catering Service.  They also had an opportunity to get a free boat safety inspection, learn about the latest techniques in survival on the water, and got an opportunity to win door prizes and money from the 50-50 held each day.

Participants came from the Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing local programs at the Washington DC Veterans Administration Hospital, Fort Meade, and La Plata. The sponsor for this event was Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing with support from SMRFO, the Greenwell Foundation which provided fishing rods and tackle, and the Tackle Box of Lexington Park which donated blood worms for the event. At the end of a very productive morning, all 41 participants and volunteers were treated to lunch by Mission BBQ of California, Maryland, at Greenwell State Park.

According to George Gaines, National Capital Region Coordinator for PHWFF, fishing events are therapeutic for service members suffering from disabilities. He stated that “getting out in the water is truly a healing event for many active service members and veterans with disabilities.” One of the PHWFF vision-impaired veteran participants was quoted as saying, “It was the best outing I have participated in for well over a decade. Many thanks!”

This event is a tribute to what organizations can do when they work as partners in support of Americans who have served their country. This was the second annual Patuxent River outing for Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing participants and will be an annual event supported by SMRFO going forward.

Leon Smith (left to right), Donald Ford, Zernola Shamber, and David Meiser pose for a picture before they launch