http://www.blueridgeflyfishers.org

http://www.blueridgeflyfishers.org

http://www.beaubeasley.com

http://www.sportinglifetravel.com/

http://www.southforkrodcompany.com/

Angling Publications - Index

Angling Publications - Fly Fish America - September 2007 Issue - Index

Healing Water
Project Healing Waters' 2 nd annual
2-Fly Tournament paired 30 anglers with
30 guides on various stretches of the Rose
River for two hours per stretch. Organizers
paired wounded vets with veteran anglers
ranging from professional guide, Eric
Stroup, to renowned Pennsylvania angler
and author, Charlie Meck. The stream had
been chock full of healthy rainbow trout a
few days before; these were not, however,
pushovers for a poorly presented fl y.
In truth, no one really seemed too
concerned about who was going to "win?
the contest. Instead the day was spent
in fellowship: Young soldiers fresh from
battle, Vietnam vets, guides from across
the Mid-Atlantic, and regular folks with
a passion for people and fl y fi shing all enjoying
the quiet sport and one another's
company.
Integral to the event were the Eastern
Blue Ridge Fly Fishers (www.blueridgeflyfishers.org),
a charter club of the
Federation of Fly Fishers in the Virginia
Piedmont. Members invested countless
hours in event planning and preparation;
they made themselves equally
useful on the day of the event itself,
moving wounded vets to and from and
up and down the river in ATVs and seeing
to participants' needs and comfort.
A well-disciplined army of volunteers,
their dedication to the tournament was
palpable and their heartfelt enthusiasm
for the soldiers was inspiring.
The Eastern Blue Ridge Fly Fishers
are just the sort of people Project Healing
Waters is looking for. "This is not a oneshot
deal,? Nicholson said as we devoured
Gentry's savory barbeque sandwiches on
the banks of the Rose. "We want folks who
are committed to helping these veterans
get on with their lives. It starts on the
stream or the fl y-tying vice for sure, but
it's so much more than that.?
When I last saw Eric Stroup and J.
R. Salzman, they were huddled together
talking not as a guide and a wounded
vet, but as two young fl y anglers both
excited about their sport. I don't think
that there was anything magical about
the Rose River that day, but I don't doubt
for a moment that, for a time, between
its banks ran healing waters.
Beau Beasley (www.beaubeasley.com)
is a contributing editor for Fly Fish America
and the author of Fly Fishing Virginia:
A No Nonsense Guide to Top Waters.
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