Kelsey Bass Ranch Report 6/2/2012

Vets finally arrive and have some breakfast before hitting the water

Time to gear up and get some quick instructions

Some only needed minimal instructions...

while some needed some extra tips

More launchings

Brief lunch break and the return to the water

More launchings and Natalie being goofy

More launchings, finally time to relax, almost time for the vets to board their super A/C buses for the trip home

Rob was going to wait for the wind to die down, before going out for an evening fish run...until...Yester caught a bass directly in front of us.

Great job everyone! Nice work on the pics, really captured the moments! Wish I could have made this trip!

Great job everyone! Nice work on the pics, really captured the moments! Wish I could have made this trip!

+1

I just want to thank everyone that I meet during this event.  It was an awesome experience for me. With all the hard work that everyone put in it to this, and to see  the smiles, and to here some of the stories form the Vets that caught fish that day made me a very happy person. Thanks Hojoman for all those moments that you captured through the pictures you took. A big thank you to the Kelsey's, what an awesome facility they have. I hope to do this again.
Thank you all.

Tim

just want to say had a great time, and my hat goes off to the people that help and set this up, had a lot of fun and would do it again in a heart beat. true ncka family thanks james

Had great time meeting everyone and taking a vet out to fish.  My vet was Jose.  When we first got on the water, Jose said he just wanted to paddle around, not fish.  So, I sneaked a HOW rigged pole on to my kayak and we left the docks for a paddle.  The wind was there but not too bad, at first.  We headed out to a little island and along the way Jose told me how quiet and peaceful the experience was.  At the island, the wind started to pick up a bit and pushed us around.  I took the HOW rod and tossed it in the water as we continued to chat.  First cast and I catch a fish.  I asked Jose, if he wanted to fish again.  His reply, "I do now!!"  We got set up but he was having trouble with his kayak and fell out.  It wasn't a self bailing so we had to drag it to shore to flip it and get the water out.  While on shore, we started just casting and that proved the ticket. The wind had picked up and we were on a leeward side of a cove and had some protection and wind to our backs.  That helped with the casting.  Jose hadn't fished since he was a small boy when his mother used to take him out.  He got the hang of it quick though as he had at least a dozen hook-ups and landed 5 I think.  Lost count!! 
I kept asking if he wanted to go back, have lunch, paddle around some more, but obviously, he just wanted to stand there and fish.  Eventually the safety boat came and told us it was time to come in.  We had actually just started back but Jose had flipped again and fighting the head wind, I wasn't sure he was going to be up to the task.  He insisted he would make it back fine and so the safety boat hung around the area and I followed as Jose led the way back to the dock. 




Great food, great people and a great cause.  Thanks for allowing me to participate. 

Natalie and I had a great time. She has finally taken to paddling solo in a yak. Giving back to the soldiers who have given so much means a lot to us. When she asked me if she could take a soldier out fishing,I started to cry. I can't tell you people enough about what a difference we are truly making. This is the real deal. I have talked to the soldiers and heard the responses over the course of the last three years. This HOW thing is really working. Every single one of you guys who was there should feel real good about what happened at Kelsey Bass ranch this weekend.           Thank you.      Jack