July 16, 2012
By Florida Sportsman Newswire
By Bill AuCoin, Special to Florida Sportsman
Patricia Hodge, a veteran at Bay Pines VA Healthcare Center in St. Petersburg, won first place in Project Healing Waters' national fly rod-building contest. Hodge won a fly-fishing expedition and accommodations at the beautiful
Blue Valley Ranch in Kremmling, Colorado.
Hodge made her four-piece rod under the guidance of Alan Sewell, a member of
St. Petersburg's Suncoast Fly Fishers . The rod was judged first in category 2 in the program's annual rod building contest. Fly-rod components were supplied by Project Healing Waters to vets to build their own fly rod.
"This is a great tribute to Alan's work and the work of Terry Kirkpatrick, John Craig and other club members for carefully guiding our disabled veterans through the complicated process," said Capt. Pat Damico, Deep South Area Coordinator for Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing. "This is another reason why Suncoast Fly Fishers is a national leader and a model for other fly fishing clubs."
For more information about Project Healing Waters and its programs visit
www.projecthealingwaters.org
