Fly Tying Veterans Thread Their Way Through the Healing Process

Conversation and laughter fill the room. A dozen or so people tie flies around the table while a handful of instructors offer techniques and advice. The colorful creations are a study in creativity and skill.

Until a few years ago, these Veterans had difficulty putting themselves in public situations and interacting with others. But with the help of Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing, they are becoming more comfortable with groups, especially when the activities involve fly tying and fly fishing. The program, launched in 2005 at Walter Reed Medical Center, utilizes the fine motor skills of fishing and fly tying to supplement the physical therapy regimens of Disabled Veterans and wounded active military personnel. The camaraderie of their sessions is helpful in the treatment of Post Traumatic Stress (PTS).

On the second Tuesday evening of each month, the Greater Kansas City Program of PHWFF meets at Fleming Hall in Jackson County’s Fleming Park. Our sponsoring organization, the Kansas City chapter of the Missouri Trout Fishermen’s Association holds its monthly Executive Board meeting in one half of the hall, while our Project Healing Waters program meets in the other half to tie flies.

We usually have two tying tables, one for basic tying and one called the “Challenge Table.” At the basic tying table, an MTFA volunteer leads the group in beginning to intermediate tying techniques. The fly patterns range from trout flies for a trip to Bennett Spring to jigs for warm water species around Kansas City.

The “Challenge Table” is rather like a cooking show competition, in which chefs are given several widely different ingredients and judged on how well they can bring them together into one dish. A challenger will bring a few odd materials – from foam earplugs to plastic grocery bags to grass clippings – and the resulting flies are judged on creativity and fishability. The results are amazing!

We also meet at Rainbow Fly Shop on the third Tuesday of the month. The gathering begins with a light supper – something off the grill, weather permitting, or home-made chili or jambalaya during cold weather – followed by a fly tying session led by Matt Sutton. The patterns range from cold to warm water and from beginning to advanced, including special requests.

The fly tying sessions are the foundation of the program, because they provide the most frequent regular opportunities for the group to get together. These sessions reinforce the development of fine motor skills that are part of Project Healing Waters. Much more obvious to the casual observer, however, are the camaraderie and socialization that are essential in the treatment of Post Traumatic Stress. The sessions begin with a brief walk-through of materials and instruction, and after a few minutes it becomes hard to tell the difference between volunteers and participants. Often, more experienced participants become peer-to-peer mentors for program newcomers.

The Project Healing Waters program succeeds when that camaraderie becomes integral to the partipants, because for Veterans coming home from Iraq or Afghanistan, the last mile can be the most difficult. Sometimes, participants reach out to each other and get together for fly tying sessions on their own. Several participants say that their spouses can tell when they’ve been to a Project Healing Waters session. And sometimes their spouses even tell them they need to take a break and go fishing.