Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing Helps Vets Build Rods and Memories

Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing Helps Vets Build Rods and Memories

by Jim Kissane

Participant Dan Durgan begins working on his next fly rod creation as part of Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing’s annual Rod Building Competition. Durgan’s first rod helped him catch a 5-pound trout.

Dan Durgan already had been enjoying a great morning of winter trout fishing at Fountain Bluff Park, catching fish after fish on a white marabou jig that a fellow angler had shared with him the previous day. Then the day went from great to unforgettable.

“I was fishing with a friend, and got this fish on and I said to him, ‘Jeremiah, this fish is serious, this is a big fish,’” he says. “He had the net, but this fish was so big Jeremiah just grabbed it and throws it on the shore. I only had 2-pound tipped on, so I couldn’t just drag him onto the bank.”

The fish, a winter-stocked rainbow trout, measured 21-1/2” long, with a 15-1/4” girth, and weighed in at 5 pounds. “I was out there the week before and lost a big one in that same hole – might have been the same fish,” Durgan says. “Then I lost another one the day before because I didn’t have a net – shame on me.

“There was another trout fisherman there, another Vet, and he showed me what he was using. I tied a dozen of them that night and went out first thing in the morning. I was slaughtering them, and then I hooked the big one.”

A participant in the Greater Kansas City Program of Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing, Durgan is a U.S. Army Veteran, serving from 1967-79 on active duty and until 1984 in the Army Reserves, reaching the rank of Sergeant.

Durgan enjoys fishing the winter trout season, but he also fishes for warm water species. His favorite rod – a 9-foot, 5-weight – is always with him. He built the rod himself, part of Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing’s National Rod Building Competition.

“I love it because it feels so good, and because I made it,” he says. “I took it out last year I don’t know how many times, caught probably 200 trout and at least 20 bass. The same rod probably caught a hundred crappie in one day, and 14 bass, including one that went seven, seven and a half pounds.”

Experienced rod builders share their knowledge with newcomers to the craft. Here, David Bagley (center) explains the process of finding the spine of a rod blank to align the pieces properly.

The Greater Kansas City Program’s annual trip to Rockbridge Trout Resort is another of Durgan’s favorite outings. He enjoys tying his own flies as well as building his own rods. The feeling of accomplishment makes the fishing that much more special to him. He is grateful to Hook & Hackle for their support of Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing and their sponsorship of the rod building competition.

“I appreciate them donating the rods and allowing me to build one, and to meet these guys here,” he says. “It’s been good for me, it got me out doing things again.”

Durgan began working on his next creation with the opening of the 2018 Rod Building Competition, which kicked off in January with arrival of rod blanks from Hook & Hackle. The Greater Kansas City Program will hold rod building sessions at Fleming Hall every Monday evening through February and into March to ensure that participants will be able to submit their finished rods by the contest deadline April 13. Our local program has a record number of participants this year – 18, including seven first-time entrants.

The categories of this year’s competition will differ from previous years’ contests. There will still be three classifications of competition, but this year the groups are based on rod-building experience. Category One – Beginner is for entrants building their first fly rod ever. Category Two – Intermediate is for contestants building their second or third rods. Those who have build four or more rods will compete in Category Three – Advanced. 

Rods will be judged on neatness, functionality and creativity. There will be three prizes awarded in each category.