Holiday Fly Tying Gathering, Custom Rod for Hugh, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah!

Artist Rendering of our own Santa John

What a great event!  37, yes 37 vets and vols showed up at the American Legion Hall for our annual Fly-Tying Holiday gathering.  In addition to tying flies, we enjoyed a pizza lunch from Yannis, a local Greek/Italian restaurant.  We had door prizes awarded, and every vet ended up walking away with a prize.  Some of the prizes were a vintage 1992 LL Bean field watch restored and refurbished by our resident watchmaker, Antoine, Custom tied Flies donated by Tony Urbano, a new chest pack, fly boxes, books, leader packs, and fly boxes.  No vet was a loser in this event.

The Leatherneck custom rod

Hugh our first vet (12yrs) and Emilio, the crafter of this beautiful fly rod

Hugh was the first vet to join our program 12 years ago.  Hugh is a Marine who is proud to have served his country. He is active at almost any event the program holds.  Over the years, he has become an accomplished fly tyer, has built his own rod, and caught some good size fish on the water.  He even trough out the first pitch at a Rock Cats game.

One of our volunteers, Emilio, specially crafted the custom rod for Hugh.   This is a one of a kind rod customized to a Marine who has given so much to our country.  Emilio is an expert at his rod building craft (check out the details in the attached pics).  His time with the vets and behind the lines work during the program startup are deeply appreciated.

Hard at work, Producing the Holiday Dart Streamer

Bruce on of our newest vets, pictured right, is an avid fly tyer and has decades of experience. On the left 2 of our vets along with John, Ed, and Jonathan all members of CFFA, a fly-fishing club that supports our program.

Hugh with his version of the Holiday Dart Streamer

37 on hand for this event which was held at the local American Legion Post

Look for some big changes in 2026.  We will be meeting twice a month in person by adding some evening fly-tying and we are moving a few of our outings to Saturdays.  This will allow those that can’t normally attend because of work or other commitments to participate.  We might even get a few more vets. 

We now have 77 followers on Facebook. Please consider following us on this Facebook page and sharing with others. 

If you are a vet with disabilities or know one that may be interested in our program, maybe you are interested in supporting our program as a volunteer or through donation, you can contact us or support us by using the links on this site. www.vetshealingonthefly.org 

As I sign off this week, I want to wish you all a Merry Christmas, and a Happy Hanukkah!

Tight Lines,

Don