Hamilton Reef
07-11-2004, 06:27 PM
Anglers let fly to help out nonprofit
Leaky Waders go fish in competition
By DAN SANDERSON, Record-Eagle staff writer, July 11, 2004
http://www.record-eagle.com/2004/jul/11trout.htm
GRAYLING - Two educators spent the last two weeks as trout bums, fishing their way across northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula to raise money for an AuSable River conservation group.
Jordan Lindberg, an education professor at Central Michigan University, and Bryon Anderson, a school teacher from Holland, completed their two-week expedition on the Pere Marquette River Friday as part of Fly Rod & Reel Magazine's 2004 Trout Bum Tournament.
This is the fourth year that Fly Rod & Reel sponsored the contest. The magazine gives teams $500 to spend on their trips with the incentive to have as much fun as possible as they chronicle their trips.
Like true trout bums, anglers are encouraged to go out and interact with people during their stops. Anderson and Lindberg received free meals, lodging and even had their vehicle topped off with gas along the way.
"We fully expected to spend the full $500 putting gas in the tank," Anderson said.
But instead of just allowing anglers to frolic on the rivers and lakes, the contest this year required them to raise funds for a nonprofit organization.
The added incentive was inspired by the winners of last year's contest, the Foxy Fishers, who raised money for Casting For Recovery, an organization that teaches woman who have had breast cancer how to fly fish.
"Basically, we saw a good idea and this year we had the teams raise money for conservation and nonprofit groups," said Jim Reilly, the assistant editor for Fly Rod & Reel. "That will be (the) deciding factor - who raises the most money and who has the most fun."
Dubbed team Leaky Waders, the Michigan pair decided to raise funds for Anglers of the AuSable, an organization founded in 1987 that works to protect the AuSable River from pollution and development.
Team Leaky Waders started its sojourn in the Traverse City area, where the men fished the Boardman and Platte rivers for trout and Grand Traverse Bay for carp.
The anglers then headed to Grayling, where they fished on the Main Branch and South Branch of the AuSable River. In the Upper Peninsula, they cast their lines on the Fox, Yellow Dog and Paint rivers and fished Fortune Lake for bass.
The anglers then fished the Sturgeon River in Indian River and on the Jordan River near Alba.
The anglers say they met several interesting characters, including author Jerry Dennis, along the way and raised several thousand dollars.
"It's been one good experience after another," Anderson said.
Anderson, who has 2-year-old twins, and Lindberg, who has a 1-year-old boy, said they appreciated having time to fish beyond just a couple of hours at a time.
"I'd love to have this type of experience again, but with my son and my wife," Lindberg said.
The teams and Fly Rod & Reel would not release an early tally on how much the teams raised, since the overall contest ends in August. Up for grabs is $2,500 from Fly Rod & Reel and $5,000 from Ford Motor Company.
Four other teams, including Michael and Glen Carl, a father-and-son team from Marcellus, as well as anglers from Colorado, Minnesota and Missouri are in the contest.
Leaky Waders go fish in competition
By DAN SANDERSON, Record-Eagle staff writer, July 11, 2004
http://www.record-eagle.com/2004/jul/11trout.htm
GRAYLING - Two educators spent the last two weeks as trout bums, fishing their way across northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula to raise money for an AuSable River conservation group.
Jordan Lindberg, an education professor at Central Michigan University, and Bryon Anderson, a school teacher from Holland, completed their two-week expedition on the Pere Marquette River Friday as part of Fly Rod & Reel Magazine's 2004 Trout Bum Tournament.
This is the fourth year that Fly Rod & Reel sponsored the contest. The magazine gives teams $500 to spend on their trips with the incentive to have as much fun as possible as they chronicle their trips.
Like true trout bums, anglers are encouraged to go out and interact with people during their stops. Anderson and Lindberg received free meals, lodging and even had their vehicle topped off with gas along the way.
"We fully expected to spend the full $500 putting gas in the tank," Anderson said.
But instead of just allowing anglers to frolic on the rivers and lakes, the contest this year required them to raise funds for a nonprofit organization.
The added incentive was inspired by the winners of last year's contest, the Foxy Fishers, who raised money for Casting For Recovery, an organization that teaches woman who have had breast cancer how to fly fish.
"Basically, we saw a good idea and this year we had the teams raise money for conservation and nonprofit groups," said Jim Reilly, the assistant editor for Fly Rod & Reel. "That will be (the) deciding factor - who raises the most money and who has the most fun."
Dubbed team Leaky Waders, the Michigan pair decided to raise funds for Anglers of the AuSable, an organization founded in 1987 that works to protect the AuSable River from pollution and development.
Team Leaky Waders started its sojourn in the Traverse City area, where the men fished the Boardman and Platte rivers for trout and Grand Traverse Bay for carp.
The anglers then headed to Grayling, where they fished on the Main Branch and South Branch of the AuSable River. In the Upper Peninsula, they cast their lines on the Fox, Yellow Dog and Paint rivers and fished Fortune Lake for bass.
The anglers then fished the Sturgeon River in Indian River and on the Jordan River near Alba.
The anglers say they met several interesting characters, including author Jerry Dennis, along the way and raised several thousand dollars.
"It's been one good experience after another," Anderson said.
Anderson, who has 2-year-old twins, and Lindberg, who has a 1-year-old boy, said they appreciated having time to fish beyond just a couple of hours at a time.
"I'd love to have this type of experience again, but with my son and my wife," Lindberg said.
The teams and Fly Rod & Reel would not release an early tally on how much the teams raised, since the overall contest ends in August. Up for grabs is $2,500 from Fly Rod & Reel and $5,000 from Ford Motor Company.
Four other teams, including Michael and Glen Carl, a father-and-son team from Marcellus, as well as anglers from Colorado, Minnesota and Missouri are in the contest.