On Saturday March 25^th, Reel Blessed Chapter of Fishing’s Future held our first event of 2023. It was supposed to be our third event, unfortunately we had to cancel our first two events due to weather. This is the first time in three years Reel Blessed had to cancel any events.

Tania and I arrived at the Port Saint Lucie Botanical Gardens around 7:00am to start setting up our event. Several volunteers were already there waiting for us. We completed setting up about 7:30am and we had two families arrive and registered. I had sent out an email on Wednesday stating registration started at 7:30am and we would start the event promptly at 8:00am; however, it was actually supposed to be 8:30am and 9:00am. I realized my mistake at 8:00am when only two families had arrived. Fortunately, that was the only real hiccup for the day.

By the time the event started, we had 13 families with a total of 34 participants and 19 volunteers. The ratio of participants and volunteers was great, and we were able to provide a lot of one-on-one help to each of the families.

We opened in pray as usual and then broke the families into multiple groups to start the educational portion of our event. Once we had completed teaching our participants how to cast and tie an improved cinch knot, we gathered them up to prepare them to go fishing. We lined the families up and provided them with rods/reels and bait. Once everyone had their equipment and bait, we all went fishing.

We fished from about 9:45am to 10:50am and lots of fish were caught. I believe almost everyone at the event caught at least one fish. We had Bluegill, Cichlids, Blue Tilapia, and Largemouth Bass caught. It was great walking around the pond helping the families and seeing the smiles on the kid’s faces.

Once we wrapped up fishing, we provided a bagged lunch for everyone. Thank you, Synergy Magnet school, for providing the turkey and ham sandwiches as well as the snacks and bottled water. This helped Reel Blessed mission as we feel it’s important for families to have a meal together, unfortunately it’s not as common as it used to be. We even had one of the children volunteer to pray over the food.

Once lunch was over, we had a small competition for the kids, to see who could collect the most trash. The one who came back with the most trash would get to pick out a Salt Strong hat. The winner of the hat picked out a nice gray/white camo hat! Next, we lined the kids up and had them go up to their parents/guardians and thank them for bringing them to the event and to tell them they love them loud enough for everyone to hear.

It was about 12:00pm when we said goodbye to our participants and the volunteers helped break down our event. I cannot say thank you enough to the 19 volunteers we had. Your help makes Reel Blessed’s mission a reality as Tania and I could not do it on our own.

We could not do this without our sponsors and donors either. A few of our sponsors are Fishing’s Future, Salt Strong and Forest to Seas Adventures. Publix on St James drive has provided water for every event. We also have family and friends who have donated to support holding these family fish camps at no cost for the participants. And I cannot forget our partnership with Port Saint Lucie Botanical Gardens and Florida Youth Conservation Centers Network (FYCCN).

If you are looking to help support our mission of “Strengthening the family bonds through the great sport of fishing” you can click the donate link below (put Reel Blessed in the comments) or if you would like to give your time and volunteer reach out to me via the contact button.

Our Next event is April 15^th at the Port Saint Lucie Botanical Gardens. If you’re interested in bringing your family to our event, click the link below to register. This event is completely Free all we ask is that there is at least one parent/guardian to attend the event with the child; however, we would love to see your whole family attend. We also ask you to get a ticket for each family member who will be attending this way we can ensure we have enough equipment and supplies for everyone.

Salt Strong is starting local chapters around the US. Your insider membership will include access to the in-person meetings as well as all the other perks such as 20% off all tackle, Smart Fishing spots, and insider information on trends in your area. Click the link below to get a FREE pack of slam shady or a 10-Day Test-Drive of The Smart Fishing Spots App and The Salt Strong Insider Club . . . And We’ll Ship You $35 Worth of FREE Lures, an “Inshore Fishing Manifesto” Book (Physical copy) & Decals – Yours to Keep Even If You Cancel!