On Saturday, August 3rd, the Reel Blessed Chapter of Fishing’s Future held our fourth event of the year at the Port Saint Lucie Botanical Gardens. Despite the looming threat of Tropical Storm Debby, the event turned out to be a memorable experience for all.

All week, the weather was questionable due to the threat of Tropical Storm Debby. By Friday evening, the forecast predicted a 20% chance of rain at 10:00 a.m., increasing to 35% later in the afternoon with thunderstorms. Given that we usually proceed if there’s less than a 50% chance of rain, we decided to move forward with the event and informed the families accordingly.

I arrived at the Port Saint Lucie Botanical Gardens at 7:30 a.m. Shortly after, our volunteers started arriving to help set up. We finished setting up just in time for the families to start arriving. We were expecting a good turnout with 53 participants signed up. Additionally, two families inquired about joining last minute, and we welcomed them despite the registration being closed. At the start of the event at 9:00 a.m., we had 11 families with a total of 28 participants.

We began with a prayer, introduced our volunteers, and acknowledged our sponsors, who make these no-cost events possible. After the introduction, we covered water safety and then divided the families into three groups: one for tackle instruction, one for casting practice, and one for setting up rods with 1/32 jig heads and crappie max soft plastics.

Unfortunately, 45 minutes into the event, the skies darkened, and thunder rumbled. Checking the weather, we saw lightning within 14 miles, so for everyone’s safety, we distributed the tackle bags and concluded the event early. This served as a valuable lesson on the importance of weather awareness when fishing.

Each tackle bag included:

– Paddle tails (provided by Salt Strong)

– Jig heads (provided by A&S Jigs)

– Pliers (provided by Danco Pliers)

– SNIP fishing line cutters (provided at cost by Boomerang Tool Company)

– Hooks, bobbers, split shots, 1/32 jig heads, and one package of Crappie Max (provided by Reel Blessed)

Since we had fewer participants, each child received their own tackle bag.

Despite the weather cutting our event short, it was a successful family fish camp. Families bonded, made memories, and left with smiles on their faces. Tania and I extend our best wishes to all fellow anglers. May your fishing adventures be safe, blessed, and filled with tight lines and good times! Until next time, keep casting and chasing those dreams on the water.