Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing - Appleton, WI Program

08/20/2026

Well, Wed. evening our PHW Appleton had another incredibly successful fishing outing. We put some very good fish in the net! Listening to excited folks landing largemouth, watching participants interact with each other and volunteers smiling and laughing is what it’s all about!! It does an old 1SG’s heart good!! We always talk about “our tribe”, our “community” but SEEING IT, listening to it, experiencing it reinforces why we do this! I love this lil group of eclectic vets that we have gathered together in east central WI!! Camaraderie, community and fly fishing!! This is where “healing happens”! (It’s in the name!)

On another note, we started handing out copies of Sue Kerver’s new book “The Starfish Chronicles” to our participants!

What a great evening with our group!

Healing those that serve!

08/11/2026

One of our participants (Jake Yorkson) up in Canada on a family vacation…. I might add that he caught his first pike on the fly as well) fantastic picture!! Thanks for sharing Jake!

08/09/2026

A heartfelt thank you to Sue Kerver for donating 15 copies of her book The Starfish Chronicles: Rising from Trauma Through Faith, Friendship and Fly Fishing to our program!

We were honored to represent our Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing - Appleton, WI Program at Sue's book signing event — a stop on her Starfish Chronicles Impact Tour — and are grateful she invited us to be part of it. These 15 books will go straight into the hands of our participants, and the subtitle alone tells you why they'll resonate.

Sue's story runs deep: nearly two decades of federal service including over a decade in the U.S. Coast Guard as a licensed Captain, a Montana fly fishing guide, a trauma-informed coach, and founder of Two Gals and a Boat™, her platform for getting more women confidently into the outdoors.

The Impact Tour is her mission to place 600 donated copies with organizations serving veterans and first responders, each one meant to spark conversations about resilience, healing, and connection. We're honored to be one of the receiving organizations.

Thank you, Sue, for your service, your story, and your generosity to our crew. Learn more about her work and the Impact Tour at https://www.suekerver.com/. 🎣

Healing those who serve.🇺🇸

Links:
https://www.facebook.com/share/1FmN6DRTTX/?mibextid=wwXIfr

https://www.facebook.com/share/1CoGuNjT5C/?mibextid=wwXIfr

08/08/2026

This morning volunteer Dustin Carneal took two of our participants, Shane and Mike, out for a half-day float — and it turned into a story worth telling.

It was Shane’s first time ever fishing from a boat, and he made it count: he landed his second-ever smallmouth, and the first fish caught on the Orvis Helios our program raffled off earlier this year! Even better is watching his progression — from catching his very first fish at one of our May outings, on a rod he built himself back in April, to now landing fish from a moving boat and mending his own line on the river. That’s growth you love to see. 🙌

Mike got in on it too, bringing a smallmouth to hand on a streamer he tied himself.

Big thanks to Jeff Vollmer for running shuttle, and to the perfect weather for cooperating. Mornings like this are what it’s all about.

Healing those who serve. 🇺🇸

08/07/2026

The best instructors.

The best fly casting instructors aren't always the ones with perfect loops.

The best volunteers aren't always the ones who know every knot.

The best mentors aren't always the most experienced anglers.

They're the people who make others feel welcome.

Because nobody remembers how impressive you were.

They remember how you made them feel.

08/07/2026

A few more from our 8/5 fishing outing because fishing this good deserves a second post. 🐟

Largemouths in hand, rods bent, and a lot of happy anglers along the bank.

Thank you to our landowners and volunteers who make these evenings happen. Veterans looking to join the next one; drop us a comment or message. There’s always room on the water.

Healing those who serve. 🇺🇸

08/06/2026

Another great Wednesday evening on the water! Twice a month through the warm season, our crew gets together for these outings — whether you’re coming off a long workday or a hard day of retirement 😄 — and tonight didn’t disappoint.

Everyone who came out caught a fish, and a few walked away with a story to tell. 👀👀 (Ask this guy about the two bass…)

A huge thank you to the generous private landowners who open their ponds and make these evenings possible. None of this happens without you.

We’ll be recapping more outings from earlier this season soon — so keep an eye out. And if you’re a veteran who’d like to join us on the water, drop us a message or comment. There’s always room for one more.

Good casts, good company, and fish in hand. That’s a solid Wednesday.

Healing those who serve. 🇺🇸

07/27/2026

🎣 Rewinding to some of our early-season outings — the work that gets our participants ready for time on the water.

Back on April 29th, Jeff Vollmer opened his doors for a crash course in fly fishing essentials, followed by amazing casting instruction from Pam VanErem of Tight Lines Fly Fishing Co.

For many, this was the first time putting a bend in the fly rod they’d personally built earlier that month…. there’s nothing quite like casting a rod you made with your own hands.

Grateful for the volunteers and hosts who pour into this program before anyone ever steps in the river.

Healing those who serve. 🇺🇸

07/26/2026

Another great day on the Menominee River for our annual Project Healing Waters fishing outing!

We set up home base at the park and spread out along the water to cover more river. Each participant paired one-on-one with a volunteer to sharpen their casting and chase that dream 20” smallmouth.

And no PHW outing runs on empty — huge thanks to Jeff Vollmer, our brat and burger grill master, for keeping the crew fed and fired up between casts. 🌭🍔

Good water, good people, and a whole lot of tight lines. That’s what it’s all about.

Healing those who serve. 🇺🇸

04/20/2026