Military veterans get chance to fish with pros

SHORTER, Ala. (WSFA) - On a scorching July morning in Alabama, ten people paired up and did some fishing. The day was filled with lines flying, reels cranking and splashing fish dangling from the hooks.

The teams catching these fish are pretty unique. Each boat had a pro bass angler and a military member who served our country. It’s all thanks to the group Fallen Outdoors. It provides veterans with special outdoor adventures free of charge.

“Fallen Outdoors is an all-veteran, volunteer non-profit,” said David Shea with Fallen Outdoors. “We serve over 200,000 veterans currently.”

The boat we followed had two men from Alabama.

“I live in Shorter, Alabama, and I’m a professional angler,” said fisherman Mark Daniels Jr.

“I was a sergeant in the Marine Corps,” said Mobile resident Kris Guy. “I was in there six years.”

To get to go out with a pro was quite a treat.

“I’ve been fishing my whole life with my dad and paw paw. To fish with a pro fisherman, that’s something some people will never get to do in their lifetime,” said Guy.

For the pros, it’s quite an honor.

“We don’t get to do this very often,” said pro angler Daniels Jr. “When I say that, I mean give back directly to our veterans. On social media, we can thank them verbally. It’s a different connection when you actually meet someone who was in the field, went through things, sacrificed things, and seeing things we can’t fathom.”

“I’ve never really felt like I did anything special, so the fact that people go to lengths to do stuff for us really means a lot,” said Guy.

At the end of the day, it’s just two guys fishing with the same goal.

“It’s so gratifying to see the look on somebody’s face as they’re fighting a fish,” said Daniels Jr. “I mean, they are literally playing tug-of-war with this fish, but at the same time have a big grin.”

As they rode back in, it probably didn’t last long enough for the pro or the veteran, but they’ve got some great fish stories to tell and the receipts to prove it.

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