Oct 16, found a massive show of support provided by every branch of the Army, Navy, Air Force and MarineBassAnglers from the ArmyBassAnglers HQ at the 2010 Fishing for Freedom Bass Fishing Tournament on Choke Canyon Lake hosted by the Quality Bass Club of San Antonio, TX.
This year's event provided wounded soldiers from Brook Army Medical Center with a chance to go fishing at one of Texas's premier lakes in the country. At 0730 volunteers from all across the country began arriving at Calliham ramp in preparation for the day's events. Most notable was the Coalition Pro Staffers from ArmyBassAnglers, David Burns, Jeff Foley and Sandy Silvas, drove over 16 plus hours, all the way from CA and AZ just to be a part of the event.
This year's event featured wounded soldiers and Coalition Pros from all branches of Service. "What a great event and this year was just a bit more special as this was the first event for several of the Coalition Pros to attend and execute the Mission Statement. The Coalition is a new program and we are very excited about how well it has been received and how well the Coalition are stepping up to the "Call to Duty" to support such great events as Fishing for Freedom. They truly are force multipliers on an exponential level. They make it possible for us to take even more and more Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines out fishing all across the country," said President/Pro Cody Roberson.
This year the event was also filmed by Veterans Outdoors with host Wes Higgins in attendance supporting the event. The show will be featured on the Sportsmans Channel and air in 2011.
New ArmyBassAnglers Coalition Pro David Mcilwain, out of San Antonio, was in attendance along with other members of the Coalition, "My Warrior had his brother with him, so we paired up with another boat and did a tandem boat team effort to provide more deck space and fished side by side. Between both boats, we caught 1 gar, 9 bass, and 2 catfish. Fishing was slow until the wind picked up and the catch was relatively small, but they had a great time."
Not only did every Angler have a great time, but ArmyBassAngler sponsors made the event even more special by donating a 300 lb broadcast feeder and a custom grill all from All Seasons Feeders, rods from Castaway and Gary Dobyns, TipSee Lights, Soft plastics from Lake Fork Trophy Lures. Additionally, special prize packages were made up for each of the lucky soldiers that got to fish with the ArmyBassAnglers Pro Staff that included products from Oakley, TipSee, Faculty of Fishing, Lake Fork Trophy Lures, Victory Tackle, JaRod Jigs, All Seasons Feeders, Aggregate Haulers, Castaway, Ardent, Zero Tolerance Knives, The Rod Glove, Choke Canyon Lodge, Skeeter Boats, Bass Pro Shops, Speedpro, ArmyBassAnglers, FirstCommand, Mt Borah and all the ArmyBassAngler Sponsors and Supporters. "Without the support of our sponsors, it would be impossible to provide such wonderful gifts to these deserving heroes. It's the least we can do and the sponsors want nothing more to extend that support by saying "thank you" with some special gifts just for them," stated Roberson.
Following the event was an incredible lunch hosted by Quality Bass. Everyone has plenty to eat and drink while all the honor and awards were handed out. The winning bass was just over 8 lbs. "This day's not about winning it's about showing our support and having some fun for a few hours fishing and we did just that-Mission accomplished," stated Chuck Guthrie.