New York B.A.S.S. Nation hosts "Take a Soldier Fishing"

On Saturday April 29, 2017; the NY B.A.S.S. Nation held itâs 9th event of âTake a Soldier Fishingâ on Oneida Lake. 82 boaters came from 3 different states to take 158 soldiers out for a free day of fishing. Many of these soldiers were from Fort Drumâs 10th Mountain Division, in Watertown, NY. The 10th Mountain Division has been deployed the most times to Iraq and Afghanistan. Onondaga County Parks opened the park up for us early and the New York State Department of Conservation allowed the soldiers to fish free for this event. Boaters supplied any tackle that the soldiers might need.

Sunrise on Oneida Lake

Soldiers and Boaters register for todayâs event. New York State Department of Conservation allowed the soldiers to fish today without a license.

Cpl. Kyle Scheneider Foundation plays a very important part in todayâs activities

Rods, baits, and tackle given out to the soldiers for theirs to keep. Boaters supply all the necessary life jackets and any additional fishing equipment that the soldiers might need. Rods were purchased at a discount from Bass Pro Shops of Auburn, NY and by the NY B.A.S.S. Nation through generous donations from the public and companies.

Marines- Brandon, Andrew, and Neil pose with Laurie Schneider, mother of Cpl. Kyle Schneider.

Organizers of the event (L-R) â Brian Eisch (10th Mt. Division Ft. Drum, wounded in Afghanistan. Burnie Haney (Master Sgt. Retired 27 years, Ft. Drum, former conservation director NY B.A.S.S. Nation). Peter Knight, President NY B.A.S.S. Nation. Mike Cusano (former president of NY B.A.S.S. Nation)

Soldiers and boaters receive final instruction.

Boats ready to go, parking lanes are marked with numbers. Once the soldiers are paired with the boater they drive down to the launch area. From there a group of volunteers do âValet Parkingâ. The boater is given a numbered tag. One set of numbers is left on the dash, and the other part of the tag has the vehicle description, location where parked on it. From there the keys are placed on a board. When the boater returns the number is called out and the valet goes with the keys, retrieves the tow vehicle and the boat and picks up the boater.

The âValet Parking Groupâ, Not only are there drivers, but there are also spotters at the ramps to make sure that all straps and plugs are in place. Also in the parking lot, spotters direct traffic so that all parking spots are filled.

Which keys are mine? This system works well and we launch all 82 boats within approx. 30 mins or so.

The barbecue crew. A group of volunteers that compete on the barbecue system drive many miles to help prepare the food for today. Donations buy the meat and they do the cooking. Hard to set up with the smell of the smokers nearby.