Veterans find peace with fly fishing
Sam Wilson | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 9 years, 6 months AGO
When Randall Vallee leaves his house and heads into town, he’s anxious. He doesn’t feel safe. He doesn’t know what’s going to happen, and he feels like he’s trying to be somebody he’s not.
Last month however, he found some peace of mind for a day — fly fishing on the Kootenai River.
Vallee is a retired Army sergeant who lives in Elk, Washington. He became permanently disabled while fighting in the first Gulf War when a SCUD missile exploded next to him, inflicting extensive injuries to his chest and joints. And like thousands of other veterans, he also struggles daily with post-traumatic stress disorder.
“A lot of people believe if they don’t see a disabled vet missing a limb, they aren’t disabled,” he said. “What they can’t grasp is that a lot of us have internal injuries that they can’t see.”
But on a sunny day in October, his was in good spirits, joining two other disabled veterans for a once-in-a-lifetime fishing trip on the Kootenai.
Since the dam was built in 1972, the roughly 400 yards between the bottom of the 422-foot structure and the David Thompson Bridge has become a haven for monster trout, but regulations limit anglers to casting from the shore. That’s because the variable and unpredictable flows released from Lake Koocanusa by the Army Corps of Engineers, which operates the dam, create a boating safety hazard between the David Thompson Bridge and the foot of the dam.
Enter Dave Blackburn, a long-time fly fishing guide based in Libby.
“I kept looking at that area up there and said, there’s no reason why we can’t take these great guys giving so much to keep this country free, and fish where it’s closed to the general public,” Blackburn said. “Watching a guy who was out on the front lines of war and giving a little back, I think it’s a good deal.”
After years of discussions with the Army Corps of Engineers, Blackburn finally convinced the Corps to let him take a small group of veterans out on a boat to fish the legendary waters, provided they maintained communication with the dam operators to ensure safety.
The forbidden waters might be rough going in a boat, but they’re also home to some massive trout.
“What happens is the salmon get washed out of the reservoir through Libby Dam,” said Mark Deleray, the regional state fisheries manager. “They get disoriented, or cut up or killed, so they’re pretty easy pickings for the fish downstream, and the fish can get pretty large.”
“Pretty large” might be an understatement. In 1982, an angler fishing from the bridge set the state record for the largest rainbow trout, reeling in a mammoth 33-pounder that measured 38 inches long. Blackburn said the catch rate there is usually fairly low, but the fish caught further downstream are frequently in the 20-pound range.
Vallee said he didn’t pull in any record-breakers, but that didn’t stop him from enjoying the rare opportunity.
“You’re doing something that you genuinely love to do in the first place, but you’re doing it in a kind of private setting, with people that you know really care about you,” he said. “It’s really difficult to explain how special that is.”
Just being around other people can be a challenge for Vallee, who takes medication for his condition. He feels nervous in crowds, and said despite the public’s increased awareness of PTSD in recent years, most people still don’t know how to react to someone with the disorder.
“The conceptions that I have run across run the gamut. They look at you like you’re crazy, or they pity you. A lot of people look at you like a deer in the headlights, because they don’t know how to react,” he said. “I try not to talk about my PTSD. I don’t even bring it up if I can get away with it.”
Blackburn is no stranger to dealing with disabled veterans, however, and has been taking groups out for free for years. After the success of last month’s trip, he said he hopes to bring more veteran groups to the spot in the future.
The Libby guide’s generosity has made a difference to Vallee. Casting his line into the clear waters of the Kootenai, he found an all-too-rare sense of camaraderie and acceptance. He’s no stranger to fly fishing, but the privilege of accessing the exclusive spot with his fellow vets, he said, was especially meaningful.
“Out there on the water, you feel completely safe. You’re relaxed, you’re enjoying yourself and you’re not thinking about anything other than fishing and having a good time,” he said. “It’s getting off your mind all the things that are on it every day. You actually get to close the door on that for the time you’re out there.”
Reporter Sam Wilson can be reached at 758-4407 or by email at swilson@dailyinterlake.com.
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