CORTEZ – In 2013, the Bradenton Elks Club began an annual event to spend a day fishing with local veterans, and 10 years later, it’s still going strong.
This year’s fishing trip featured eight boats and 31 area veterans hitting the water on a sunny Wednesday afternoon, March 22. The trip was made possible by a grant from the Elks’ National Foundation.
“This year, Bob Slicker helped me by putting me in contact with two people, Pete Anderson and Daniel Colson,” Elks member Mike Dinius said. “They reached out to the veterans they know and they put the group together.”
Eight local captains provided their boats and services to make this year’s fishing trip a reality. According to Dinius, the fish were biting that day and the catch was good. Thanks to Slicker’s Eatery owner Bob Slicker, they didn’t have to throw their catches back in the water, since his restaurant had an afterparty where he provided drinks, appetizers and cooked their catch for dinner.
The person on each boat who caught the most fish also won a Slicker’s shirt to remember their successful day on the water.