This Catch of the Week comes from the other side of the world. The Baghdad Anglers Club operates in Iraq and allows a little break for service members who work six and a half days per week to relax and wet a line at the former Presidential Palace, now headquarters of U.S. forces in Iraq.
Tackle U.S. donated some wellneeded terminal tackle to our troops serving in Iraq and a few Tackle U.S. T-shirts as well.
The Baghdad Anglers Club and School of Fly Fishing began as the Baghdad School of Fly Fishing and was founded in the fall of 2005.
With an online bulletin board, the members of that board (www.flyanglers.org) jumped at the opportunity to make the club a reality.
They rounded up corporate sponsors as well as dozens of private contributors and sent thousands of dollars worth of supplies to get things going. Soon they were teaching folks the fundamentals of fly fishing and getting them hooked up with fish, some for the first time in their lives.
For all, it was a welcome opportunity to try something new for recreation and to fish where few would think to fish.
The current club is an outgrowth of the school. During the
2007 tournament held on Camp Victory, it was realized that many service members had heard of the school, but since they did not fly fish, they never looked into it.
So, in an effort to afford the opportunity to as many men and women as possible, they formed the BaghdadAnglers Club. Recently they expanded efforts to support the club to include an online store. All proceeds from sales are used to support the club and Project HealingWaters.
To read more about the club and see some very cool pictures, log on to the website at http://www.baghdadfishing.com.