Fishing Trips & Wish Kid Stories

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(general info similar to Home page paragraph, but revised to reference THIS type of wish. For example:

The Outdoor Wish program has been designed to allow children through the age of 17 with debilitating conditions or terminal illnesses an opportunity to experience fishing trip adventures in a way they would not otherwise have the chance to do.  B4K has teamed up with _______________ to help provide these wishes for our kids. See below some of the kids Benefit4Kids has been able to help through our Outdoor Wish Fishing Trips program. 

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Bridger Card - Alaskan Salmon Fishing Adventure

"What an amazing trip! Ed was fantastic and put together an incredible trip for Bridger. He will never forget this experience and his love for life and the outdoors will be with him forever! I'll give you a run down of how it went and attach some photos. I'll also make some hard copies of pictures and send them to you as soon as possible.
Day one: We flew into Anchorage and Ed met us at the airport with the motor home, We picked up some groceries and then drove down to Portage Glacier to our first camp.
Day two: Ed picked us up at Portage with his boat and we made our way to Whittier by way of a 3 mile long tunnel (an experience in its own right) put the boat in at the marina and headed out to look for Chum Salmon. On the way out to the fishing grounds we came across a pod of Minki whales and enjoyed them and the beautiful scenery. After a 1 hr boat ride, we started to troll for Salmon and it didn't take long before we started to hook up on Chum Salmon and had a great time. In one area we saw about 30 Bald Eagles feeding on salmon all around us. After a few hours of salmon we went to a new area to fish the bottom and we were able to catch many Greenling and a few rockfish. What a great start. We then put the boat back on the trailer and made our way back to camp. The boys had to hike up to a snow cave along the way that was beautiful. We got back in the motor home and drove to Seward where we spent the night next to the ocean.
Day Three: Woke early and walked along the beach and saw our first Sea Otter and watched him play in the ocean for a while then went and found Ed at the marina to start the next day of fishing. Another hour boat ride with amazing scenery and we started to troll for Silver Salmon. We started to pick up fish here and there and Bridger was in heaven. As we trolled near shore, Bridger caught a black Rockfish about 5 lbs and thought he might want to get serious about them in the afternoon. After a few more Silvers and another encounter with a whale, Bridger talked us all into fishing for Rockfish. What a great idea that turned out to be. We moved to a new area and started to jig for Rockfish and caught 5 pounders as fast as we wanted. We also started to drop a big jig to the bottom and started to hook up on large Ling cod. Up to 40 Lbs!!! What an amazing creature. We practiced catch and release for the majority of the afternoon and had a ball on some big fish. After all that we made the long drive to Homer.
Day Four: We woke early and fished the Homer fishing hole on our own and managed to land 6 King salmon of about 15-25 lbs on our own (The big one got away). We then got on the water taxi to Seldovia that took us buy bird Island with many varieties of birds, Sea Lions, Otters, and again some amazing scenery. We got checked into our hotel in Seldovia and then decided to try our hand at some King salmon in Seldovia slough that afternoon. We managed to land 2 about 30 and 35 lbs. They are progressively getting bigger!

Day Five: We Got on the boat with Bill and Bob to fish for Halibut and had a wonderful day of catching one after another of delicious bottom fish. We kept enough to fill a cooler and had a great time doing it. The best part is, none of us got seasick. After cleaning our catch we got back on the "taxi" to Homer and the Motor home and then made our way to Soldotna.
Day Six: 5:30 am we got on the boat with Jon Sheffrey and went after the mighty Keni River Kings. What a great guide he was and we can’t thank him enough for the time he showed us. We caught 7 kings that day including a monster of 48 lbs, 50" long and 27" around (what do we need to do to get a glass mount of this fish?) It was the big fish of the trip and we were all very excited to say the least. This was a morning none of us will ever forget. We drove from there to the Russian River campground and spent the evening fishing for Red salmon. Hooked a few but kind of slow.
Day Seven: Slept in today as I think we are all a little beat but then fished for Reds and a few Rainbows, caught enough to keep it interesting but then we took a hike to the Russian Falls to watch the Salmon leap up the river toward their spawning grounds. What an incredible place Alaska is. We then drove back to Anchorage and met Ed again. I can’t tell you enough how wonderful he was to us the entire trip. This is truly a great man and outdoorsman. We feel we have made a friend for life and would like to send our warmest wishes to him and his wife. Thanks again for all you did for Bridger and our family."

​B4K Notes: Bridger's trip was arranged by Ed Schlief of Alaska Bowhunting Supply. Travel expenses for Bridger and his family were paid for in part by Lee Morrow of QuantumAI. All other expenses were covered by Benefit4Kids

Jacob Wiltse from MI - Fishing Adventure

JD Sypniewski​

(Need JD's story? It's not on current website)

Kevin Hertz from MI - Alaskan Salmon Fishing Adventure

The experience of a lifetime: Michigan boy visits Kenai Peninsula, reunited with doctor
​By Mike Nesper | Peninsula Clarion


Having battled cancer most of his life, when 14-year-old Kevin Hertz's pediatric oncologist, Merlin Hamry, told him he was moving to Alaska, Kevin and his family were devastated. Hamry had a well-established rapport with Kevin and treated him for eight years after Kevin was diagnosed with a brain tumor at age three.
So when a second tumor developed in Kevin's brain at age 12, he and his family were without Hamry's familiar face. Prior to leaving Michigan for the Last Frontier, Hamry told Kevin to take a fishing trip and come visit him.
Thanks to Benefit 4 Kids, a nonprofit organization that grants outdoor life wishes to children with life-threatening or life-limiting illnesses, Kevin was reunited with his former doctor.
"Wow. How do you explain a place that beautiful?" said Kevin's mom, Karen. "We want to go back."
Kevin, along with his parents and brother, left their Sterling Heights, MI home August 3 and spent a week in Alaska.
Kevin and his family first visited the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center in Portage.
"That place was just amazing," Karen said.
The Hertzs then went to Soldotna and fished for two days on the Kenai River.
"It was thrilling," Karen said. "We did really, really well in the fishing department."
Kevin and his family caught silver and king salmon, Dolly Varden's and rainbow trout, said Val Early, of Early's Lodge, where the Hertz family stayed.
"I caught a lot of fish," Kevin said.
"They were a lot of fun to have," Val said. "We had a great time."
During his time in Soldotna, Kevin got a visit from his former doctor and the two fished together, fulfilling Kevin's plan to visit Alaska and his ex-oncologist.
"He's a very, very nice doctor," Karen said.
The Hertzs didn't stay in Soldotna long. After two days of fishing, they were off to Seward for a behind-the-scenes tour of the SeaLife Center, where Kevin was able to touch an octopus, dissect a squid and feed a puffin.
Kevin's final adventure was had in Whittier, where he and his family enjoyed a cruise of Prince William Sound. Kevin was able to hold a piece of a glacier while on the cruise.
Karen said Prince William Sound was breathtaking.
"We couldn't ask for a better trip," she said. "The best trip we've ever had."
After being home for just over two weeks, Karen said the trip is still fresh in her mind.
"I still beam when I talk about Alaska," she said.
"It was awesome," Kevin said. "I definitely want to go back again."
Kevin said he started saving all of his change so he can visit Alaska again in the future.
Karen said Benefit 4 Kids arranged the entire trip, which was a nice break in her typical routine.
"When your child is sick, everything is on you," she said. "They took that responsibility away from us."
"It's a really rewarding experience," Val said about being involved in Kevin's trip. "It's always nice to give back."
Val said she was thrilled to be a part of building memories for years to come for Kevin and his family.
"I was really happy that we had the opportunity to help," Val said. "I had a really nice time with him."
Mike Nesper can be reached at [email protected].
​

Michael Bishop from KY - Fishing Adventure

Nicholas Wallace from FL - Alaska Salmon Fishing Adventure with Steve McNair

​A ONCE IN A LIFETIME ALASKAN ADVENTURE

Our journey started out in New Port Richey, Florida at 5:15 a.m. on Monday, August the 11th. Grandma Ona arrived to bring us to Tampa Airport. Our flight took off right on schedule. We arrived in Houston for a 3 hour lay over. We used some time to eat lunch at the food court. Due to volcanic activity on the Aleutian Islands our stay in Houston was extended by another hour and our route was changed to include a stop for fuel in Seattle which added about another 1.5 hours to the flight. The Scenery throughout the second part of the flight was amazing.

We arrived in Anchorage at around 6:30 p.m. Alaska time(10:30 p.m. Florida time) it was a long day and not over yet. We grabbed our bags and headed to the shuttle to pick up our car. When we were put in a Dodge Charger, the boys were both very excited. We next found our way to the Millennium Hotel. The directions were terrific. After checking in and finding our room we decided to find something to eat and do some exploring. So we drove around for a little while and settled on a Village inn for a late dinner. At this time it was 8:30 Alaska time and way past our bed time. We headed back to the hotel and all crashed out quickly.

Tuesday morning wake up was not to bad, 7:00 a.m.. We explored the lake behind the Hotel briefly then hit the road at 8:00 a.m.. The ride to Sterling was very beautiful. We took many pictures. We made our way to the Great Alaska Adventure Lodge. Tami checked us in and we purchased our fishing licenses we had a nice lunch at the lodge with a couple of other guests then had a brief orientation. 

At 12:30 we were introduced to Cullen, our guide for the day. We quickly headed up the Kenai River for a Trout fishing trip in a drift boat. Nick caught the most fish on that trip but Dad caught the biggest.  We caught a bunch of Rainbow Trout and a  couple of Dolly Verdun. Cullen said that the Dolly that Nick caught was the biggest of the season so far a 7 pounder. We fished until about 6:00. Happy hour at the lodge was 7:00 for drinks and hoursderves. That is also the time to meet the guide for the next day. We were introduced to Dave. We were scheduled for Salmon fishing trip with Dave on a power boat . The wake up was set for 4:15 a.m., breakfast at 4:45 a.m. and departure at 5:15 a.m.. The dinner bell rings at 8:00. We had a fresh baked Halibut dinner.  After dinner we went down to the beach at the lodge to fish. The beach closes at 10:00 p.m. so we went to bed.

The Wednesday wake up call actually came at 4:05 a.m..  We got up and ready none the less. We hit the breakfast table for a great breakfast prepared by Stanley. While you eat breakfast you have to make your sandwich and pack your lunch for the day. We met Dave and headed off to the river.   After putting the boat into the water and a short cold boat ride we were ready to fish. Dave prepared our poles and we had hooks in the water.  It didn’t take long to start catching fish. Steven caught the first Salmon. After that the fish came fairly steadily. We caught our limit of 8 keepers and many others. Nick caught the biggest, just over 15 Lbs. Dad caught 2 that were right about 15 Lbs. Steven caught the last one to make our limit so we headed back to the docks. It was a very cool morning with on and off rain but it was some awesome fishing. Dave the guide loaded up the boat onto the trailer and we headed back to camp. After we returned Dave cleaned and weighed the fish. Then we took some pictures. We were all ready for a nap. It was around 12:30. We took some time for a rest. Once we woke up dad and the boys went down to the river to do some more fishing from the shore at the lodge. We didn’t have much luck, but it was very relaxing. So we got cleaned up for happy hour and dinner. Dinner was BBQ chicken. We had a nice time and met A father and son from West Virginia.

Thursday wake up call was 4:45 a.m.. Breakfast at 5:15. It was biscuits and gravy day. As Stanley says Marine Corp. recipe no. 33-69. Dad and the boys chowed down and Kara packed their lunches. Dad Nick and Steven met Zack to head to the upper Kenai to start drifting down the river trying to catch some Rainbow Trout.  Not long after we got going, we noticed a big black bear following us down the river he kept up with us for a while but then we lost him. Steven caught the first fish again. It was a big Sock Eye Salmon. A fun catch but it was not in season. We drifted for almost 20 miles back down to the lodge through some very beautiful scenery. We did not catch as many fish today but it was a great day. Zack was very patient with all of our snags. When we got back to the lodge Kara had us ready to head out to Seward. So after packing up, we headed out. It was cold and rainy weather. We had a nice relaxing drive to Seward. The directions again were right on the money. We pulled in to the Windsong lodge checked in and drove to our room. It was very nice and looked as if it was brand new. After settling in we decided to go to the resurrection café for dinner. We watched some football in the lounge and enjoyed a nice dinner. Then we went back to the room and watched some more football and called it an early night.

Friday morning was nice to sleep in a little. We got ready to go into Seward. We scouted the area for a bit and found all of our stops for the day. Now it was time for breakfast. We enjoyed a nice buffet. Now we were ready to go to the Sea Life Center. We had a wonderful tour by Trisha Crawford. It is an amazing place. We really learned a lot from it. Now it was time to grab a quick lunch and head over to the Kenai Boat tour. We boarded the boat at 3:00 and headed out. It was a beautiful boat with about 40 people on board. The captain was very helpful in pointing out the sights to see. We saw Sea Lions, Sea Otters, Seals, Whales, Bears and a beautiful glacier. Dinner was served on board and was a very delicious piece of Salmon.  The sights were incredible. The weather was rough, very cold and rainy. We got back to the lodge at about 9:30 p.m.. We caught up on  the news and hit the sack.

Saturday was a relaxing morning. We got up and out the door at 10:00 a.m.. We went back into Seward for some breakfast and shopping. We walked around town for a couple of hours then headed over to Coopers Landing. We got to the Drifters Lodge at about 1:00. Our room was not ready yet so we did some sight seeing for a couple of hours that is when we saw a wild Moose. Then we returned to the lodge. The hosts were very gracious there. They are very nice people.  We settled into our room and checked out all of the amenities at the lodge. We caught an early dinner near by and returned  to enjoy the camp fire. We met a nice group of fisherman from near by Bradenton Florida. Next we went up to the room. The boys watched a video, Dad read a book and Kara Crashed out for the night.

Sunday so soon! We got up and had some breakfast at the lodge. Then we loaded up the car and headed back towards Anchorage. We made a couple of stops to see some wildlife along the way. First we stopped into the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. It was a great opportunity to see some amazing creatures up close. After that we stopped with the rest of the traffic to see the wild Mountain Sheep. They were beautiful. Still heading north we finally hit Anchorage. There we stopped for some food. The boys wanted Taco Bell. Right after that we found a great Mexican restaurant almost right next store. It was very good. Next we headed over towards the airport to watch some of the pontoon planes take off and land. Now it was time to get going so we headed towards Budget to drop off the car. We hopped the shuttle to the airport and checked our bags for the flight home. We checked the flight and found are gate. Now it was time to wait for a little while, but everything was on schedule. We boarded the plane to Houston. Next we grabbed some breakfast in Houston airport. It was a very long night. The flight to Florida seemed to go by fast though. We arrived home right on schedule Monday Afternoon.

​It was truly an amazing time and place. Our memories of Alaska will always be in our hearts.  We can not even begin to say how thankful that we are.

​The Wallace Family

Ricky Rojeski from MI - Alaskan Fishing Adventure

Ryan Markland - New Jersey Deep Sea Fishing Trip

10 Year Old Ryan Markland from Livonia MI suffers from Friedreich's Ataxia Hyper-trophic Cardiomyopathy which is a form of Muscular Dystrophy. Ryan is progressively getting worse and has numerous doctor visits this month and next to determine the best solution, which will probably include placing a rod along side his back to aid his spine, in the next few months. Ryan is somewhat mobile yet, but his mom tells me that things don't look good in the near future and Ryan will more than likely become permanently wheel chair bound by this time next year. Currently doctors are worried about his heart also.

Ryan LOVES to fish and wants to go Deep Sea Fishing! Sometimes things just happen for a reason and shortly before meeting Ryan, Benefit4Kids received an email from a Captain Brian Cristy from Cope May, New Jersey offering up a deep sea fishing trip! Plans are still being made as I type this, but we will probably be sending Ryan and his family to New Jersey sometime in mid May to fish for Stripers and Drum. Then they will spend a day at Baures Preserve, which is a private fishing pond not very far from Cape May, fishing for a variety of fish! 
Just as they always do, this trip is coming together just great! Ryan and his family will be flying out of Detroit on May 15th and headed for Philly, where they pick up there rental car and make the drive to Ocean City, New Jersey. There they will meet with Captain Brian Christy as he shows them his Beach House in Ocean City where Ryan and his family will be spending the week!

They will be Deep Sea Fishing for Drum and Stripers, along with taking a trip to Baures Pond, which is a stock fishing pond to enjoy another day of what Ryan LOVES to do.... FISH!!! Throughout the week, they will be sight seeing around the Ocean City New Jersey area, visiting a local Zoo, relaxing in the sun and sand, and reeling in trophy Drum, Stripers, Striped Bass, Trout, etc!

A huge THANK YOU goes out to Captain Brian Christy who has went above and beyond the call of duty by donating not only his fishing trip and beach house, but also gathering up donations and support from local businesses to take care of the family while they are there! He is in the middle of getting a website made up, but when he does I will post it for everyone to see just what kind of people help us out and believe in what we do! Thank you Brian for your Donation and kindness to helping Ryan realize live his dream!!! 
A few final plans are left to be made but the trip is set and May 15th - 19th 2006 will find yet another Wish Kid living their Dream because of our generous supporters like yourself!
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Well after a short plane delay due to weather this morning, Ryan and his family are safely in Ocean City New Jersey getting ready to live his dream of going Deep Sea Fishing!

A HUGE THANK YOU goes out to Captain Brian Christy for helping us out so much with this trip! Captain Brian is going to be taking Ryan and his mom out to sea tomorrow morning fishing for Stripers and Drum, and Brian tells me the big fish are in and hungry! Ryan will also be fishing at Bauer’s Pond, a locally owned stocked fishing pond this week, thanks to Joe Bauer. The family will also be taking in the sights of the NJ coast, while staying in Captain Brian's Beach house all weekend and also visiting a local zoo and aquarium!
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​Late last night the phone rings and on the other end is a very happy and tired Captain Brain Christy of FreeSpool Fishing Charters. Captain Brian was finally on his way home after dropping Ryan and his mom off at the beach house after a fun filled, and VERY SUCCESSFUL day in the Delaware Bay Deep Sea Fishing! Brian said everything was a complete success and some of the biggest fish he's seen come into a boat in a long time were landed yesterday after Ryan fought them till they gave up! Stripers ranged from 26 - 32 Pounds and Ryan had a smile on his face the entire time!!! The action never stopped and numerous fish were caught.
The family was going to travel to a local zoo today, sight see around Ocean City New Jersey and enjoy the day together, then tomorrow they are off fishing again either back onto Captain Brian’s boat as a surprise to try their luck at Flounder fishing, or over to Bauer’s Pond, which is a local stocked pond with all kinds of fish for Ryan to catch all day long!

Ryan and his family had a great time and couldn't stop thanking us for everything we did. This trip wouldn't have been possible without the help of Captain Brian Christy of Free Spool SportFishing! He is the one who deserves all the credit for making Ryan's dream come true by taking Ryan and his family fishing, allowing them to stay at his beach house, taking time out of his day to gather community support in the Cape May NJ area by gathering gift certificates from local restaurants so the family could eat free, etc. It is because of guys like Captain Brian, and all of you that support us 100%, we are able to put the smiles on the faces of these kids such as you see on Ryan's face below! 
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On a sad note, Ryan is going through a real rough time right now, as he does each summer from what I understand. Doctors can't figure it out and Ryan gets real sick to his stomach, can't hold any food down, and gets very dehydrated. Ryan has been in and out of the hospital since he got back from NJ and could really use everyone's prayers right now. He also faces a risky surgery soon to allow him to sit upright which is needed to reduce stress and trouble with his heart! Please keep Ryan in your prayers!

Timothy Larson Fishing Trip with Jimmy Houston

The following words are from Diane Larson posted on a care page of which allows family and friends to keep continuous updates on Timmy’s condition. This website is updated as much as Diane can get on and update it while staying at the Ronald McDonald House while Timmy is going through treatments. Timmy is still going through numerous medical battles months after this dream fishing trip with Jimmy Houston. Within the past couple months, Jimmy Houston’s wife, Chris, has traveled to MI to visit Timmy in the hospital and told him when he beats the cancer that battles with him, he and his family are invited back down to Okalahoma to once again go fishing with Jimmy! Timmy is looking forward to this trip to say the least! Please keep Timmy and his family in your prayers as he has a long ways to go…..

"We had a great trip! Thanks to Benefit4Kids (B4K.org) Jimmy Houston and the Bass Pro shop, Timmy was treated like a little king. He had a lot of fun! We spent one night in the Arbuckle Mountains at a cabin, which was a great outdoor experience. There was 77 foot waterfalls that you could swim by, mountains to climb and caves to explore. I had some great pics from there but somehow lost them on my camera. Timmy was happy because he got to go Rocky Mountain climbing like in his Tim McGraw song. The day spent at Jimmy’s Ranch was another wonderful experience. Timmy got to see lots of deer, elk, a snake and most importantly a lot of FISH!! Jimmy fishes barbless at his lake so sad to say Timmy never got one on his pole, but reeled in many BIG BASS!! He was very happy, but without the barb the fish don't get stuck on there very easy you really have to be paying attention and set the hook. Big Tim caught quite a few Bass the average size was about 5 pounds. I fished all day and only caught one crappie and a lot of snags. That day was definitely a day we will all remember forever! Mrs. Houston told Timmy to fight his cancer and win and he can come back and fish some more so he has another reason to in his words "beat up this cancer." The Houston’s called the Bass Pro shop in Okalahoma City and they gave Timmy the VIP treatment. He got a whole new wardrobe, a luggage case for his pole so he could take it on the plane, and some other goodies he wanted. They fed the fish for him and he got to play all of the shooting games for free and just do and get what he wanted. It was pretty cool! He also did some swimming, putt putting, and go cart riding. It was an all about Timmy week and it was fun for all!!

Lots of Love to all of you,
The Timmy Larson Family

Dolphin/Ocean Adventures          Fishing Trips/Charters          Special Camps/Ranches                    etc                    etc                    etc                    etc