That's right 11 years. I went to my first Project Healing Waters event today. It's called the Mossy Creek Invitational and this was their fifth year doing this event. Arrived a little early(I was up all night) I felt like a child the night before Christmas. At 8:30 a.m. we started. There were 12 wounded warriors including yours truly. Two soldiers on a team with a monitor and a guide that bounced between two teams. We got to our beat and I was the first to wet a line. Only one person could fish at a time. I had my trusty 6'6" 3wt and cast a dry fly. On my first presentation I hooked what looked to be well over 22" BAM snapped my tippet so, I put on a 8lb tippet and cast again, there went the fly and landed the first fish of the morning. 19-1/2". First fish had to be scored but on the second fish you can either measure it or put him back and hope to catch a larger fish. My second Rainbow was 14-1/2 so I threw him back and caught another fish, this time 22-1/2". My teammate fished and caught two right at 20" or so. This was the end of the morning session.

We had barbarque chicken and all the fixings. After lunch was off to a new spot and I caught another 20" Brown and another 20-1/2" Rainbow and my partner caught two fish in the 20" range. Fished the afternoon out and went back to have dinner, we had filet minour and potatoes. They raffled off alot of stuff of which I won a New 3wt 5'9" rod, sock and tube, a nice water color painting of a person fly fishing on what looks to be Mossy Creek and a Orvis sweater for the wife. PHW also gave the 12 warriors a Orvis sling pack in digi camo with clippers and hemostats, indicators and a box of hand tied flies specifically for Mossey Creek. After it was all over, one of the PHW guys asked me to go to his vehicle which he proceeded to give me a 8' 5wt Bamboo Rod. Man what an awesome day. Best day I've had in 11years and tommorrow we will be skeet shooting for the day. Did I say what an awesome day I had?