NOXEN, Pa. — It takes some skill and a bit of luck to get a bite in Wyoming County.
"You can fish all day and not catch a fish, or you can fish all day and catch 20 fish," Jeff Mickel said.
"We got some rain yesterday that raised the water and, hopefully, turned the fish on a little bit. Hopefully, they get a little hungry," Dylan Pilger said.
These anglers have all the tools in their tackle boxes to bring in the biggest catch, but the most important piece of this competition is the cause.
"We have eight teams, and each team is fishing in honor of one individual who has fallen," said John Stegura, a U.S. Army veteran.
This group of anglers started out as strangers but now have come together.
"It's great being around some great guys, being out. And even though you don't know anyone, age gap or not, you're all here for one individual thing, and that's fly fishing," Pilger said.
It's the same for so many who serve.
"When you're in the military, especially in you're in a combat situation, you learn to depend on the person next to you, and you become a great big family. That becomes a great big problem for those who come out of the military. They don't have that family anymore," said Stegura, an Army veteran.
Patriot's Cove in Noxen is a place where veterans can find that family once again. This competition is a way to support that.
"They come out here, and all of a sudden, they're out here with people who understand them, people who they understand," Stegura said. "It just becomes so emotional sometimes."
So, as these anglers cast their lines, they realize this Memorial Day weekend is one to remember.
"It's nice to sit back to see what other people did for you so you could be here today," Pilger said.
"We can't forget that every freedom that we have, everything that we really have in this country—and this is a wonderful country—is because of the people who have died before to allow us to have this," Stegura added.