Fishermen Making A Difference

Fishing has always been a popular past time in our part of Virginia.  Over the years, tournament fishing has become more and more popular as teams and individuals compete to see who get not only the bragging rights, but in some cases some pretty nice prizes ranging from fishing gear to money, and in some cases even vehicles and boats.  One local fisherman has found a way to combine the love of fishing with a way for people to give back and help out some worthy causes, and it's growing bigger each season.

Dwayne Linkous of Dublin is the President and founder of "Fishing For Charities", a tournament trail that holds tournaments throughout Virginia, North Carolina, and Tennessee.  Linkous has been an active tournament fisherman for years.   One of the main motivations behind setting up the club is his son.Raiden, who suffers from Neiman Pick Disease.

While those who participate in these tournaments can still win money and other prizes, the main purpose is to raise money for a variety of charities.  This years tournaments will support such charities as The Wounded Warrior Project, the Make a Wish Foundation of Greater Virginia, the Autism Society of East Tennessee, the Neiman Pick Disease Foundation, Relay for Life, and Victory Junction.

Last seasons schedule included tournaments at Cherokee Lake in Tennessee, Lake Anna here in Virginia, Douglas Lake in Tennessee, Claytor Lake, Lake Norman in North Carolina, and Smith Mountain Lake.   The 2011 schedule looks to include all of those from the 2010 schedule except for Lake Anna, and includes Lake Hickory in North Carolina and South Holston Lake at the Tennesee/Virginia border.  The action is set to get officially underway on April 2 with the Lake Hickory tournament.

If you would be interested in either fishing in this tournament trail or helping out as a sponsor or donor, feel free to visit their website at http://www.fishingforcharities.net/.