OUTDOORS: Sequim group plans largue Sekiu outing for veterans

SEKIU — A sport fishing fleet 30 vessels strong will provide veterans and active duty military with an outing to remember, a salmon fishing adventure in the Strait of Juan de Fuca on Aug. 15.

The Sekiu Salmon for Soldiers — Summer Salmon Slammin' is organized by Sequim'sDaniel Goettling and Mark Ostroot, members of the Sequim Chapter of Salmon For Soliders, who have put together similar halibut and lingcod outings for more than five years.

A completely nonprofit effort, the duo have provided hundreds of fishing outings for U.S. military veterans and active duty personnel in an effort to offer some relaxation, reduce stress and enjoy a experience with like-minded fishing enthusiasts.

The pair planned to participate in the Salmon For Soldiers Day of Honor fishing event in Everett about six years ago, but had scheduling issues pop up.

Ostroot contacted organizer Randy Shelton asking how the duo could stay involved and Shelton had an easy answer "just take veterans fishing."

"Anybody who fishes with any regularity fishes with their buddy or two buddies and at the end of the day we realized we could fish an extra guy or two or three. And for Dan and I, that became every fishing trip we take has a veteran on board," Ostroot said.

Neither Ostroot or Goettling served in the military, but both are connected via family members, Ostroot has a brother who serves as a nuclear submarine technician in the Navy and Goettling's father also served.

"I have tremendous amount of respect for people who took the prime of their lives and served our country," Ostroot said. "It's certainly a noble cause and my way to show gratitude is to say thanks.

"It's not a shallow 'Thanks for your service'. It's a way to show my passion, not just fishing, but how do I share a passion for this or that, and fishing seems to have a bit of a broader appeal."

"And we wouldn't be doing it if it wasn't fun."

Goettling said being able to provide an uplifting experience is a great reward.

"We recently had a veteran post that he had been in a real slump, a downward spiral," Goettling said. "And he found out about us and said that he had more faith in humanity as a result.

"We've had veterans come from Colorado and Kansas to fish and they may never have a chance to see anything like this again."

Ostroot gets a kick out of seeing people's reactions to the Olympic Peninsula and to catching fish.

He was out fishing Saturday with former Naval corpsman R.J. Ryder and former U.S. Army nurse Lori Hester, who is battling cancer.

"We get a little jaded living here," Ostroot said. "You drive by those Olympic Mountains every day or get out on the water and catch fish and 'Eh, it's just another salmon.' But to see how these folks react to their surroundings and to see Lori catch her first and second salmon was more fun than 95 percent of the fish that I've caught."

And the group hopes to be responsible for continuing to uplift and enrich the lives of vets.

"Twenty-two veterans a day take their own lives in the U.S.," Goettling said. "If we can lower that number by one, then everything has been worth it."

Ostroot and Goettling also are fundraising for their 2022 halibut and lingcod fishing trips with the hope of doubling the number of veterans' fishing excursions next year.

They've set up a GoFundMe account at www.tinyurl.com/PDN-FishingForSoldiers.

"In all the years we've been doing the trips, we've limited each time out," Goettling said.

The Aug. 15 salmon trip will cover fishing licenses, boat and equipment, cleaning fish and an afternoon barbecue.