 What is up guys, Joe Holland here. Got a special one for you today. I'm down here in Southern Maine, near Sebego Lake. We got the Otter Ponds right over here. This is the seventh annual Veteran Fishing Day set up by Operation Ray of Light and the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. We have several game wardens here, several members from the state and several volunteers to help out and get some veterans on the water and give them a great time fishing. It is really frigid cold this morning. We're looking at nine degrees Fahrenheit. Got a little bit of wind. It's supposed to get sunny and blue skies today and get up into the mid-20s, which would be really nice. We got a serious cold front moving in. Got some snow yesterday. Looking to have a great day guys. Yeah, that's riding in style right here. I'm sitting on school bus seats. They're getting fired up now. What do you think buddy? Is the reel going? All right, here. I grab that line, pull it, pull it, pull it hard, pull it hard. You got one. He's way off to the side. Throw the line to the side. Throw it down. Oh yeah. Brooke Trout. What do you got? Trout. All right, Joel, show it to the camera. Is it six inches or bigger? Yeah, it's bigger. Oh yeah, way over six. You keeping it or throwing it back? I'm keeping it. Okay. Look at how pretty that fish is. Why don't you wind that up a little and put another bait on it? That was down at the bottom. Joel, good job buddy. Wow, look at how pretty that thing is. Oh, cow. Look at the colors on that. Getting it out from the sun. Wow. If you paint it, that people wouldn't believe you. It's perfect. All right, which pocket do you want it in? I'm just kidding. This one right here. Sorry, I'm getting it in the front. Yeah. All right guys, this is Pete Herring. Pete's the guy who spearheaded this event. And I know he's done a ton of work and he's got a ton of effort going into this, everything from cooking to getting fish in the pond to getting people on the ice to getting the bait and everything else. And we're just really thankful that you're doing this for the veterans and for the sportsmen and everything. This is all about the vets and it's more or less an appreciation for the sacrifices they've made. Them and their families. This is something that's very passionate to me. We started this seven years ago. This is the sixth annual we had to take a year off because of COVID, unfortunately. And that being said, it's near and dear to my wife and I and we started this seven years ago. We had a close friend who committed suicide during the winter months after coming back from the war. And one of the problems was that we found out through his investigation in regards to his death is that these guys don't have a big vent in the wintertime and Maine has hard winters. These men and women, they sit in their house and look at the same four walls. And so our whole object seven years ago was to try to get these guys and girls out and teach them a sport and teach them to appreciate the outdoors. And I felt that by supplying them a hot meal, a hot cabin to fish out of, make everything free, let them come out and really enjoy the sport that, you know, they'd go on to teach their family members and do things as a family-orientated sport. And it's really grown year after year. It's gotten bigger and bigger and bigger logistically. It's a lot of work, but you know, leading up to this. I mean, we supply all the food, all the bait, all the traps. They don't need licenses. Our whole goal is just to come down here, enjoy the day and walk away with memorable experiences. And that being said, it's a very humbling experience for my wife and I and the other wardens that volunteered to help with this. You know, you look back and you watch the smiles and the fish that are being caught and the family-orientated thing. And, you know, getting just even the vets together as a group, you know, those are their peers and it gives them somebody to talk to. And what I have noticed after seven years is a lot of these guys and girls, they've formed their own fishing clubs. And, you know, they go Derby to Derby to Derby and, you know, I kind of follow that process. And, you know, it's humbling for me. And, you know, I'm fortunate working for Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. They give me this platform to be able to do this. I couldn't do it without their support. I couldn't do it without the support of the local vendors who take a really, you know, a big pride in our veterans. And this is a big thank you. And it's a thank you from the community. And without those sponsors and stuff like that, I couldn't pull this off. But each and every year, you know, it gets bigger and we hope it continues to grow. And, you know, like I say, until I retire, I'm going to keep doing it. Well, thank you so much on behalf of the sportsmen and I'm sure on behalf of the veterans, we, you know, we can't thank you enough for what you're doing for these guys and... Well, you know, the thanks goes to these guys and girls. For sure. You know, the sacrifice these folks have made and their families. And, you know, that's where the thanks belongs. Absolutely. Guys, and if you know a veteran at home that maybe has never tried ice fishing or maybe is in a funk or something, bring them out ice fishing. There's nothing better in my opinion than... No, especially on a day like today. Breathe in this fresh air. You know, we always have plenty of food. Oh, yeah. Yeah, what you said earlier, if you go away hungry, it's your own fault. Oh, yeah. No, we supply everything up there. And like I say, it's not cheap stuff. You know, our sponsors give us restaurant quality. That's right. And, you know, I got to give a shout out to the cooks too. You know, the one thing I will say is we're been adopted from the Main Chef's Association. Oh, no kidding. You know, generally three cooks, and they're all veterans. And, you know, they volunteer their time to come down here and cook for people. So, again, it just goes back to the sponsors. This isn't a one-person show. Without the help of everybody, yourself included. We couldn't pull this off here after a year. Yeah, I'm looking forward to it every year. And now guys at home who might want to volunteer or help at all, how can they help in a situation like this? Well, generally, they could reach out and talk to me, you know, call the Main Warden Service. I work out of the gray office. We also promote this on the veterans' websites. It's generally, it's the first or second weekend of January every year. And somebody wants to donate. Somebody wants to reach out and help and come down and spend the day. We'd love to help you. That's awesome. Well, thanks again. This is incredible. Well, thank you. All right. It's running pretty good. It's running. Yeah, it's running. Oh, is it the same one? All right, give it a yank. Give it a yank. All right, that's a good one. That's the same one. Oh, whoa, whoa, whoa. It's a good one. Keep pulling, keep pulling. Oh, yeah. Keep going, keep going, keep going. I hope. Keep going, keep going. One. Whoa. Yeah. Look at the size of that brookie. Nice one. Good job. Biggest brook I've ever seen. That is a big brook trout. All right, there you go, buddy. Bloody. Wanna hold them up? We'll get you on YouTube if you want. Anybody who wants to be on YouTube, jump in there. This is awesome. You like that? Yeah, that's a big one. That is a big, heavy brookie. All right, that's the biggest brookie you ever caught? Yeah. Nice. Beautiful fish, buddy. All right, beauty. All right. Oh, they got one of the jig pole. You got one of the jig pole? Did you get to see it come in? Yeah. This was quick. Wow, you're gonna keep it or let it go? Oh, yeah, I'm gonna keep it. You're keeping that one? Okay. Mom, we're having some good dinner tonight. You got that, right? Oh, yeah. Good job. Do you want to hold that, or do you want to lay it down? Hold it right up for this gentleman's camera right here. All right, guys. They're feeding now, guys. I saw a pile of the years ago. Do you remember arresting this guy about coming over here? He harassed me. Do you remember writing him a ticket right up the road here? I don't. Good. What did I get you for? All right, guys, here. I'm here with Jim. I'm here with Operation Ray of Life. We are having a great day, kids. Oh, there's a kid and a veteran chasing a flag right now about to catch a big brookie. Sorry, we don't have that footage. Well, we'll get you on a long distance, but Jim's, now you helped set this up, right, Jim? Right, we founded this in 2015 to help out with veterans and PTSD support and trying to really build a community of veterans and families and trying to help reduce the 22 veteran suicides a day that take place. And that's where we started the figuring, trying to find something for the winter time with ice fishing. It's being outdoors. It's just kind of a really cool camaraderie and family type event out here. And we are pretty much out every weekend, during the season and we've just consistently been grown them and it sounds like someone's having fun. They just got a big one. Nice, beautiful. I mean, people can check out the website. They can also check out the Facebook sites like our Facebook page. And, you know, if you're a veteran, you're a family, a spouse of a veteran and you wanna get your family out, definitely join the page and then shoot us a message and we definitely can get you guys out in the ice. We also have a lot of different, you know, seasonal activities, whether it be fishing during the summer, bass fishing, you know, there's just a lot of different opportunities. And, you know, we just love getting families out and really building the community that we have, you know, a lot of places have military bases where you have an instant community and in Maine, we don't have that anymore. So we're building our own community here in Southern Maine with our veterans and their families. Got them? Go, Teddy, go, go, go. Hold on. Oh, oh, I feel him. There you go. Yeah! All right, Teddy. That's another one? Probably the other one. Go! Oh, look at how pretty that one is. Woo-hoo! All right, Chris. Nice job. Remember when you hold it out, it makes it look bigger. And get the angle. Nice job, buddy. Nice. Good kick, good hands. Like when up, boys have already gotten there so time for dad to get some. Did you have a long ride to get down here? Yeah, about an hour and a half. Yep. Come up from the mountains. Nice. And you brought the boys and the boys are already catching them. That's right. Yep. You got one already? Yeah. The other boy, I don't know where he is. He's chasing these ass-boxes. That's the beauty. Nice, Brookie. Chris, turn around for a second, guys. There you go. So guys, we have the commissioner here for this department of Inland Fisheries, State of Maine, and we are just so happy to have you with us and we're so happy to have you here and everything that you guys are doing for the veterans. Yeah. And the opportunities in Maine for fishing are just incredible and we really thank you guys for managing all the hard work you do. So is there anything, any thoughts on today? Well, no. I mean, I just want to thank you for being here and helping us promote it. These sorts of events that the department does are kind of core to our mission and we all value our veterans and everything they've done for all of us. And so, this is just one of the littlest things we could do to try and help get folks out. And this is a relatively accessible place so it's a good spot. There's a lot of people in this area, flag. There's a flag, couple flags. Yeah, so it's great to get a great way to get people out in the wintertime and enjoying the natural resources and ice fishing and hopefully exposing, there's lots of kids and grandkids here so exposing more people to ice fishing, giving them some tools. Oh, there's a flag right here. Flag! Flag! Flag! Don't let these fish interrupt us. We can go over and see how they do with you, man. Who's getting this one, guys? Is this Henry's or Teddy's? You guys, you got the commissioners overseeing this, so don't put any pressure on you. Don't drop it. Do not drop it. Great, set that hook. Feel a tug-yank it. Nothing? Wait. Do you want anything? Nope. Oh, he stripped ya. The pressure. Oh, he stripped ya. There's some bait right there, Ben. The pressure. So, Commissioner, I really want to just take a minute to commend you for the wardens at the state. They are the most exemplary of all the people I've met anywhere in the entire U.S. for law enforcement. Yeah, yeah. These guys are just stand-up. They're top notch. Yeah, top notch. I know, you know, 30, 40 years ago, there was a different view, you know, and there wasn't a great relationship between the people and the sportsmen and the wardens, but nowadays it's just hand-in-hand. They're just great guys, and they work really hard to protect our resources. They do. So, I want to definitely commend you on that. On behalf of all the sportsmen in the state of Maine, we really appreciate how hard you guys work. I'm so privileged to work with such an amazing group of people. They're so dedicated and responsible and passionate about so many different things that we oversee and manage, and not just protecting fish and wildlife, but getting people out. I mean, it's a classic example of getting people out and giving them opportunities and reaching out to new audiences. You know, they really do. Wardens really is a face of the agency. They interact with so many people, and, you know, the folks that we have working for us now are just, they are top notch, really. I think they're the best law enforcement in the country. I agree. I've been all over the country and I've met Wardens everywhere. No offense to any of our counterparts. No offense. We have a pretty special group. Yeah, we're proud of our Wardens here in Maine, and they do a great job. The winter's here along. You know, if you're not into skiing, get outside, guys. If you're not into skiing, there's so many opportunities. Snowmobiling. It's a great way to get outside. Ice fishing's the best. It's accessible for folks, and it doesn't require a ton of gear, and, you know, just be sure you check the ice. Oh, yeah, always check for safe ice. But the amount of opportunities we have in Maine with our warm water fisheries and our cold water fisheries is incredible. Year-round, really. Absolutely. Well, thank you so much. Thanks for being here. Thanks for everything that you're doing. Absolutely, it's my pleasure. All right. Thank you. Here it is. Oh, that's a lake trout. Oh, my God. You're not allowed to keep those. I hope there's no Wardens around, guys. Who kept that? I really hope there's no Wardens around. That's how you set that. You kept it? That's a lake trout. You're not allowed to keep those here. Oh, that's a lake trout? Oh, my gosh. No, that's not a lake trout. Perfect. Because you're not allowed to keep lakers. Oh, my gosh. That's a lake trout? Why can't you keep lake trout? I can't sell all to keep them in this lake. Oh, Teddy, what are we going to do? I think we can put them back in. I'm just kidding. That's a brook trout. Good job, buddy. Oh, my God. What? That's a lake trout? So, yeah. So, look. See the square tail? That's a really good way to tell it's a brookie. And then with the dots, with the red dots in it. And then these white on the bottom of the fins. Okay? So it's just a different color. That's a weird color, though. You guys got a stack of brookies going here. And, yeah. We're all from this hole. Yeah. We're slamming the brook trout. We're having a blast. The veterans are catching them. The kids are catching them. It's just a great day for all. And my good buddy, Wayne, from Subego Bay just showed up. Wayne brought all the hot dogs and hamburgers, donated them all. Just shows you what it's like here in Maine. And small businessmen just doing a great thing for the community. Thank you, Wayne. You're welcome. Thanks for having us. Oh, my God. I'm about to go up and eat a couple of those nice all beef hot dogs. And a couple of burgers, too. I'm going to go enjoy a couple of those myself. Compliments of Wayne. Thanks, buddy. I hope so. You guys run into a little school. Oh, my gosh. You see that? That was a couple quick. One right after another. Couple good minutes. These guys right here. Great. So I heard something about burgers. Anybody know anything about that? Hot dogs burgers? Hot dogs burgers? There's chili. I got some chili. The chili was out of this world. Yeah. Thank you. Did you make that? I made that this morning. I was up at, like, one and a half. What is your name? Joe Holland. Yep. Okay, I've heard your name. Tracy Herring. Nice to meet you. That's chili. YouTube sensation right here. That chili was out of this world. Oh, thank you. Yes, hold on. Thank you. All right. We can do that. Jeez. So Tracy made this incredible chili out of mousse meat. Mousse meat. And it's so good. I'm about to go get some more of that. Drive a couple hot dogs in me and maybe a burger. There you go. Glad you loved it. Thank you so much. You're welcome. And for putting this on. You're welcome. It's a pleasure. It's near and dear to Pete's heart. Yeah. Let's roll one of them. Maybe he's on there. Drive one of them right into me. Dave's over here. Grillmaster Dave is running the grill. He's put a bunch of burgers and dogs out already. Thanks, Dave. Looking good. All right. So we got a hot cup of coffee over here. We got a bunch of coffee. A bunch of donations from the cookie jar pastry shop in Cape Elizabeth. These donuts, the box weighs like 10 pounds each. They are for real donuts. They're like to take a nap after. You can't eat too. You'll be asleep. I'll tell you three a day though. Oh, that's right. Yeah, I heard that. So I might as well leave another half on, right? That's right. Two halves make a whole. We need to try every flavor. Right. Yeah. I see red ones in here. That's your duty. Exactly. There you go. Awesome. Thank you. You're welcome. Excuse me, sir. All right, Ben. What we're going to do is I'm going to pick up this trap, the whole unit, and you're going to grab the line and you're going to give it a yank like this, a tug, just like we practiced over there. And then as fast as you can, you're going to pull the rest of that line in, okay? If there's a fish on there, you can just flop them right on the ice. There's another flag there, too. I don't know if... Yeah, he's there. All right. So go ahead and yank it. Yank it. All right. Keep it coming. Might have been... Oh, yeah. Bring him right out. Bring him right out. Whoa! Good yank on that one. First fish ever? Was that your first fish? First fish, ice fishing. Nice. Are we going to bring him home or are we going to let him back? Take him home. Take him home? You've got it. All right. All right, Ben, with your first fish. Yeah. Whoa. Are you stabbing the fish? There you are. That makes the fish look bigger. Oh, you've got to hold it way out to make it look bigger and then you get the camera close. Yeah. It's like that. You've got to hide your fingers when you do that. Yeah. Who is... Who's is it? He's only got one so far. Just do this. Give us some wine. I'll put the trap down. Oh, it looks like he dropped it. What do you guys think? Oh, no. Give it to me. Oh. Did you set the hook? I didn't set it. Whoa. Keep coming. Keep coming. Whoa! That's a giant. Wow. Look at the size of that one. Good job, buddy. I've got two big ones. Two giants today. All right. Number two. Yeah. All right. Good job, buddy. Thanks. I can't believe it. So what do you think about this event? Is this cool or what? It is awesome. It's a great opportunity to get him out in the house and show... Yeah, they restrict me to everything. I get a hat in them. Oh, is that right? I got to go to the Cadillaz. So they get... I can't do anything. Oh, bummer. Bob, Bob's a friend of mine from my gym. And served him the end of World War II. And this is a grandson who's a paratrooper. Oh, thank you, sir. Thank you for your service. World War II? Yeah. Amazing. Thank you so much. How young are you right now? 93. 94. Come on. 93 years younger. You're going to catch some fish today? Well, I don't be the first for going to die. Yeah. And this is your grandson? Yeah. Yeah. You're a paratrooper? Yeah. Thank you for your service. No problem. All right. Paratrooper. Don't step behind you. Whatever you do. Yeah. Don't. That's my son. Great grandson. Awesome. Have you guys been to this event before? No. That's the first time I've been. Well, welcome. Okay, come on. There's a hot dog in the workshop. There's hot dogs up there. Put it on my account. Tell them. Okay. Put it on Joe's account. Just charge it to me. I got a lot of hot dog credit up there. I don't have many burgers on credit. What's your channel called? So 93 years old, I will say, you're probably the most senior person I've ever fished with. Is that right? Yes, sir. Yes, sir. And I'd love to get you a fish today. We have a 92-year-old gentleman over there. Oh, yeah. Just a young pop. Oh, for God's sake. Yeah. Oh, look at that one. Whoa. Nice save. Chris. Good save, buddy. Well done, Teddy. Keep saving a beauty. Life is the best. Keep saving a beauty. Keep saving a beauty. Keep saving a beauty. Life is the best. Keep saving a beauty. Keep saving a beauty. That was a good one. All right. Hold them up for the camera, buddy. Let me review myself. All right. Nice job, buddy. I'm going to be on you. Did you give him a kiss for good luck? Go ahead. You got a kiss for good luck. All right, guys. We have Michael Atty here from the main game warden service. Mike, will you just tell us a little bit about this day here and what it means for you guys and what it means for the veterans? Yeah. So, Warden Herring, who's in the Spanish area, he's actually right over here. He's done an awesome job these past few years and basically was just trying to get veterans out on the ice during the winter. Winners along here in Maine, we want to get them out, enjoy the day, have a good time and we want to support them 100% for everything they've gone through. So, it's great to be a part of it. We have an awesome job, great help, good food, and it's great to see people catching fish today. Awesome. Well, thank you guys so much for putting us on. Yeah, happy to do it. I guess you got another flag. Oh, there you go. Another flag. Flags have been flying all day. Yeah, it's been good. It's been good. A ton of brook trout. We don't like to give the secret away, but we might have helped them out a little bit a few days ago. Yeah. We want to make sure that they're catching fish and having a good time. There's been a ton of smiles and a ton of fish on the ice and it's just been an excellent day. Yeah. So that on the side, let's talk about to the viewers at home and guys, if you're thinking about getting into ice fishing, what are some safety precautions that you guys would tell somebody new to ice fishing to maybe think about before heading out? The biggest one I can't stress enough is ice safety. Never assume the ice is safe. Always check it every 10, 15 feet, even if you see other people out there. Sure. Make sure you're checking that ice because pressure ridges, holes will open up and stuff like that. Invest in a good pair of ice picks and a chisel and you'll be good, but there's no problem with talking to people, going out, seeing how they're doing stuff, talking to your local bait shops and they can always give you some good pointers and stuff like that. Awesome. Awesome. And always have a plan? Always have a plan and tell someone where you're going. Awesome. Yeah. Cool. Thank you so much. Thanks again for putting this all in. Yeah, thanks for coming. Everything you guys are doing. Yeah, definitely. Cool. Happy to do it. Thanks, bro. Pretty slick out here. All right, here's the race. Around you and back. So they got a crisscross. They got a crisscross. And if there's incidental contact, that's okay. Someone's gonna... There could be... Wait, wait, wait. Wait, wait, wait. Wait, wait, wait. Wait, wait, wait. Wait, wait, wait. Wait, wait, wait. Wait, wait, wait. Wait, wait, wait. Wait, wait, wait. Wait, wait, wait, wait. Wait, wait, wait. Oh, that was a good turn. Oh, that was a good turn. It's gonna be down to the wire. He got up. Yes. What are you doing? I'm eating the head off. Why? Cause I can. Good reason. You have to swallow it. No, you don't. Oh, God. It's gone. I did it. People are starting to filter out. Chris is taking off. Long time buddy here. Had a great day on the water. The kids smashed them. You smashed them. All right. Great day on the water. The kids smashed them, you smashed them. Yeah, it was awesome, good day. Yeah, we've been caught fish like that in a while, so it's been a fun time. Time to action. Time to action, thanks to the warden service for putting us on. You were surrounded by game wardens, and you're getting out of here without a ticket somehow. I don't know how. Yeah, I don't know how you, if they knew who you were. Boy, they'd be out of ink. You notice he waits. No, just kidding, just kidding, guys, just kidding. No, Chris is as good as they get. I'm here with Orton John Parker. We had an awesome day. I had an incredible time with them. This was your first time here as well? First time. Pete Herron's been trying to get me to come down here for the last seven years. Anything to do with military, veterans, and stuff like that. I have loved ones that currently serve in and have served, and so it just hits home, you know what I mean? And I look at it, what I enjoy doing outside, recreate with my family and stuff like that, if it weren't for our veterans and the people that have served, that's why we get to ice fish it. Enjoy the sun, you know, I don't care if it's four below or not. You know, it's always a good time getting outdoors. It's refreshing, you know, not just the air, but for our minds and our souls, and it's a way for us to say thanks to these veterans. I mean, there's one gentleman out here in his 90s, and his family members from Arizona that have never ice fish before. So to build and just, you know, to see that, it's super cool. You're introducing people to our passion, the outdoors, the love, you know, just getting outside and recreate stuff. I think some days we just take for granted. You know, we live here in the great state of Maine, and it has so much to offer in ice fishing. It's just, it's one of those things that I grew up doing as a kid with loved ones and family, and you know, now I'm passing on, but to be able to come down here and help out Pete with these veterans, it's just, you know, it hits home. You know, it's just a great, great time, a great event, and it's grown over the years, and you know, hopefully it'll grow even bigger, and you know, maybe we can do multiple, multiple events, whether it's ice fishing or open water fishing, you know, maybe even some hunting stuff will add it here, but you know, we get us plant the seed, and you know, Pete's done a great job, and all the volunteers, I couldn't name them all, but he has a lot of help to throw this thing together, and you know, and the weather turned out great. Oh, man. So it's pretty much a great day. Yeah, great day. He can't beat it. Well, thank you so much for coming down, obviously. No problem. It was great meeting you, and hopefully I see you out in the woods or on the water sometime. Yeah, I'm sure I'll pass across. Hey, when you have the passion for the outdoors, like I tell people, you might not always see us, but we see you. I know, see, that's what I said to him this morning. I was like, I don't think we've ever met. He goes, oh, I know who you are.