Want to spend some time on the water this summer?

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Boating, fishing and water recreation are a huge part of life for people in the Detroit Lakes area.

But what about those who do not have ready access to the water, either due to decreased mobility, or a lack of someone to take them there?

“This will be our 12th season,” says Dave Hochhalter, one of the chapter’s founders, and its current treasurer.

The start of the 2019 fishing season may still be a few weeks away, but LGF already has over 80 trips scheduled, Hochhalter added; technology advancements on the chapter’s website, detroitlakes.lgfws.com, have made it easier than ever to do so.

Once a group is registered with the local LGF chapter’s scheduler, Betty Hochhalter, anyone in that group can go to the website and schedule a date and time from the list of available slots, he added.

“It’s just a matter of a couple clicks to schedule a trip,” Hochhalter continued. “Our volunteers can also see what trips are out there, put their name down and they’re booked for that day.”

Read the full article here at Detroit Lakes Tribune…

Want to spend some time on the water this summer?

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By Vicki Gerdes on May 18, 2017 –DL Online –Fishing and boating means so much to thousands of people in the Detroit Lakes area every year. But what about those who do not have ready access to the water, either due to decreased mobility, or a lack of someone to take them there? Since 2008, the Detroit Lakes Area Chapter of Let’s Go Fishing has been filling that gap, serving over 6,874 seniors, veterans, youth and physically challenged people of all ages.

“We just launched our 10th anniversary season,” says Dave Hochhalter, one of the chapter’s founders, and its current treasurer. “It snuck up on us fast… I can’t believe it (that 10 years have passed).”

Normally they might not have scheduled a trip quite so early, Hochhalter noted, but the May 5 Hospice of the Red River Valley excursion was a last-minute addition to the schedule, to honor two of their longtime volunteers — one of whom is currently a Hospice patient.

Read the full story here…

Hospitalized Fargo Veterans go fishing

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Detroit Lakes, MN (WDAY TV) – Finally a wind-less day. And with a lake full of fish, Big Detroit Lake played host to a special kind of “day on the water.”

A few times a summer, the Fargo VA takes some of its veterans for an afternoon of fishing. Volunteers from the non-profit group “Let’s Go Fishing” provide the pontoon, the rods, and the memories.

“Ready to catch fish?” said Tim Miller.

“We are ready to catch fish,” said Gerry Gronvold.

The veterans arrived from Fargo.  Watch the full story from WDAY here…

Detroit Lakes Chapter finishes the season with 131 trips

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By Vicki Gerdes… DETROIT LAKES TRIBUNE — It’s been another successful season for the Detroit Lakes chapter of Let’s Go Fishing, the volunteer-run organization that offers area seniors and disabled residents, veterans and youth an opportunity to experience what it’s like to get out on the lake and fish, or see the sights — many of them for the first time. A total of 131 trips were taken from May through September, serving more than 1,265 clients of all ages, including more than 900 adults and 300 youth.

“One hundred thirty-one is a new record for the number of trips in a season,” said Dave Hochhalter, a co-founder of the chapter who still serves on its governing board. And there could have been even more, he added; 37 trips were cancelled, “primarily because of weather.” The chapter also achieved some memorable milestones this summer, having served more than 5,600 clients and completed over 600 trips since its inception in 2008. Read the full story…