32nd Annual Fishing Has No Boundaries Event Takes Place Saturday, June 29th

The 32nd Annual ‘Fishing Has No Boundaries Event’ takes place this weekend in Bemidji, a special event that gives those who normally can’t, a chance to go out onto Lake Bemidji and catch some fish. Our reporter Matthew Freeman spoke with some of the committee members of the event to see why this weekend is so special.

Fishing Has No Boundaries is a yearly event that provides recreational fishing opportunities for all anglers with disabilities on Lake Bemidji.

“This event is kind of important to me just because we get to help out in the community in a different way that gets overlooked sometimes, you know?” says Matt Zims, Fishing Has No Boundaries Vice President, “I really like that, you know, people that can’t get off fishing and enjoy the outdoors they can with this event. So it’s a blessing to be able to do this.”

The Event Organizers always make sure they have every piece of equipment they may need to ensure these anglers are comfortable and have a good time.

“We make sure that when people come to the event, we have everything we have for the day.” says Susie Balsted, Fishing Has No Boundaries Treasurer, “We have food tackle, fishing gear, everything. We want them to have a day without any worries. Just a fun day. We try to be really aware of their disability and their comfort zone being out on the water is not comfortable for a lot of people. We just want to make sure that they are really comfortable where they are.”

Most of the equipment that is used during this event was donated from local vendors or community members who simply just want to help out.

“A lot of moving parts, a lot of community involvement, donations from different organizations and people throughout the community.” says John Norvenverg, Fishing Has No Boundaries Organizer, “The bate comes from Northwoods Bait and tackle, they contribute every year. They contribute meadows and crawlers every year. And the boats come from a variety of different locations throughout the mainly the Bemidji area. So Raise Marine, Bemidji Marine and then a lot of community involvement, just the public donating their time and their the use of their pontoon to take disabled anglers fishing for the day. And we just can’t thank the community enough for chipping in their time. It’s just very nice to see everybody come together and and help out and take these people fishing for the day because it means a lot to them.”

This day means a whole lot more to the anglers than just an opportunity to fish as it brings the whole community together to make sure everyone involved has an awesome day.

“It’s not just a fishing thing, it’s also a way to communicate with other people.” adds Matt, “Kind of like a social life that you never knew you had. It’s really cool to see, especially when we get in the water, when they catch a fish, it’s like they caught the biggest, baddest fish in the whole sea. And it’s really amazing to see that excitement on their faces.”

Over 50 anglers will take part in the Fishing Has No Boundaries Event along with over 200 participants this Saturday at Lake Bemidji.