Fishing Has No Boundaries

Bobby Cammack, a fishing guide from Hayward,WI, suffered a leg injury and discovered the challenges that people with disabilities face when it came to enjoying the outdoors and the sport he so loved. He made it his life’s passion to improve access for those individuals to discover for themselves the enjoyment of fishing and the beautiful lakes in Wisconsin.

Through adaptive angling equipment such as pole holders, different kinds of electric reels, ramp systems to gain access to boats, wider pontoon boat doorways, reel grippers, and many other modified angling tools, FHNB has brought two very different worlds together: fishing and people with different abilities. Dreams of leaving the shore and accessing the lakes has become reality – and not just for the able-bodied individuals anymore.

Following years of research, planning, and patience, Cammack established the first Fishing Has No Boundaries event in 1988 to allow for all persons with disabilities regardless of age, race, gender, and especially severity of disability to take part in the sport. More than 70 people from seven different states attended that inaugural event.

By the year 2002, FHNB, Inc. attracted more than 8,000 participants at various events, and double the number of volunteers. By 2007, FHNB, Inc. had grown to 23 chapters in 11 different states, with many more chapters in the works. Today FHNB, Inc. is proud to have more than 1,875 participants with disabilities attending at least one FHNB chapter event each year with 6,850 volunteers helping along the way including Matt Smith, a Walmart associate at the Grove City Supply Chain and Logistics facility.

Smith recalls responding to an email years ago about an upcoming Fishing Has No Boundaries event seeking volunteers – ever since that day he has been the lynch pin uniting Walmart to this great organization.

Following his second year of supporting the FHNB event, he was asked to join the FHNB Central Ohio chapter as a Board Member. Two years later he was elected vice president and served in that position for about four years. For the past seven years, Smith has served as the Central Ohio chapter president.

“I honestly think the organization and participants have impacted me more than I have impacted the organization,” Smith said.

Through the support of the community through charity fundraisers and grants from Walmart, Smith has seen the organization become financially secure and able to offer more events and to support summer camps for the City of Columbus.

In 2021 Smith moved from Grove City to West Virginia but he continued to support the Fishing Has No Boundaries’ Central Ohio Chapter as a board member despite the distance. This year he stepped back into the Vice President's seat to help the organization again. He also continues to connect Walmart with the organization and facilitated more than 20 Walmart associates to volunteer at both the spring and fall events.

“After the fishing is done for the day, we want to make sure everyone goes home feeling good,” Smith said. “We make sure every participant goes home with a gold medal that we hand out to them as we recognize them to the group,” Smith said.

“A Fishing Has No Boundaries®, Inc. event is truly an unforgettable way to spend a weekend on or near the lakeshore with a new friend, relative, neighbor, co-worker, and the shared anticipation of the thrill of catching that ‘big one’,” he added.

According to Smith, the next FHNB in central Ohio is scheduled for the first weekend in June 2023 followed by a fall event the first weekend in October.

To learn more about the Fishing Has No Boundaries Central Ohio Chapter visit the website or their Facebook page.