Bridgewater Man Shares Love Of Fishing

by Phil McIlrath, KDLT News
August 01, 2012 9:50 PM


You wouldn't think a corn field would be a great place to fish, but one Bridgewater man is taking the plot-line from the Kevin Costner film, ''Field of Dreams" and giving it a bit of a twist.

"Where am I",said John Alvarez. "This is beautiful!" Is this Heaven?"

It's not heaven; it's John Alvarez's backyard. A quaint little fishing pond in the middle of a farm field.

"At times at night, I'll sit here and relax,"said Alvarez. "It's nice."

This quaint little water hole was dug from John's own hands and it's stocked full of some of the biggest mouths around.

If you were to ask John years ago about this pond it would have never even entered his mind. Decades ago, John was involved in a car crash that left him with a severe brain injury. During therapy it was the simple act of casting a line into the water that brought him peace. And from that simple act an idea was born, an idea that caught John hook, line and sinker.

"I started this 11 years ago. I didn't know where it was headed and here it is, so I must be doing something right,"said Alvarez

Now John is using the peace he found with fishing and passing it on to at-risk children, those with special needs, and the elderly.

"When you hear a kid catch a fish...that's telling me they're happy,"said Alvarez. "It's like Christmas for me!"

For John, the gift isn't in being able to teach others to fish, it's what he see when they get hooked for the first time.

"This is my passion, they give me million dollar smiles,"said Alvarez.

A passion that runs deep, far deeper than this small pond on the prairie.

"As long as my passion is still there, I'm gonna keep doing it,"said Alvarez.

Casting into the community his ability to understand and comfort those in the same boat, while reeling in smiles bigger than any large mouth bass.

In case you're wondering, it takes a lot of work to run John's operation and if you're willing to volunteer or lend a hand, you're always welcome.

If you'd like to help click here.