Fishing day ‘brings out the good in people'

“If you give a man a fish, he will eat for a day; If you teach a man to fish, he will eat for a lifetime … If you teach a child to fish, he may feed the world.” — Larry Hatchett


He lovingly referred to Destin as “the capital of his soul.”

Larry Hatchett loved to fish; in fact he said that his only real regret in life was that he “could not catch his first fish over again.”

But that joy, that feeling, is felt once a year by children who truly need joy in their life. Larry Hatchett died in June of 1990 of a heart attack at 34 years of age. That fall his friends began The Larry Hatchett Fishing Foundation and 25 children who were needy, neglected or abused came to the Emerald Coast and spent the day doing what Larry loved — catching fish at the annual Fishing Rodeo.

They come from Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi and this year, from Louisiana too.

“They come from foster homes, from crisis centers and from circumstances and situations that would make the strongest souls cry. They haven’t had the fun that a child should have,” said Bob Wilder, who serves as the chief administrator of the 501(c)3 foundation.
Wilder is proud to have called himself Larry’s friend. The men met in high school in Memphis.

Larry was an outdoorsman. He loved deer and duck hunting; he fished for trout with fly rods in Arkansas, for salmon in Alaska, for brim and catfish on the land he grew up on in Memphis. His favorite place in the world was Destin, and the annual Destin Fishing Rodeo.

“When Larry died, several of us were sitting around having one of those ‘The Big Chill’ weekends, and it took off from there,” Wilder explains.

The Foundation had to carry his legacy in a way that reflected his life — and his love of life.

“He had me up at 3 o’clock the first morning he ever went fishing,” remembers Carmen Hatchett, Larry’s mother in Covington, Tenn.  “He was on that boat most of the day and he returned to the dock with a huge smile on his 9-year-old face. His first fish was the biggest grouper caught on the boat that day!

“If he had known how to bet with the adults, he would have racked up!’ she laughs.

Larry grew up on Ellendale Lodge in Memphis. It was a family business and he loved the place and the people. At the time of his death, he spent part of the year there as a caterer and part of the year doing what he loved — fishing.

“He lived ten lifetimes in the short 34 years on this earth,” his mother continues. “He never had time to marry and have children of his own, but he always brought children to fish — nieces, nephews, neighbors — they all loved learning how to fish with him.”

“That’s what makes this memorial fund so amazing,” said Carmen Hatchett. “He would have started this himself if he had had the time.”

“We started the first year with 25 kids, and we had in excess of 100 kids last year — for a total of about 1,200 kids since the beginning,” Wilder says.

The group’s goal is to take out 1,000 kids one day.

“The kids arrive and they have no eye contact with us. They’re quiet and they’re out of their usual environment,” Wilder said. “By the end of the weekend, they are hugging on us and saying ‘take my picture with my fish’ and they are all smiles — and that is what makes the trip worthwhile. Larry would have loved those moments.”

The kids arrive on Friday, Oct. 10, and check into their condominiums. They meet for dinner at Captain Kidds and the head over to The Rave for a movie. Saturday morning, there’s breakfast at the docks of AJ’s and then the trip on the boats, The New Florida Girl and The American Spirit, where they’ll fish all day and have snacks and drinks and lunch on the Gulf.

Heading back inland for the weigh-in, hosted by weighmaster Bruce Cheves, the kids have photos with Miss Destin Leah Stewart. By 5 p.m. they will gather at AJ’s and not only be rewarded by getting to eat the fish that they caught, they will receive goodies to remember the weekend by — a trophy and a rod and reel.”

Just a few of the many good souls who help with donations for the weekend include Bass Pro Shops, Cracker Barrel, Dewey Destin, ResortQuest, ‘Fish Florida!’, Wal-Mart, and Winn-Dixie.

“This brings out the good in people,” Wilder said.

Sid and Pat Braunstien came into contact with Wilder when Sid was in public relations at Bass Pro Shops and the two are now rabid volunteers for the event.

“One year we had a cold snap for the day and these kids didn’t bring a jacket — if they even had one,” Wilder said. “Pat is an amazing creature and with a few phone calls and some help from a local radio station, Pat and Patty Trotter were passing out jackets.”

“They were saying this like ‘you mean I get to keep this?’ ” said Patty Trotter.  “I’ve worked with Bob for 21 years, and this is such an incredible experience!”

“You read their letters for weeks after the fishing trip,” Wilder said. “They are grateful; they have forgotten for a weekend what their life is like.”

“Some are four and some are 17 years old, but all have one thing in common … they’re gonna catch a fish this weekend,” Wilder said.

In addition to the kids fishing day, the Bonnie Orr scholarship has been established in memory of this early member of the board of directors for the Larry Hatchett Foundation. A scholarship of $500 is awarded to Miss Destin each year.

“Those kids had a way of melting her heart every year,” Wilder said. “We will miss her this year, but I’m sure that her love for these children will go on.”