Season 3 Episode Descriptions

301: Fort Drum Soldiers: Honor the Mountain

WPBS: Fishing Behind The Lines Episode 301

Host Don Meissner goes fishing for pike, and bass in Massena, New York along with four active duty soldiers from the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum, New York. Guides, Will Clute and Steven Eldridge, help give the soldiers a great day of fishing on the water.

302: Justin Walts: Semper Fidelis

WPBS: Fishing Behind The Lines Episode 302

Host Don Meissner, and North Country native, Justin Walts, go wading for pike with fly rods in the St. Lawrence River near Waddington, New York. Justin talks about how he joined the Marines at age seventeen, and how fishing impacted his life as he transitioned back into civilian life.

303: Shane Dial: Roots on the Raquette

WPBS: Fishing Behind The Lines Episode #303

Host Don Meissner fishes the Raquette River in Massena New York with retired Special Forces and Healing Waters member, Shane Dial. The two fish for bass in a canoe, as Shane discusses his pursuits since he has retired from the military.

304: Heath Buchanan & Gary Graeff: Catfish and Canoes

WPBS: Fishing Behind The Lines Episode #304

Host Don Meissner takes two active duty Air Force Sergeants fishing for catfish in small boats near Dexter, New York. Guide, Eric Scordo, shows Don the best way to catch a monster catfish from a canoe, in the small bays on Lake Ontario’s edges.

305: Rob Kring: The First Lake Trout

WPBS: Fishing Behind The Lines Episode #305

Host Don Meissner fishes for lake trout on Lake Ontario in Oswego, New York with Coast Guard commander, Rob Kring, and his six-year-old son, Jayden. Captain Ed Monette of Cannonball Runner Charters, and his First Mate Hunter, help Jayden catch his first lake trout.

306: Gary Rosenberg: Hunt for the Monster Muskie

WPBS: Fishing Behind The Lines Episode #306

Host Don Meissner wades for Muskie, bass, and walleye with guide, Rust Eddy, and retired Fort Drum Garrison Commander, Gary Rosenberg. The three men have a grand time fishing as they wade and drag boats down the Deere River on a hot sunny summer afternoon.

307: Terry & Paula Sutton: The Elusive Muskie

WPBS: Fishing Behind The Lines Episode 307

Host Don Meissner looks back to when he first met guests Terry & Paula Sutton, as the three fished for muskie on the Grasse River near Canton, New York. They search for the elusive muskie, while sharing stories and becoming great friends.

308 & 309: Alejandro Villanueva: From the Battlefield to the Football Field, Parts 1 & 2

WPBS: Fishing Behind The Lines Episode 308-309

On the first of a two-part episode of Fishing Behind the Lines, Host Don Meissner takes two NFL players from the Pittsburgh Steelers fishing for bass, and pike near Massena, New York. Learn how Army Ranger, and combat veteran, Alejandro Villanueva transitioned from a life in the Army Rangers to playing for an NFL team. Alejandro’s teammate, Pittsburgh Steelers All Pro David DeCastro, joins them, as well as retired Sergeant Major Terry Sutton, who was Alejandro’s commanding officer in Afghanistan.

310: Ben Carter: Wading for Trout

WPBS: Fishing Behind The Lines Episode 310

Host, Don Meissner, fishes the Grasse River with retired Army Helicopter Pilot, Corey Zeigler, and his son Kadin. Guide, Rust Eddy, helps them navigate the rocks and rapids to where both small and large mouth bass thrive.

311: Nicolas Côté: Canadian Walleye

WPBS: Fishing Behind The Lines Episode #311

Host Don Meissner travels to the Bay of Quinte, west of Kingston, Ontario Canada, with Nicholas Côté a warrant officer, and combat engineer in the Canadian Army for a three-day walleye fishing trip in the late fall. Along the way, they meet up with Nicolas’s father Maurice, and fellow combat engineer, Patrick Létourneua

312: Van Hoesen and Walts: Ice Fishing in January

WPBS: Fishing Behind The Lines Episode #312

Host Don Meissner braves a winter storm to ice fish Oswego County, New York, on Lake Neatahwanta. Veterans Glenn Van Hoesen and Justin Walts, as well as local fisherman Zach Stone, join Don on the ice. As they fish, Don takes a look back at some of the other winter fishing trips he has taken with U.S veterans, and even looks further back to his days of hosting Rod & Reel Streamside.

 

313: Best of Fishing Behind the Lines, Season III (Hometown Hero Muskie Challenge & Fishing for Freedom)

WPBS: Fishing Behind The Lines Episode #313 Highlight Episode

Host Don Meissner revisits some of the more memorable catches of season three. Don also visits the Hometown Hero Muskie Challenge in Massena, New York, and the Fishing for Freedom Tournament in Alexandria Bay, New York. Both events focus on giving back to military veterans while enjoying great a day of fishing.