About 42 years ago, the late Noel Cole began allowing people who might not otherwise get the opportunity to go fishing to drop a line at the Cole family property in Lewis County.
That tradition continues today as his son Greg Cole continues the Noel Cole Fish and Wildlife Project providing barrier-free fishing to many who otherwise would be unable to experience the beloved outdoor activity.
Trout Unlimited and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife have helped with the project from the beginning.
This year, the family pond is stocked with trout from the Satsop Springs Fish Hatchery and the Lake Aberdeen Fish Hatchery.
Cole’s family opens it up to nursing homes, veterans associations, disadvantaged children and others to bring groups to fish. The focus is on those who might not otherwise have access to the joy of landing a fish.
“It is an amazing feeling just to see the look on the people’s faces when they catch a fish when you weigh them, measure them, clean them and put the fish in a bag,” Greg Cole said. “It’s a lot of work, and it’s very heartening.”
Each year, the pond is stocked for this week of fishing, which will occur from June 3 to 8 this year. Greg, the family and volunteers then feed the fish a couple of times a day and chase off any bird predators, such as herons and eagles.
“The eagles still get a few; there are some that are around here,” Cole said.
Volunteers during the week of fishing help bait hooks, cast lines, clean fish and clean up things afterwards. Any leftover fish remains are left for the bald eagles to enjoy.
“There are some secondary benefits. We probably have these five bald eagles hang around the fish pond,” Cole said.
Chehalis Outfitters donates tackle, worms and bait. Previously, Sunbirds donated fishing rods. Weyerhaeuser and other organizations like the Chehalis Basin Fisheries Task Force also help out with the event.
While not open to the public, groups such as Reliable Enterprises, Chehalis West, Colonial Inn, veterans and W.F. West special needs students have used the pond in the past.
“It’s kind of because of momentum from doing it for so many years,” Cole said. “I’m retired now and much more involved than when I was working in the Portland area.”
In a 2019 interview with The Chronicle, Noel Cole, who died in 2021, said he started raising steelhead in the pond sometime around 1982. A couple years later, he had a conversation with a woman who said the special needs students at W.F. West were having some trouble getting into certain outdoor activities. The WDFW would release fish into ponds at Lewis and Clark State Park, but it would always be earlier in the season than the students would be able to go. A bulk of the fish would be caught before the students could get there.
That’s when Noel Cole said he got in touch with WDFW himself and they arranged a partnership that sparked the long-running event.
“In 1982, with the help of committed volunteers from Trout Unlimited and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, he began to raise steelhead salmon to be released into the North Fork of the Newaukum River,” his family wrote in his obituary. “Shortly after, he built wheelchair ramps and a path around the pond and began to offer barrier free fishing for local special needs students, facility-bound elders and disabled veterans. In 2018, the family formed a nonprofit organization, The Noel Cole Fish & Wildlife Project, to continue his work.”
On Tuesday, June 4, there will be a barbecue for veterans to enjoy the fish they catch. Usually, dates can be pretty full of people fishing on the pond. Invites are sent out to the different groups, and two sessions are held every day.
“The more volunteers we can get, the better,” Cole said. “It’s just a very positive atmosphere. You get a lot of joy out of this when you’re doing this. You can volunteer for one session or an entire day or week.”
Those looking to volunteer are asked to contact Julie Johnstone, who is coordinating volunteers, at 503-701-4461.
For more information, contact Cole at 503-701-4461 or at gcoole@hotmail.com.
