For the first time in the event’s history, the Rodanthe Fishing Pier will host the annual Disabled Veteran/Wounded Warrior Fishing Jamboree on May 10, thanks to a collaboration with a pair of veterans who have been organizing the Jamboree for years.
Dave Goodman and John McAllister are residents of Hertford, N.C., and are members of the Bear Swamp/Beech Springs Ruritans, a civic service club that has branches all across the United States.
Four years ago, Goodman and McAllister were introduced to the idea of an annual fishing event for veterans from a Winston-Salem-based organization called Operation North State.
“Due to the logistics, they weren’t able to move forward with the idea, so Dave and I picked up the ball and decided that we’re going to do something for our vets around here, in eastern North Carolina,” said McAllister. “And it just kind of blossomed from there.”
The Bear Swamp/Beech Springs Ruritans agreed to sponsor the event, and for three years, Goodman and McAllister held Fishing Jamborees in the Albemarle Sound and the Perquimans River, with roughly 14-20 veterans participating every year.
Through word of mouth and local connections, the Rodanthe Pier owners found out about the annual veterans’ event organized by Goodman and McAllister, and offered the use of the ocean-facing pier for future Fishing Jamborees.
“We asked the guys at the end of the event last year if they would be interested in [changing the location to Rodanthe Pier], and every one of them said ‘Yes, we’d love to do a pier event,’” said Goodman. “And since Rodanthe Pier volunteered, we have gotten more response than ever before – in fact, there’s twice the number of participants who want to go pier fishing.”
The Fishing Jamboree is completely organized and launched by Goodman and McAllister. As a result, the two veterans have a heavy workload of signing up participants, finding volunteers, arranging transportation, and organizing a post-fishing banquet, and it’s a venture that takes weeks, if not months, to accomplish.
“Every year we say, ‘This is going to be the last year,’ just because it’s a lot of work,” said McAllister. “But then we see the guys’ faces, and they say, ‘We’re so glad you’re doing this again, because it’s the only time we get to go fishing,’ and that keeps us going.’”
“We’re both retired veterans, so this event is just how we can pay it forward,” added Goodman.
With the Fourth Annual Fishing Jamboree being held in Rodanthe, there has been a lot of local support to help lighten the workload.
Donations of fishing supplies have rolled in from TW’s Bait & Tackle and Oceans East. Albemarle Orthotics & Prosthetics has volunteered to provide pizza during the fishing hours from Lisa’s Pizza, and several restaurants have shown interest in providing meals. Even the event T-shirts are already taken care of, thanks to a donation from Kempsville Building Supply.
It’s too early to determine if the Rodanthe Fishing Pier will be the permanent home of the Fishing Jamboree in years to come, but for now, the local support and enthusiastic response from participating veterans indicate that the 2025 Fishing Jamboree is already a success.
“This is our fourth year, and our first time doing a saltwater tournament,” said Goodman, “and there has been a lot of local support for this.”
“People just want to help,” added McAllister, “and we’ll take all the help we can get.”
How to Support the Veteran/Wounded Warrior Fishing Jamboree
Monetary and other donations are always welcome, and interested donors can help by contacting Dave Goodman at goodmand48@gmail.com and John McAllister at jmmcallist@aol.com.
