The veterans say it's all about camaraderie.

"No matter how stressed you are, you get out here fishing and get to cutting up with each other, and everybody relaxes," Tommy Ayers said.

The goal is to help veterans relax from past trauma with guys who fought a similar fight.

"We get people here that ... they remember things, and this helps them forget," Ayers said.

Most of the ponds these veterans meet at once a month are catch and keep. And while there are bragging rights about who hauls in the biggest and most fish, they're often given to families in need.