CUMMING — Tuesday morning’s trip to Lake Lanier was the first time in a couple of years Sloan Pearman had been fishing.

The outing was the first time in three years — since he enlisted in the United States Army, in fact — that Pearman had enjoyed one of his favorite pastimes.

This trip, complete with a guide, came courtesy of a local fishing club.

Pearman was recovering in Germany from a seizure he suffered when a IED exploded near him while he was on patrol in Iraq when he came across fellow Norcross grad Josh England’s Facebook page and photos of England’s fishing exploits posted there. When Pearman contacted England and talked about going fishing together when he came home on leave, England decided to enlist the help of fellow fisherman involved with North Georgia Trout Online, a local fishing message board and club.

“I started thinking it would be great if we could come together, raise some money and send him out on a guided trip for the day,” England wrote in a discussion board thread informing NGTO members of his plans.

Once England had secured enough donations, a total of $350 as well as a rod and reel, he employed some covert tactics to let Pearman know about the trip, sending the soldier a link to what England told him was a photo of a recent big catch.

“I was in Germany and the Internet restricted me,” Pearman remembered. “So I’m trying every different way to figure this out. I’m like, ‘Josh, I cannot see this fish, can you just send it to me?’ And he’s like, ‘No, keep trying.’”

When Pearman was finally able to pull up the link he still couldn’t find the alleged fish. After a couple of minutes of reading through the discussion threads, “It dawned on me. Whoa,” Pearman said. “I was shocked.”

With his 25-day leave from deployment in Germany with the United States Army 172nd Infantry Brigade winding down, Pearman was able to spend a chilly morning casting for fish on the frigid waters of Lake Lanier with England on Tuesday. Although unsuccessful, the fishing trip was an experience — and a gift — Pearman won’t forget.

“I was blown away by it,” he said. “It was seriously the nicest thing anybody has ever done for me.”