Fun Day of Fishing & Boating for Canton, Ohio Organization

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Today our Nonprofit Organization Cast It Forward hosted a fun and educational day of fishing and boating with an awesome group of youngsters from the En-Rich-Ment of Stark County organization from Canton, Ohio.

We introduced this group of young anglers to the basics of casting and fishing along with the proper care and handling of fish. They were quick learners and a lot of fun to be around. Through practice and persistence, they all caught (and safely released) their fair share of bass and bluegill throughout the day. 

We took a break for a cookout lunch, and talked more about the benefits of fishing and the many positive aspects of spending time outside. We also discussed the importance of respecting the out of doors. To this end, we all did a “sweep” of our area before we left and made sure that our entire area was left better than how we found it.

As we neared the end of our day together and in the spirit of our “Cast It Forward” mission, we provided each aspiring angler their very own fishing rod / reel combo, stocked tackle kit, fishing hat, fishing shirt, and “How To” fishing book. We hope to inspire them all into continued participation and ongoing appreciation for our great sport and great outdoors. 

We thank this awesome group from the EN-RICH-MENT organization for our fun day together and for their participating in our program.

Today our Nonprofit Organization Cast It Forward had grandfather Chris and grandson Gavin on board for a morning of fast Lake Erie walleye action. 

Chris contacted us through our affiliation with local Cancer support organization Stewart's Caring Place: Cancer Wellness Center and wanted to spend time on the water walleye fishing with his grandson.

Both Chris & Gavin spend many hours together fishing local lakes and ponds. It had been 30 years since Chris fished Erie, and 12 year old Gavin had never fished our Great Lake or caught a walleye before.

We were happy to reintroduce grandfather and introduce grandson to our world class fishery.

The pre-frontal conditions led to great fishing action and we sent them home with a box full of fish and a lifetime’s worth of fond memories. 

As per usual, the fish’s location and preferred presentation changes every time out and today was no different. We’ve been successfully targeting fish in the 50+ water depths but today found a nice active school in waters just under 40’ deep.

While Walleye Nation Creations in “Gold Digger” and standard Bandits in “Carrot Top” caught fish 80’-100’ back unassisted, Dipsey’s with spoons and harnesses at a # 1 setting 40’-55’ back were the real winners today and offered nonstop action throughout.

Trolling speeds were 1.8-2.2 mph, water clarity 5’ surface temp 76 degrees, winds SW @ 12 and barometric pressure read 29.91 InHg.

Please join us in wishing Chris continued good health along with many years of fishing adventures with his fishing buddy Gavin. It was a fun and action packed morning sharing time on the water with them today.

Today our Nonprofit Organization Cast It Forward had three generations fishing together for their first ever Lake Erie walleye experience.

Joining us on board was Father / Grandfather John, Daughter / Mom Amy, and sons / grandsons Trey and Ross.

John contacted us through our affiliation with local support organization Stuart’s Caring Place. He wanted to spend time together with his family and experience all that our Great Lake had to offer. 

Thankfully, the fishing was good and the fish (including the shorts!) were in a hungry mood. We were able to send them home with a box full of fish and some fond memories to boot.

Walleye Nation Creations Reapers in “AntiFreeze”, “Goldaliscious”, and custom color “Black Frog”, Tommy Harris custom painted “Gold Coast”, standard Bandits in “Day Dream” and “Carrot Top” all 60’-120’ back unassisted, along with Dipsey’s #1 60’-80’ with spoons and harnesses all produced fish today.

Trolling speeds were 1.8-2.2 mph, water clarity 4’, surface temp 65-68 degrees, winds S @ 10, and barometric pressure 29.97 InHg. Our best depths were between 52’-56’ at a 90’ heading with the fish concentration increasing as we ventured deeper.

Please join us in wishing John, Amy, Trey, and Ross good health and a lifetime of family fishing adventures. It was a fun and pleasant morning sharing time on the water together today.

 Today our Nonprofit organization Cast It Forward had husband & wife duo John and Carol on board with us for a gorgeous morning of walleye fishing and water enjoyment.

John is a retired art teacher and Carol a retired math teacher who has been bravely battling some serious health issues lately.  They both wanted to spend some time together on the water enjoying all the peace, serenity (and fishing!) that our Great Lake has to offer. We were more than happy to provide this opportunity to them.

Mother Erie did not disappoint as the weather, waves and fish were all in a cooperative mood. They filled the box with some really nice fish and Carol claimed bragging rights with a beautiful 7.5# - 28” long beauty.

Walleye Nation Creations Reapers in “Anti- Freeze” and “Black Frog” 70’- 90’ back unassisted, Tommy Harris custom painted “Nemo” Bandit, and stock Bandits in “Day Dream” and “Carrot Top” 60’-100’ back unassisted all caught fish today. Dipsey’s running harnesses at the  #1 setting between 60’ -70’ back rounded out our program.

Water visibility was 4’, winds were light and variable, barometric pressure read 29.86 InHg, water surface temperature 68 degrees and trolling speeds 1.8-2.1 MPH at a 90’ heading. Best depth areas were in the 50’ range.

Please join us wishing John and Carol all the best and especially good health to Carol in her journey to recovery. We were honored to have both on board with us today.

Our Nonprofit organization Cast It Forward had avid young anglers Parker and Max along with dads Tim and Robb on board with us today. This was the entire groups first ever experience fishing and catching walleye on Lake Erie.

Thankfully, the fishing was very good and this group was duly impressed with the size and quantity of fish that our Great Lake had to offer. They all caught nice fish between 17”-28”, and dad Tim captured big fish honors at the last moment from Max with a 28” long Fish O beauty.

Additionally, they we fast learners and it wasn’t long before the entire group was assisting in both setting and clearing lines.

Walleye Nation Creation Reapers in “Anti Freeze”, “Gizzard Shad”, and Chrome / Blue and Chrome / Yellow patterns 60’- 110’ back unassisted along with Tommy Harris custom painted Bandits 60’-120’ back unassisted and Dipsey / Worm Harness combos at #1 60’-75’ back was our program today.

Water visibility was 4’, winds were SW @ 8 mph switching to NW @ 10 mph, barometric pressure read 29.87 InHg, water surface temperature 64 degrees and trolling speeds run between 1.6-2.1 mph. Our best depth areas covered were between 30’-45’ of water. 

We wish this entire group, and especially enthusiastic young anglers Parker and Max a fun, adventurous, and lifelong journey participating in our great sport. 

One of the greatest and most satisfying rewards in the execution of the Cast It Forward mission is introducing young anglers to our great sport, the great outdoors and our Great Lake. 

Today was such a day for our Nonprofit organization Cast It Forward. We had nine year old angler Dean, his father Dragan and mother Joyce on board with us.

Dean loves being outdoors, fishing local ponds and learning new things. Needless to say we were more than happy to provide this opportunity to him and his parents. 

Trying our best to do our part in encouraging his passion, we made sure to send Dean home with a new rod / reel combo, a Lake / Pond tackle kit, a fishing hat and a beginners “how to” fishing book.

The bite has been good lately and this morning was no different. We got an early start in order to be off the lake before the forecasted winds started picking up. We put some nice ‘eyes in the boat and Dean has set the bar high for himself - his very first walleye was a 27” - 7# beauty!

Since we knew our time was limited, we kept it straightforward and simple. Walleye Nation Creation Reapers 60’ - 110’ back unassisted and Tommy Harris custom painted Bandits 60’-100’ back did all the work today. 

Water visibility was 6’,  winds were NE at 10 MPH and building, barometric pressure read 30.00 InHg, water surface temperature 65 degrees and trolling speeds 1.7- 2.0 MPH. Best depth areas covered were between 46’ -52’ of water. 

Please join me in wishing Dean, Dragan and Joyce a lifetime’s worth of great fishing and outdoor family memories together. We are honored to have provided them with their first Lake Erie walleye experience.

Today our Nonprofit organization Cast It Forward had eight year Air Force and Iraq War veteran Amanda Weaver on board with us along with her nephew Jacob for a beautiful morning of fast and furious walleye fishing and water enjoyment.

The fishing has fired up in a big way and Amanda and Jacob put a stout box of really nice fish in the boat ranging from 2-8#.

We targeted the high fish during the early morning hours using WNC Reapers 60’-100’ back unassisted and Tommy Harris custom painted Bandits 40’-100’ back also unassisted. 

As the sun climbed and the fish pushed deeper, we switched to the 50+2 program using the same baits at 50-50, 50’-70’ & 50’-90. We also added Dipsey’s to our arsenal running Badmo spoons at the  #1 setting between 64’-76’ back. These also consistently produced fish.

Water visibility was 6’, winds were light and variable, barometric pressure read 30.16 InHg, water surface temperature 64 degrees and trolling speeds 1.6-2.0 MPH at a 250’ heading. Best depth areas covered were between 45’- 52’ of water. 

Please join me in thanking Amanda for her service to our country and in wishing her good health and all the best that life has to offer. We were honored to have you on board with us today.

Today our Nonprofit Organization Cast It Forward had the honor and pleasure to have Army veteran Aaron Futrell along with his lovely wife of 14 years Christina and their two fun children William and Evalina on board with us. Aaron served our country for 20 years, including service over seas and achieved the rank of SSG.

We had an awesome day on the water together, the fish were in a cooperative mood and everyone landed some really nice walleye. While each angler caught nice sized fish, mom Christina earned family bragging rights by hauling in a 27” long 7.5 pound beauty.

Our program today was similar to what we’ve been running lately. We targeted suspended fish between 15’-30’ down over depths between 35-45’ of water. WNC Reapers in Hunke Hammer, Anti-Freeze 80-110’ back unassisted, WNC Shaky Shad and #11 Flicker Minnows run 2oz. 20- 40 & 60 and a variety of Tommy Harris custom painted baits all were consistent producers. Trolling speeds were run at 1.4-1.9 mph, the lake’s surface temp read 54-60 degrees, barometric pressure 31.10, water visibility 3’, and winds were light and variable.

Please join us in thanking Aaron Futrell for his service to our country and in wishing him and his family well in their lives together. It was an honor and a privilege to have you on board with us today.

Today our Nonprofit organization Cast It Forward had 6 year Army veteran Vince, 13 year Navy Veteran Ron, 5 year Navy veteran Andrew and Andrew’s son Charles on board with us. 

This group had never been on our Great Lake before and had come to our organization through our collaboration with the Pegasus Farm Therapeutic Equestrian Center.

The fishing was good as the fish have shaken off their post spawn blues and have really put on the feed bag. This group were quick learners and did a great job of stuffing the cooler full of fish. They all caught nice fish, but Vince took big fish honors and bragging rights today on the last fish of the day by landing a 27” long 8# beauty!

During the early morning hours Walleye Nation Creation Reapers 60’-120’ back unassisted and Tommy Harris custom painted Bandits 60’- 120’ back unassisted set the pace. 

Later as the fish pushed deeper, we switched to the 50+2 program using the same baits at 50’-50’, 50’-70’ & 50’-90’. We also added Dipsey’s running Badmo spoons at the  #1 setting between 64’-76’ back and worm harnesses at the #2 setting 57’ back. 

Water visibility was 6’, winds were light and variable from the East, barometric pressure read 30.16 InHg, water surface temperature 64 degrees and trolling speeds run between 1.6-2.1 MPH with a 270’ heading being the most productive. Best depth areas covered were between 45’- 50’ of water. 

Please join us in thanking Vince, Ron and Andrew for their service to our country. Let’s also wish them good health and all the best that life has to offer. We were honored to have them on board with us today.

4/16/23: Today Cast It Forward had 8-year active duty Marine and 12-year Army veteran Sergeant Michael Buckley on board with us. Joining us on the water with him was his son Tim and work associate and great friend Rick Campbell.

Michael is another veteran brought to us through the Northeast Ohio Foundation for Patriotism (NEOPAT) who likes to fish and spend quality time outdoors with his son. We were happy to make this trip happen for them.

Through a steady pick, we put together a cooler full of nice healthy fish. Michael was convinced it was because of his epic fish dance while  Rick supervised and his son Tim captured big fish honors. 

The lake's surface temp was 52 degrees, the barometric pressure read 30.02 InHg, and the wind was SSW at 10 and building throughout. Water visibility was approximately 6’.

WNC Reapers in Anti-Freeze and John Deer, along with Tommy Harris custom-painted Lucky Charms, Patriot, and Chrome Chicken were all money today, along with Bandits in Blue Shiner. We covered a depth range between 38’-52’ with leads unassisted from 60’-120’ back at 1.4-1.6 mph.

Please join me in thanking Michael Buckley for his service to our country and in wishing him and his family well in their future endeavors. It was an honor and privilege to have you on board today.

Good luck in your fishing adventures.

Hope to see you out on the water!