Veteran Mom, Veteran Daughter, and Teenage Son Epic Trip
Today our Nonprofit organization Cast It Forward had Navy Veteran Michele along with her children Rio, herself a Navy veteran and teenage son Riley on board for an epic and not soon to be forgotten walleye trip.
Michele came to us through our organization’s relationship with Northeast Ohio Foundation for Patriotism (NEOPAT). She proudly served our country from 1991-1995 achieving the rank of E5 Signalman. Rio served from 2018-2022 achieving the rank of E4 Sonar Tech. Riley is a senior in high school with a full schedule. He is active in sports, exercises regularly, has a job and is currently on his high school’s swim team.
Recognizing that life happens all too quickly, Michele, a seasoned boater herself, came to us wanting to spend some quality time on the water with her children. Needless to say, we were honored to make that happen.
We launched and fished the Geneva area with great results, and this group boated some of our biggest fish of this late summer season.
We covered depths between 71’-73’ and ran our presentations above the thermocline located 64’ down. Dipseys set at #1/120’-140’ and #3/130’-150’ using small Stinger and small and large Badmo spoons with silver backs all consistently caught fish throughout. Double Willow worm harnesses and Walleye Nation Creations Reapers in “Hunke Hammer” pattern also contributed to the cause and rounded out our program.
Trolling speeds were run between 2.1-2.6 mph, winds were S@8, surface temp 72 degrees and barometric pressure read 29.96 InHg.
Please join us in thanking Michele & Rio for their service to our country and in wishing their entire family good health and prosperity.
Today was a day that will be remembered, appreciated, and recognized for quite some time.
Good luck in your fishing adventures.
Hope to see you out on the water!
Today’s veterans fishing trip was made possible by the NEOPAT organization. NEOPAT is a nonprofit organization committed to supporting and honoring our heroes.
We offer our heartfelt thanks and deepest appreciation to NEOPAT for their ongoing support.
About Today's Trip Sponsor
Today’s veterans fishing trip was made possible by the NEOPAT organization. NEOPAT is a nonprofit organization committed to supporting and honoring our heroes.
Mom & Kids Fun Outing
Today we welcomed Angel and her two children John and Cara on board for a joyous afternoon of fishing and fun.
Angel came to us through our relationship with Stewart's Caring Place. She and her family have been going through some challenging times lately and the prospect of spending some carefree time on the water together was just the respite they all needed.
Initially, we spent some time on shore going over basic casting techniques. Once they felt comfortable enough we hit the water to look for some fish. We spent the next few hours together fishing, catching and sharing our stories. As is the case most times on the water, time flew by and all too soon it was time to head in. We capped off our trip with a fun and fast boat ride and called it a day.
Before we parted ways and in the spirit of our “Cast It Forward "mission we gifted Angel, John and Cara their own fishing rod, stocked tackle box and other fishing related items so they could continue their fishing journey together.
Please join me in wishing Angel and her family good health and well being in all of their future endeavors. It was a great pleasure to spend time with them and we are looking forward to doing it again very soon.
About Today's Trip Sponsor
Today’s trip was sponsored by Susan Teagarden in loving memory of her late husband Chuck Teagarden. Before going on to Glory, Chuck and Susan were married for 37 years. Along the way their family grew as they welcomed and raised two lovely daughters together. Chuck was an avid outdoorsman and loved spending his spare time hunting and fishing. He was also a dedicated fly fisherman and spent the colder months targeting steelhead in our area’s rivers. He and Susan spent many a summer together boating and fishing. They chased walleye and perch on the western end of Lake Erie using Sandusky as their home base. When not enjoying the great outdoors Chuck was a Health teacher and also a respected wrestling coach. We thank Susan Teagarden for her generous support and ask you to keep her and her devoted husband Chuck in your thoughts and prayers.
Vietnam Vet & Grandson's Memorable Trip
Today our Nonprofit Organization Cast It Forward had Vietnam Army Veteran and Grandfather Tom and his grandson Alex on board with us for their first ever Lake Erie walleye experience.
Tom proudly served our country as an Army combat engineer. A devoted grandfather, he wanted to share quality fishing time with his grandson. A freshman in high school, Alex is a good student and active in sports playing both soccer and baseball. We were honored to make this experience happen for them.
Although Lake Erie was a bit rough today, the bite out of Geneva offered non-stop action. It took us longer to make the 34 mile round trip run than it did to put a limit of fish in the boat.
It was a complete and total Dipsey presentation for us today. The fish were set up 50’ - 65’ down over 72’-74’ of water. Settings of #3 -140’, #1 -140’, & #1 - 125’ run with harnesses and spoons fired fast and often.
As a point of interest, early on we noticed the walleye spiting up massive amounts of baitfish, so we made the adjustment and downsized our spoon presentation accordingly to match the size and color of the forage. The results were fast, furious and immediate.
With the surging waves our speeds ranged between 2.0 - 2.7 mph, surface water temp 73 degrees, water clarity 5’, winds SSW @ 12 and barometric pressure read 30.12 InHg.
We thank Tom and Alex for the opportunity to give them their first Lake Erie experience together and wish them a lifetime of adventurous fishing and
outdoor activities together.
Also a special thank you to today to fellow Cast It Forward board member Dave Sobey for his excellent first mate service today.
Good luck in your fishing adventures.
Hope to see you out on the water!
About Today's Sponsor Hewescraft Marine
Our Nonprofit organization survives and thrives through the generosity of others.
Being our organization’s boat of choice Hewescraft Boats, Hewes Marine Company has been manufacturing aluminum fishing boats in Colville, Washington since 1948. Their expertise and reputation in the aluminum boat market have been proven year after year, and generation after generation.
Their mission is to design, build, and market the safest, most functional aluminum fishing boat.
We offer our heartfelt thanks and deepest appreciation to the Hewes Marine Company for their ongoing support in our mission.
Fun Day of Fishing & Boating for Pegasus Farm Organization
Today our Nonprofit Organization Cast It Forward hosted a fun and educational day of fishing and boating with families from the Pegasus Farm Therapeutic Equestrian Center organization of Hartville, Ohio.
The mission of Pegasus Farm is to create a community that holistically supports and empowers people with diverse needs through therapeutic equestrian programs, vocational services, and recreational and social activities.
We introduced these family groups of anglers to the basics of casting and fishing along with the proper care and handling of fish. 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. Just after lunch we all went on an exciting extended boat ride on our Hewescraft Boats ProV vessel.
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, and fishing shirt. We hope to encourage their continued participation and ongoing appreciation for our great sport and great outdoors.
We thank this awe inspiring group from the Pegasus Farm organization for our fun day together and for their participating in our program.
Today's Sponsor
Today’s event was funded by the Stark Community Foundation courtesy of their Summertime Kids grant program along with the Akron Community Foundation, and the Akron Beacon Journal courtesy of their Millennium Fund for Children grant program.
Fun Day of Outdoor Activity for Families From Victory Gallop
Today our Nonprofit Organization Cast It Forward hosted a fun day of fishing and boating for families from the Victory Gallop organization of Akron, Ohio.
Victory Gallop is a nonprofit organization that provides therapeutic and recreational horseback riding for children with behavioral and/or emotional challenges and life-threatening illnesses.
We introduced these family groups of anglers to the basics of casting and fishing along with the proper care and handling of fish. Through practice and persistence they all caught (and safely released) 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.
At 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, and fishing shirt. We hope to inspire each participant into continued participation and ongoing appreciation for our great sport and great outdoors.
We thank this fun group from the Victory Gallop organization for our day together and for their participating in our program.
Today's Sponsor
Today’s event was funded by the Akron Community Foundation and the Akron Beacon Journal courtesy of their Millennium Fund for Children grant program.
We offer our deepest appreciation to the Akron Community Foundation and the Akron Beacon Journal for their support in making today’s event possible for the families from the Victory Gallop organization of Akron, Ohio.
Mom & Son First Lake Erie Walleye
Today our Nonprofit Organization Cast It Forward had devoted mom Denise Sobey Tycast and awesome son Zak on board today for Zak’s first ever Lake Erie walleye adventure.
Zak loves spending time with his mom doing all kinds of activities and is a huge fan of the Cleveland Guardians and Cleveland Monsters sports teams.
Today’s activity for mom and son was walleye fishing on our Great Lake. The walleye were hungry and kept Zak super busy reeling throughout the morning.
The waves and winds were all over the place, starting out North, then South then West maintaining 1-3’ throughout. Surface temp read 75 degrees, water visibility 5’, and barometric pressure read 29.97 InHg.
Baits were run between 18’- 35’ down over water 42’-50’ deep at speeds 1.8-2.3 mph. Our most productive lures were Walleye Nation Creations Reapers in “Anti-Freeze” and “Hunke Hammer” 80’-100’ unassisted, Bandits in “Candy” and Tommy Harris custom painted “Nemo”, along with Dipseys set at #1 at 60’-75’ back run with spoons and harnesses.
It was a fun and action packed morning and we thank devoted mom Denise and awesome son Zak for spending time with us today on the water. We look forward to doing it again sometime very soon.
Today's Sponsor
Today’s trip was sponsored and funded by a grant from the Bass Pro Shops / Cabela's Outdoor Fund. This grant is made possible through the generosity of those customers who “round up” their purchases. #OutdoorFund #bassproshops #cabelas
We offer our deepest appreciation and heartfelt thanks for their support and for making today’s trip possible for Denise and her son Zak.
Awesome Event with Upside of Downs Organization
Today our Nonprofit Organization Cast It Forward held an event for the awesome families from The Upside of Down Syndrome of Northeast Ohio.
Attended by over 50 people, today’s event was held in the Rocky River Reservation. Attendees enjoyed learning about our Great Lake courtesy of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, were instructed on and participated in hands on casting & retrieving, and were treated to an extended Lake Erie boat ride on our organization’s Hewescraft Boats vessel.
In between we took a break for lunch and enjoyed grilled hamburgers and hot dogs courtesy of our own grill master Dave Sobey.
As we wrapped up our time together and in the spirit of our “Cast It Forward” mission, we provided each participant with their very own fishing rod / reel combo, stocked tackle kit, fishing hat, and fishing shirt.
It was truly an awesome day spent with this inspiring group and we look forward to spending time together again soon with the great people from the Upside of Downs of Northeast Ohio.
Today's Sponsor
Today’s event was funded by a grant from the Bass Pro Shops / Cabela's Outdoor Fund. This grant is made possible through the generosity of those customers who “round up” their purchases.
We offer our deepest appreciation and heartfelt thanks to Bass Pro Shops / Cabela's for their support and for making today’s event possible for the families from the Upside of Downs of Northeast Ohio