U.S. Army Vet & Wife First Lake Erie Walleye Experience

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8/25/24: Geneva, Ohio

Today our Nonprofit organization Cast It Forward had first time Lake Erie walleye anglers Mike along with his lovely wife of eleven years Brittany for their first ever Lake Erie walleye experience.

Mike served 13 years in the Army which also included tours of duty overseas. He and his wife had never before experienced what our beautiful Great Lake has to offer. We were honored to provide this opportunity to them.

We concentrated our efforts some 20+ miles offshore in 70’ - 74’ of water. Our plan was to target suspended schools of fish 50’-60’ down that were positioned just above the thermocline.

Our plan held true. The action was fast, Mother Erie was a gracious host, and she did not disappoint. Mike and Brittany caught a mixed bag of walleye along with a few trophy class fish that kept them on their feet all morning.

The surface water temperature read 73 degrees, winds S @5, waves 1’, water clarity 4’, barometric pressure 30.24 InHg and trolling speed 2.4-2.8 mph.

Over the last month, our secret weapon for “matching the hatch” and catching big fish has been Walleye Nation Creations SB Reaper in Blue Shiner. We have run this set up behind a Dipsey at a 0/110’ setting and this combo has yet to fail in producing big fish.

Dipsey / Small Stinger combos run at 3/140’ and 0/ 120’, Dipsey / Worm Harness combo at 3/150’ and #30 & #40 Jet Diver / Large Stinger Spoon combos have all consistently produced for us and again caught fish for us today.

Please join us thanking Mike for his dedication and service to our country. And we thank him and Brittany for joining us today for a memorable first ever Lake Erie walleye experience.

8/12/24: A huge part of our Cast It Forward mission is to share our love, joy, and passion for our great sport and awe-inspiring outdoors with those who otherwise would not have the opportunity.

It is even more gratifying when we can share this passion with children and their families who are dealing with unfortunate circumstances.

Such was the case today as we welcomed back a new group of families from the A Special Wish Northeast Ohio Chapter. For extra fun and support, we also enjoyed the company of local therapy dogs Nitro and Orion along with their handlers Dee and Anita.

We spent the day together teaching our fun group the basics on how to cast & retrieve, as well as how to safely catch and release their fish. Additionally, we also talked about the value of spending time together in our awe-inspiring outdoors along with our profound responsibility to respect, care, and maintain it.

After a delicious hamburger and hot dog cookout lunch, and in the spirit of our “Cast It Forward” mission, we provided each aspiring angler their very own brand-new fishing rod / reel combo, stocked tackle kit, fishing hat, fishing shirt, and “how to” fishing book.

We hope to inspire each participant into continued participation and ongoing appreciation for our great sport and outdoors.

Please join us in wishing these deserving children & their families a lifetime of good health and fishing memories.