NEWS & STORIES
PHWFF Ohio Programs Meet for Annual Event at Castalia State Fish Hatchery
On Saturday, September 18, an annual event was revived for 2021 which included five northern Ohio PHWFF Programs.
Hosted by Kevin Ramsey and friends, the event, formerly called “Patriot Day”, has been hosted the past 12 years, with the exception of 2020 because of the pandemic.
Participants and volunteers from Akron, Columbus, Sheffield Lake, Rocky River and the Willoughby Programs of PHWFF all joined together and took part in the outing held at Castalia State Fish Hatchery in Clyde, Ohio.
The hosts required that every participant harvest the fish they caught, and every participant caught their limit of five.
Mother Nature provided a perfect day, and the fishing conditions were pristine. Participants were guaranteed success and the real challenge was to enjoy the process and to NOT catch too many fish too fast. It was a great opportunity to understand the importance of casting accuracy, as well as proper fly selection. Everyone enjoyed a delicious catered lunch and the raffle prizes that followed were plentiful. No one went home empty handed.
Willoughby program lead diane wantz
Willoughby Program Lead Diane Wantz said the most memorable moment was when a new participant caught a large trout, and everyone in the immediate area shared the magic moment together.
“When the participant was holding the fish, they almost became mesmerized by it. Their volunteer guide for the day could not stop smiling!”
Wantz would like to thank former regional coordinator, Kevin Ramsey, and his crew of volunteers.
“They took the lead on this event and made it look easy,” Wantz said.
She would also like to thank all of the program leads who were instrumental in getting the rosters and the raffle prizes organized in a timely fashion.
Finally, Wantz wanted to extend a very special thank you to the family of veteran Dale Miller.
“The Miller family donated 30 of Dale’s hand-built fly rods to the event,” Wantz said. ” Each participant and program received one. The Miller family’s kindness and generosity were humbling and much appreciated.”
Even though this event was smaller than previous years’, a good time was had by all and all of the programs are looking forward to next year’s event.
