It is good to be back in the public world with this column.
We thank editor Dave Adsett for giving us access to the Wellington Advertiser’s website to bring back Stray Casts. We had particular reasons for asking to restart a column that last saw the light of day in early 2006. Actually, a couple of reasons.
One was that even though Stray Casts has been gone for almost exactly two years, people keep asking about it. Now, we can provide a happy response – that it will be a regular feature on the Advertiser web site.
The most important reason, though, was an accidental fishing program we started in this column at the turn of the century. A lady from Neighbourlink called and asked us if we could help get a youngster outfitted for fishing. He was a fanatic, but his parents did not have the necessary to provide the gear he needed. A one paragraph request at the end of a column continues to have an impact on the life of the Stray Caster – and hundreds of needy kids.
The response from readers was overwhelming. Over 30 people called us about that column, at least two dozen people donated more equipment than the boy could ever use, and we started looking for other people who could use some fishing gear. Since then, it has never stopped.
We conservatively estimate that through the Wellington Advertiser and this column, we have given to youngsters at least 500 free rod and reel combinations, and one Boy Scout troupe even received two canoes and a mould that it could use to make its own canoes. Readers have been generous beyond belief, even providing fishing waders for a needy youngster. One call for some help with lures resulted in enough tackle to fill two huge tackle boxes, and those tackle boxes, brand new, were also donated.
Hundreds of dollars worth of stuff went to needy kids. As one fellow, an insurance agent, told the Stray Caster, if kids are out fishing, they are not dragging keys along someone’s paint job in a parking lot. That’s one good reason people were generous. Others, we suspect, simply wanted all kids to have a chance to enjoy a sport that they, too, love.
But while the column might have stopped in 2006, those donations have kept on coming, and that is why we asked Mr. Adsett to let us restart it. The tackle is, once again, starting to overwhelm our house. We’ve been giving away dozens of rods and reels, but we now need new recipients.
We began with a stockpile in our basement, trying to keep things separate from our own gear. Then, the corner was simply packed to the point it would hold no more. Lately, donors who drop tackle off at First Choice Tackle in Guelph have forced us to pile it behind the door, in our porch, causing the Stray Caster to be the recipient of the occasional glare from his housemates.
Naturally, in re-starting the column, we wondered just what we would write about, and, coincidentally, last week we heard from our old fishing mentor, Al Brown, of Linwood, who got us started with a column too many years ago.
He wisely suggested the column should be about the things we are doing in the fishing world. Lately, that has included teaching a couple of enthusiastic kids the joys of casting and, occasionally, catching. It is amazing, but watching a kid pull in her very first fish is just as exciting as it was when we first did it. Maybe even more so.
There are some interesting adventures to recount in the coming weeks, some mishaps, and perhaps even a tale or two from Lake Anywhere. And yes, without keeping anyone in suspense, we finally did catch the largest walleye and won one of Carla Schott’s fabulous T-shirts. The circumstances, as usual, were ridiculous and the odds were all in our favour, so perhaps we can devote a few paragraphs about it down the road.
In the meantime, if anyone knows someone who can use fishing tackle, the Stray Caster is busy trying to clean up several rods and reels from behind that door, so they are ready when the kids are. To reach me, just call 519-846-8042 (home) or 513-843-5410, extension 517 (work), or email me at home at davepaulmeyer@cogeco.ca.
Hope to hear from you soon.
