C.A.S.T. VISITS PERRIS!
(California that is)
They say the Paris (France) is beautiful in the springtime, but I'll take Perris (California) in the fall anytime. When you have a mix of 96 degree weather, clear blue skies, experienced bass anglers, and a bunch of excited special needs kids, you have about as beautiful a setting as can be imagined. And the CAST event held September 30th at Lake Perris State Park was certainly that.
Things got off to a wonderful start as Robbie Robinson and the Lake Perris Staff treated everyone to a pancake breakfast. When everyone had their fill, it was time to head over to the staging area to load the boats. All the kids, excited as they were, remained very patient while getting fitted for life jackets. They where patient while waiting for their turn to meet their Captain, climb aboard their boats, and head out on the lake. Eventually all the boats were filled, including several that went out on the State Parks barge, and away they went in search of fish.
The fishing turned out to be pretty good, with almost all of the kids catching at least one fish thanks the skills of volunteer boat Captains from the California Bass Federation/TBF, including state President Gary Bradford. The kids caught everything from bluegill to catfish and even several nice largemouth bass up to about 3 lbs. Those that didn't catch fish still had a great time zooming around the lake in the high performance bass boats.
Around noon everyone headed back to the dock with their catches and were greeted by several volunteers and congratulated on their catches, followed by much picture taking. Everyone then headed over to the picnic area were they enjoyed an all you can get BBQ lunch, again provided by Robbie Robinson and the Lake Perris Staff. When all the hotdogs were devoured and the cookies munched it was time for the Awards Ceremony. All the kids are winners at this event and all received special plaques that held a picture of themselves and the Boat Captain as a memory for this special day. The Boat Captains also received a plaque to thank them for their involvement.
All of this was made possible by a partnership with the California Dept. of Water Resources who funded this event. Other partners include the California State Parks who hosted this event, the Dept. of Fish & Game, and the Dept. of Boating & Waterways. Special thanks go to Raphael Samuel, Lake Perris State park Ranger, who was the local coordinator for this event whose caring and hard work made this event so successful. Other special partners include the US Coast Guard Auxiliary, and the California Dept. of Forestry and Firefighting.
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