Northwest Fishing Magazine July 2025 Volume 4 Issue 10 - Flipbook - Page 38
Nixon’s Marine in Pasco,
Washington, donated $500
so he could purchase the
rods, reels, and tackle boxes
for each kid.
Levi coordinated with
Potholes State Park and the
Washington Department of
Fish and Wildlife (WDFW),
who both readily agreed to
partner in the event. Levi
obtained a net pen that he
put next to the boat launch
in the park. WDFW stocked
the net pen with 250
rainbow trout, the majority
being catchable size, but
some were much larger.
On the morning of the
event, 15 volunteers met
Rodelo and McCalmant.
They assigned roles to
all of us, and then the
kids showed up with
their families at 8 AM.
The special needs of
the children varied. One
teenager had highfunctioning autism, and
one child had Down
syndrome.
Two other kids were nonverbal and couldn’t speak.
Each child (and volunteer)
was given a t-shirt to wear
from C.A.S.T. for Kids, as
well as their fishing rods,
reels, and tackle box. Each
kid was paired up with a
volunteer fishing buddy/
coach. Hooks were baited
under bobbers, and it was
time to go fishing!
The fishing wasn’t fast
and furious, but everybody
got to reel in one or more
trout in two hours of
shore fishing. With the
temperature heating up,
the fishing wrapped up
around 10 AM.
After that, everyone
involved went to a food
truck brought there by
Blacky’s Smokin Sweet
from Othello. The owners
heard about the event and
wanted to participate.
