By John Zimmerman & Taylor Sharp
John Zimmerman and Taylor Sharp, the Upper Creek Angler boys out of Morganton, North Carolina, started Casting for Hope in 2011 as a charitable wing of Upper Creek Angler to raise money for women and their families battling cancer in Western North Carolina. Our first event was a 2012 fly-fishing competition in Bakersville, North Carolina. That first Casting for Hope was a collaborative project between Upper Creek Angler and River’s Edge Fly shop in Spruce Pine, North Carolina. Fast forward six years and Casting for Hope is a leading regional nonprofit hosting fly-fishing retreats at the Casting for Hope Retreat Center after assuming management of the very place where we held our first fishing competition all those years ago, and providing financial assistance to women and their families who are fighting an ovarian or other gynecological cancer. Our flagship event every year is still the April fishing tournament—but it’s grown!
Casting for Hope’s now 6th Annual April fishing competition is one of only two world-championship-modeled events in the country. This means that the event operates with five-man teams, across five venues, spans five three-hour fishing sessions, and is judged by a fleet of over 100 volunteers.
The competition features the Upper and Lower North Toe in Spruce Pine, Cane Creek in Bakersville, and Big Rock Creek and Little Rock Creek at the Casting for Hope Retreat Center.
This year’s event was one to remember! The field was packed with many of the best anglers in the country—Devin Olsen and Michael Bradley of the US Men’s National Fly Fishing Team and a number of current and former members of the US Youth National Team, as well as many of the best competitive fly anglers from across the United States.
The top three team finishers were Lee University (made up of Mason Sims, Gabe Wittosch, Noland Glenn, Grant Hawse, and Elijah Dale), Team Up and Coming (Michael Bradley, Devin Olsen, Elli Buchanan, Ryder Sutton, and Alex Boyer), and Team Stonefly (Chris Chapman, Michael Yelton, Forrest Johnson, Seth Drake, and Tyler Cornett). The top three individual winners were Gabe Wittosch with an incredible final score of six placing points, Grant Hawse, and Eli Buchanan.
Tough, high, stained water depressed overall fish numbers during the first session of fishing, but the falling limb proved for better than normal fishing during the normally very tough sessions four and five of the tournament. Across the five sessions of fishing, a mixed bag of 3,273 rainbows, brookies, and browns were landed, scored, and released unharmed on the five venues, with several 24-inch-class fish landed and released.
After all was said and done, 40 anglers, over a hundred volunteers, five rivers, 3,273 trout, and a pack of donors and sponsors came together to use the spot of fly-fishing as a tool for good. Through donor pledges to contribute cents and dollars for every fish caught and Casting for Hope’s other fundraising, over $115,500 was raised for women and families in western North Carolina battling an ovarian or other gynecological cancer via Casting for Hope’s services and programs.
For more information on Casting for Hope, volunteering with the organization, making a financial contribution to our efforts, or getting on our communication list to be informed of when it’s time to sign up for the next fishing tournament as an angler or volunteer, contact us at: john@castingforhope.org or taylor@castingforhope.org or give us a call at 828.443.4850.
John Zimmerman and Taylor Sharp are the co-owners of Upper Creek Angler, a fly-fishing guide and custom tackle service based in Morganton, North Carolina. John and Taylor are also the founders of Casting for Hope, a regional nonprofit organization based in Morganton, Asheville, and Bakersville that serves women and families in western North Carolina battling ovarian and other gynecological cancers. through fly-fishing retreats and financial assistance.
Find them on the web at www.uppercreekangler.com or www.castingforhope.org