Click "More" (below) for photo links for C.A.S.T. for Kids and bass fishing in México
What Happens at C.A.S.T. for Kids at Lake Pleasant AZ?
Starting with the 2026 event, CFKLP will have three Co-Coordinators: Terry B. Johnson (me) and two sisters--Millie Davila and Susan Backhaus. Terry has been the Coordinator since the incomparable Brenda Paquette retired in 2021 after 15 years. Millie's son Bruce participates in CFKLP. Millie and Susan have a wealth of experience in local charitable events. They are CAN DO people! They are already helping Terry identify more ways to build on Brenda's work.
The Coordinators' work begins the day after the previous event and lasts through the next event. First, fundraising and searching for Boat Captains begin for the next event. Then Kids, Volunteers and Sponsors are thanked and 1500 to 2000 event photos are culled into a Top 125-ish and a Top 25-ish. Each photo selected is labeled, posted to this website and sent to C.A.S.T. for Kids national (CFK hereafter). Event reports to CFK are written and filed. Equipment and supplies are inventoried and stored. More than 500 Gmail Contacts are updated. Equipment and supplies for the next event are purchased or reserved.
Tackle Boxes are the First Things to Handle
When 75 Flambeau Tackle Boxes arrive in January, my younger grandsons, Drew and Tyler, come over to fill them. We set up a production line in my backyard. Each box gets hooks (snelled and unsnelled), a variety of weights, swivels, round and quill bobbers, bobber stoppers, crankbaits, jerkbaits, topwater lures, a variety of soft plastics (lizards, worms, crayfish, minows) and a tube of sunscreen. It takes us 3-4 days to fill all the boxes. Each one holds about $70 worth of tackle. The boys work hard and take breaks as needed. They spend breaks sampling the lake behind our house. They catch 3 to 13 pound carp (various kinds), 1 to 12 pound catfish (mostly channel cats but an occasional flathead), and very rarely a largemouth bass. Drew's best and only two bass weighed 1 pound and 2 pounds. Tyler's best was 4.1 pounds. Drew is focused on beating that Lake Record.
Early Birds Get the Worm When Online Registration Opens
On the second Wednesday in January, online Registration opens for Participating Kids and their families or friends, Boat Captains, Boat Co-Captains, Boat Valets and Shore Volunteers. In 2026, that will be January 15. Based on the past 5 years, the 70 slots will probably be filled less than 3 weeks after Registration opens.
Register at: https://castforkids.org/event/lakepleasant/
Please register your child as soon as Online Registration opens. Many past participants sign up the day Registration opens. Once the slots are filled, registrations are shifted to the WAITLIST. Kids on the WAITLIST will be contacted to participate only if a registered child cancels. Notice can be very short. After two attempts (48 hr) to contact a WAITLIST child, we move to the next child on the list.
Setting Up CFKLP
Plaques, hats, t-shirts and name tags arrive in February. The plaques and hats need no attention. The t-shirts are sized and must be paired with the correct child, adult companion, Boat Captain (BC) or Shore Volunteer (SV). The Name Tags must be generated. Super SV Trish Bergman personally prints the name tags and bundles the tags, hats and t-shirts for attendees to pick up. This helps speed up registration.
In March, donated donated and purchased replacement equipment and supplies are organized.
Finally, the day before the event, a "Circus Tent," 45 tables and 300 chairs are set up by Big AZ Tents and volunteers. Porta-Potties are delivered, courtesy of the Arizona Game and Fish Department. Stored equipment and supplies are brought to the event site. Volunteers put up Sponsor banners, signs and traffic cones and ice down drinks,.
As Setup Day Ends
The last thing we do on the day before the event is set out the kids’ free supplies: hats, t-shirts, name tags, rod & reel combos, tackle boxes, sunscreen, water, snacks, etc.
The kids get to keep everything! Thank you, Sponsors!!
Event Day responsibilities are reaffirmed. Super SV Trish Bergman oversees volunteer work on Registration/Sign-In, Lunch and the Recognition Ceremony. Jay Yelas will Emcee the Recognition Ceremony. Dave Bergman, Trish's husband, coordinates Setup, Takedown and Cleanup. Dave Hagan and Scott Petersen coordinate the Boat Captains. Dan Wolters coordinates rig parking, Boat Valets launching boats, providing support for boats on the water, and Boat Valets trailering boats. Dan also handles icing down the drinks.
Anglers Start the Day Very Early
Before the crack of dawn, Boat Captains arrive (0400-0600). They park their rigs and swap lies with each other for a few minutes. At 0700, they attend a mandatory Boat Safety Meeting, in which BCs Dave Hagan and Scott Petersen cover the essential safety and courtesy issues. BCs are encouraged to update each other on where to fish and how to catch them. It's probably the only time many of them share that information.
The biggest challenge with BCs is convincing them that for the good of the event boats MUST be trailered by a specific time. Coming back when your primary passenger begs to stay out so they can catch a fish, or catch more fish, is tough to do. BCs participate in these events because they want to share the kids' joy when they are on the water, especially if they catch a fish. But, if the boats stay out too long, Lunch is screwed up and that screws up the Recognition Ceremony. Then comes trickle-down chaos.
Volunteers Should Also Arrive By 0530
Their mandatory Orientation Session begins at 0600.
It takes 50 to 60 volunteers to handle everything on land. We can't thank each and every one of them enough. But we need to mention a few who make these events happen. They help with all prepartions for the event. They help the Coordinators oversee everything from Setup through Takedown. These Super Volunteers are: Dave Bergman, Trish Bergman, Dave Hagan, Scott Petersen and Dan Wolters. Dave and Trish even take it one step farther: each year, one or two of their kids (Cody and Ethan; come on, Wes!)) are Shore Volunteers. In 2025, Ethan was our Event Photographer. He also convinced his grilfriend, Ingrid Jurkavainen, handled our First Aid Station–the only boring job in the whole event! The most challenging (i.e. the only First Aid task in 2025 was putting a BandAid on Todd Woods' finger. He found a splinter.
Finally, A Day on the Water
Event Day focuses on fun, food and recognition. Depending on when a boat was launched and when its passengers wanted to return, the boats are out for 15 minutes to 3-4 hours. When they return, the first priority is lunch, a plate full of food served by AZ Barbecue Catering, Inc., accompanied by drinks courtesy of Circle K, Shamrock Foods, Axcion, and other Sponsors. Then comes the Recognition Ceremony, during which kids and their Boat Captain go up to the microphone (if they want to) and tell Emceee Jay Yelas about how the day went. Often, the tales the pair tell are quite different about how and how many fish were caught, and by whom, and how big they were. But they all agree on one thing: it was the best day of their lives. They walk away leaving an appreciative audience and each of them holds a recognition plaque with a mounted photo of thei child and their Boat Captain. Some kids' and captains' walls are covered by ten or more of these plaques. More than one mom has mentioned how often their child talks about their plaque(s) and how much they love the event.
It’s Not Just Santa Who Stuffs Tackle Boxes
Each year, Drew and Tyler are allowed to Super-Stuff one tackle box each as it moves down the production line in my backyard, on the lake where they learned to fish -- and catch!.
Voila! — come rain or shine, 3-4 days later the tackle boxes are full. Drew and Tyler keep their Super-Stuffed tackle boxes at my house so I can give them to the boys at the event. Each box has a secret identifying mark,
At the event, each boy gives their Super-Stuffed Tackle Box to a Participating Kid. How do they choose the kids? I don't have a clue. I've often asked how they choose. They say, "We just know."
C.A.S.T. for Kids at Lake Pleasant is truly a family event for us. Tyler says he will be the Coordinator when I die. With Millie and Susan involved, I have no doubt it will be wonderful.