The 7th Annual Casting for Hope Presented by MasterNymph, a “gold-level” competition that has recruited many of the best anglers from all over the country, is set for April 13-15, 2018.  The tournament is hosted at the Casting for Hope Retreat Center, which features two miles of private trophy water on Little and Big Rock Creek in Mitchell County, North Carolina.  This private water has been featured on The Outdoor Channel, and it has served as a great venue for this important event over the years.  Our presenting sponsor, MasterNymph, is presenting each of the members of the winning 5-man team with a coveted 10’6″ #3 Bellator–all of Master Nymph’s rods are 100% made in the USA.  Please check MasterNymph out on social media outlets and let them know that you appreciate them sponsoring Casting for Hope!

Entries will be limited to the 40 entrants to enter the tournament–solos are welcome to enter the field of competition as well as full or partial teams.  The $200 entry fee per angler should be made to Casting for Hope.  All teams after the first eight to enter will be added in first-come-first-serve format to the waiting list.

As in years past, the Casting for Hope tournament will make use of not only the private trophy waters of Little Rock Creek and Big Rock Creek but also the delayed harvest streams nearby, Cane Creek*** and the North Toe River, with a two-week no fishing window.  Fishermen will have 15 hours of fishing time–three hours on each stretch of water.  Scoring will be Fips Mouche.  Practice water includes the Hatchery Supported stretches of the North Toe in Spruce Pine, Hatchery Support stretches of Cane Creek in Bakersville, the Delayed Harvest stretches of the Catawba River in Marion, and the South Toe River near Burnsville, NC.

***We are working to remove the public stretch on the Cane Creek Delayed Harvest water by forming relationships with some local private land trust owners/fishing clubs.  But that is currently in operation with no guarantees.

Payouts for winners will be listed in March 2018.

All entrants will be given an official dry-fit competitor tournament t-shirt, t-shirt, dinner Friday, breakfast and lunch and dinner on Saturday, and breakfast and lunch on Sunday, Knockaround sunglasses, and other swag items that we pick up along the way.

As in the past, this will be a volunteer-controlled event and the draw will be completed ahead of time.

Registration for the event is through the Google Forms below.  To be extremely clear, registration will be by first come first serve for both teams and individuals.  Individuals may register.  Teams may submit incomplete registrations (say four anglers, for example).  But the first 40 names will be the field of competition.  To be extremely clear:  if, for example, through individual registration and incomplete team registration, a team of five enters the field but there are only 3 slots left, we will enter the three anglers listed first on the team entry form and fill the roster with individual entries or place anglers on as-of-yet-unfilled team spots.   

After you’ve signed up for the event through the forms listed below, submit your entry fee via the PayPal link on our home page or the contribution page or send a check made to Casting for Hope to:

John Zimmerman / Casting for Hope / 116 South Sterling Street, Suite 204 / Morganton, NC 28655

Email us at john@castingforhope.org for any additional information you need!

Entry fees are nonrefundable except on the circumstance that we can fill a spot with a paying angler later down the road.

Please use the individual registration form to sign up to fish as an individual and be placed on a short team.  Please use the team registration form to sign up as a team, even if your team is incomplete.  If you are registering an incomplete team and find anglers to fill your spots, they can sign up as an individual and request placement on your team at that time.

Follow this link to sign up as an individual.

Follow this link to sign up as a team.

Follow this link to sign up to volunteer.

Schedule of Events:

Friday, April 13, 2018:

11:00-1:00–Registration and social gathering at The Casting for Hope Retreat Center on Little Rock Creek

1:00-1:30–Rules Meeting

1:30-2:30–Travel Time to venues for Session 1

2:30-5:30–Fishing session 1

5:30-6:30–Travel back; please turn scores in ASAP.

5:30–Dinner will be available at the Casting for Hope Retreat Center

Saturday, April 14, 2018

7:15-8:00:  Travel Time to Venues for Fishing Session 2

8:00-11:00:  Fishing Session 2

LUNCH WILL BE AVAILABLE from 11:00-2:00

1:15-2:00:  Travel Time to Venues for Fishing Session 3 (Folks going to the North Toe will be encouraged to leave early and return early).

2:00-5:00:  Fishing Session 3

5:00-5:45:  Travel Time and Scoring

5:45-8:00:  Social Hours

8:00:  Reporting of Scoring for Sessions 1-3

Sunday, April 15, 2018

7:15-8:00:  Travel Time to Venues for Fishing Session 4

8:00-11:00:  Fishing Session 4

LUNCH WILL BE AVAILABLE from 11:00-2:00

1:15-2:00:  Travel Time to Venues for Fishing Session 5 (Folks going to North Toe will be encouraged to leave early and return early)

2:00-5:00 Fishing Session 5

5:00-5:30: Travel Time Back

5:30-6:30:  Scoring

6:30-7:00:   Announcements of Winners and Presentations of Prizes

7:00—:  Social Hours

As always, a complete competitor packet with full directions and beat maps will be e-mailed to the fleet of competitors well in advance of the competition.

Follow Casting for Hope on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/CastingForHope