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WALLEYES FOR WARRIORS CELEBRATES 2024!
We are proud to say 2024 will be our twelfth event. The Bay City Elks Lodge #88 and Walleyes for Warriors are dedicated to continuing this event each year. Walleyes for Warriors’ mission is to show appreciation to our veterans and thank them for all they have done for our country by providing them with a special day of recreational fishing on Saginaw Bay. Our 2023 event was a success, despite Mother Nature deciding it would be a challenge. Serious winds shifted to the northeast. A small craft advisory went into effect at 2:00 pm. With this forecast, we shortened the event and everybody was off the Saginaw Bay by 1:00 pm. We had 146 Boat Captains and First Mates and 162 veterans who participated. 68 volunteers made this event happen. We caught 632 walleye. The longest walleye was 27 inches. It was caught by veteran Jesse Raymond from Custard, Michigan, and Captain Sean Hodges. We were blessed to have one World War II veteran, a gentleman in his nineties, fishing. We also had a young woman, age 22, who was active duty with the Air Force, fishing with us. We witnessed the history and evolution of the United States Military at last year’s event. This year’s event will again be at Linwood Beach Marina, 135 S. Linwood Beach Road, Linwood, Michigan. The dates are June 8th and 9th. If you have attended in the past, you know how meaningful this event is to our veterans. This event is provided entirely by donations and volunteers. Countless hours of planning and work by volunteers, donations of money and the generosity of captains, who donate their fishing boats, gas, and time make this event a success. We start with registration and fellowship on Saturday afternoon. The veterans receive a tee shirt, a souvenir bag, meet their captain, and enjoy hotdogs and chips. On Sunday launching starts at 5:00 a.m. with the opening ceremony at 7:00 a.m. The veterans receive a box lunch. Fishing continues until 2:00 p.m. Dinner is then served followed by a short program. Volunteers clean all the fish during dinner and every veteran leaves with a personal cooler bag filled with walleye fillets. Bay City Elks Lodge #88 coordinates and sponsors the event. This event is put together in honor of the founder of Walleyes for Warriors, Nels Larson, who passed away October 8, 2020. Nels was an avid Saginaw Bay fisherman. THANK YOU for your involvement. We hope to hear from you soon. As we say in the Elks, so long as there are veterans, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks will NEVER forget them. GOD BLESS AMERICA! |
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Walleyes for Warriors is presented by Bay City Elks Lodge No. 88. Our IRS Tax Exempt 501(c)(3) ID Number is 31954.