Angling for a cure: Cast Out Cancer returns in October
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PARKERSBURG -- Cast Out Cancer founder Taylor Yon is more than excited about the direction of the nonprofit organization where angling for a cure is the motto.
Here in the Mountain State, with the help of Joey Vincent, the second ever retreat for early next month has been put together.
“We’ve only been in West Virginia a little over a year and we’re trying to actively recruit people and get them signed up for the program,” Yon said. “If we get applications we can plan trips anytime of the year. Just because we have these bigger retreats at these other destination places doesn’t mean we can’t book a guide for the same place.
“We just may not stay there. It might just be a day trip instead of a retreat. The more applications I get I always say the more trips I get to plan, so the more the merrier. If they get a hold of us (CastOutCancer.org) we send them the application and as soon as I get that back I can proceed with planning them a trip. The main thing is letting people know that if they can’t make one of these trips we can make anything happen anytime of the year.”
The most recent retreat has been fully planned and is set to go from Oct. 2-4 at the Elk Springs Resort.
“I fish it all the time,” admitted Vincent, a cancer survivor. “It’s fly fishing only, catch and release. They have all kinds of cabins and they are very nice. It’s just a nice place.
“There’s a restaurant on site. We are having a meal catered in on night two from Smoke on the Water (BBQ) in Elkins. The owner and I have become very good friends.”
Yon stressed that the day trips and retreats are free of cost, but they need applicants who are currently going through cancer treatment or are within two years of remission.
“It’s going to be a good time,” admitted Yon, who noted he still has spots for the Oct. 28-31 retreat on the Salmon River in New York. “It’s definitely come together pretty well. We’ve really had some outreach from the state of West Virginia and we’ve been really grateful to have Joey a part of the team.
“He’s been able to spend the time and talk to the resorts and the people down there. It’s been a real blessing to have him down there. He’s set up a good bit of it, which is a lot off my plate. I’m telling you, it’s a blessing to have him down there helping us out. It really is. Very grateful to that.”
Vincent learned about Cast Out Cancer from Yon while attending the inaugural Appalachian Fly Fishing Festival in the spring of 2024.
“It’s kind of a unique event,” Vincent said of the upcoming retreat. “I don’t think we’ve done an event with this many participants. We are doing six participants. When we get there on Friday there’s going to be a fly casting class put on by West Virginia fly fishing legend Jack Bell, another guy who mentors me and has become a good friend.
“That night we’re just going to have some fellowship. Singer, songwriter, fly fishing guy Nat Frederick is going to sing for us that night and he’s guiding for us the next day. He’s an excellent musician. I just watched him play at the Italian Heritage Festival (in Clarksburg). Man, he’s good.”
After preparing breakfast on day two they will head out to either wade fish or try their luck from the banks.
“They’ll be catching, hopefully, big brown and rainbow trouts in the Elk River,” said Vincent. “That night we’re going to have a fly tying class. They are going to be making their own flys.
“We’re going to do some basic ties. Sunday is going to be up to the discretion of the participants. We can get up and fish and then at some point we got to check out.”
Each participant on the trip is allowed to bring one support person with them.
“We’ve been putting it together for probably three months,” added Vincent, who has been with the organization a little more than a year.
“It’s been wonderful. It’s been the best thing I’ve ever done in my life. It’s the first time in my life I haven’t kept score and I’ve been immensely fulfilled.”
Vincent has been more than pleased with the cooperation from event hosts like Amanda Beverage at Elk Springs Resort.
“Phenomenal to work with,” he said.
Yon also has been quite pleased with the outreach from all the guides, whether it’s in West Virginia, New York or in his home state of Pennsylvania.
“We’ve gotten so many guides who want to be a part of it in that area that we’re actually going to have to plan some more trips, which is a great thing,” Yon said of the Mountain State. “It’s always a wonderful thing. It’s what we want to be doing.
“It’s definitely great to have that. Just the little bit of time we’ve been able to spend there we’ve been welcomed with open arms in West Virginia so far. We’re really excited to hopefully finding some more participants on top of the people that we have found and continuing to get people out.”
Yon said they have the capacity to have five participants for the Salmon River retreat at the end of next month and currently have three open spots.
“We are still looking for people for that trip,” he said. “The only thing they have to do is get themselves there.
“In the future we are hopefully going to be able to help with that as well as some expense money for that.”
Of the utmost importance to Yon is letting everyone know they just need to get him the necessary information and they’ll do everything in their power to make it happen.
“We’ll get something booked for them,” stressed Yon, a Stage 3 testicular cancer survivor.
“It may not be in the state that they are in or somewhere else. We’ll figure something out. We just need the applications.”
Contact Jay Bennett at jbennett@newsandsentinel.com