Reeling in his biggest catch

SANDUSKY — A local business owner presented a 7-year-old boy diagnosed with leukemia with a mounted plaque containing the largest fish the youngster had ever caught. Steve Hammer, the owner of Sandusky Bait Co. and Hammertime Lures, said the surprise was done in collaboration with Jeff's Taxidermy in North Royalton to create the memorable piece. Levi Lynch, 7, pictured holding the largest walleye he has ever caught. Sandusky business owner Steve Hammer had the catch taxidermized and mounted on a plaque gifted to Lynch on Saturday. Provided photo/STEVE HAMMER Levi Lynch, 7, of Calcutta, Ohio, was diagnosed with T-cell-acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a rare type of leukemia, in 2022 at Akron Children's Hospital. He is undergoing chemotherapy and on a three-year treatment plan. "He is a trooper and has shown a lot of people what it means to be a fighter," Hammer said. Hammer first met Levi while competing in a Lake Erie Walleye Trail tournament. Following the meeting with the boy and his family, Hammer took Levi fishing with him in "fall of 2022 and decided it would be awesome to get it mounted for him with his name attached to it," Hammer said. Levi received the mounted walleye on Saturday at the I-X International Exposition Center in Cleveland. It occurred during the four-day Cleveland Boat Show.