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by Tom Siciliano
(from Jersey Coast Anglers Association March 2004 Newsletter)
There have been a few breaks in the weather and I hope you have been able to take advantage of them to get out and do a little fishing. If not I hope you have stopped by and said hello at the recent shows we have attended. We saw a lot of avid fishermen at the Saltwater Sportsman Seminar on January 24th. Thanks to Phil Celmer, Al Marantz, Tom Fote and Frank Bittner for their help at the seminar. Tom Fote was also at the Somerset Fly Fishing Show at the Stripers Forever booth on January 22-23.
The big show was the Atlantic City Boat Show on February 4-8th. A huge thank you goes out to Dan Miller who handled the booth by himself on Friday because his helpers were unable to get to the show because of the weather. Dan also worked the show on Saturday and Sunday. Thanks also to the set up crew of Phil Celmer and Rich Pasko who were there for two days on Tuesday and Wednesday. Thanks to Dick Vesper and his crew from the Village Harbor Fishing Club for their help on Thursday. Thanks also to Jim Van Daley, Paula Emond, John Koegler and Al Marantz. Last but certainly not least thank you to Mark Taylor who was in charge of all the arrangements and coordinating the helpers and working, then taking the booth down on Sunday.
We have been invited to the Atlantic City International Outdoor Sports Show on March 12 – 14 at the Convention Center. This show continues to grow and will feature opportunities to buy the latest in Fresh and Saltwater Fishing Tackle. Many Fresh and Saltwater Fishing Boat Captains will be there and there will be loads of seminars by the region’s most respected Pros along with lots of How-To Demonstrations. Stop by and say hello or give Mark Taylor a call at 732-929-2591 and volunteer to help out at the booth for a few hours.
If you are looking for other opportunities to volunteer we are still in need of a corresponding secretary. Anyone with the talent and interest in this job may contact me. We can also use people to serve on various fishing related committees such as striped bass, fluke and others. There are meetings on various issues around the state that need to be covered.
For instance the Governor and his staff were in Galloway Township for a meeting with environmental leaders. I attended along with Ed Goldman from the Absecon Saltwater Sportsmen and about 30 leaders from various other environmental and conservation groups. He talked about increasing the penalties that polluters would pay for the environmental damage they cause. The penalties have not been increased since 1986 and instead of cleaning up an area and it is cheaper for companies to pay the fine rather than remedy a situation. They consider the fines a cost of doing business. The governor is enlisting our help to talk to the legislators when the bills are introduced. The other issues discussed were “Protecting Children by Reducing Toxic Mercury Emissions”, “Helping to Make the Air Safer to Breathe by Reducing the Soot in the Air”, and “Protecting New Jersey’s Drinking Water by Reducing the Level of Arsenic”.
Plans for the Fluke Tournament are moving along great and we always have opportunities to help out especially if you would like to help out as a weigh master. Jersey City is one port with special needs for anyone who can help. It is only a few hours and you get to meet a lot of very good fishermen. Some may even tell the truth about where they caught their fish! But don’t count on it.
JCAA is still looking for major sponsors for this year's JCAA Fluke Tournament. Most of last years major sponsors are on board but there are still places available. If you have any questions regarding becoming a sponsor or donating door prizes contact Richard Pasko at 609-971-6120 or Tom Fote at 732-270-9102 or email Tom at tfote@jcaa.org. We are looking forward to breaking last years record 1009 boats and we need your help to do it. So mark your calendar for June 12, 2004 for the biggest tournament on the East Coast. We will be back at Trump's Marina Hotel Casino for the Awards Ceremony on the Friday following the tournament (June 18).
We recently had a request for a JCAA representative to speak at a club function. Unfortunately we were unable to schedule anyone because of the short notice given. If your club would like a JCAA speaker please call or email but give us as much notice as possible so that we can accommodate your request. My apologies to the club we were unable to oblige.
Last month we put out a request for clubs to participate in a survey of their tournament. To date we have not received any inquiries. If you are interested please let us know by March 15th so the committee can fully evaluate the request. We also are looking for a son or daughter of a club member who would be interested in an internship to help with the survey. We will go to the local colleges soon if we don’t hear from anyone. The details are in another section of the newspaper.
Well enjoy the winter and don’t let the inclement weather get you down.