Sportsperson of the Year Dinner/Dance

(from Jersey Coast Anglers Association December 2008 Newsletter)

On Sunday, November 16th, JCAA held its annual Sportsperson-of-the-Year award dinner/dance at the beautiful Crystal Pt. Yacht Club in Pt. Pleasant. Our honored guest and speaker was Governor Jon Corzine. This was Governor Corzine’s second visit to the JCAA dinner and we were delighted to welcome him. He has shown his willingness to learn about New Jersey’s anglers and our concerns. His attendance at 3 Governor’s Tournaments shows his understanding of the importance of recreational angling, both quality of life and economic issues.

This year’s honoree was Dr. Pat Donnelly. Pat was nominated for this award by the Manasquan Fishing Club and was elected by JCAA member clubs at our general membership meeting in October. On behalf of the JCAA and its member clubs, I would like to congratulate Dr. Pat Donnelly on being elected this year’s sportsperson-of-the-year.

Pat has been a member of the Manasquan Fishing Club since 1983 and served as its President from 1987-1989. He also served as the MFC Tournament Chairman from 1989 - 2004. Pat has been a member of the New Jersey Marine Fisheries Council since 2001 where he has chaired the Black Sea Bass, Tautog and Reef Committees. He was an advisor to the council from 1998 - 2001 and is a member of the TRAC Artificial Reef Committee.

He claims that his greatest accomplishment was the three years he spent getting the provision passed which allows anglers to use fluke belly as bait. That was a big step forward but Pat is far too modest. As chairman of the Artificial Reef Committee he has held numerous meetings with recreational and commercial fishermen in an effort to resolve the gear conflict with the pots that seem to be everywhere on the artificial reefs. In addition, he has been an advisor to the Tautog Committee from 1994-2005 and chaired the Advisory Panel from 1996-2001.

As a member of the NJ Marine Fisheries Council he has worked tirelessly with recreational anglers and commercial fishermen to try to reach a consensus to avoid conflicts. He has been on the horseshoe crab committee as it tried to resolve that issue.

His fishing exploits are also numerous. He is an avid bottom fisherman and loves his Sea Bass and Blackfish. He also manages to get offshore for Tuna a few times a year. He has won the Point Pleasant Elks Fluke Tournament and Clarks Fish & Fiesta Fluke Tournament. In addition, he is a two-time winner of the JCAA Fluke Tournament out of Manasquan Inlet.

As a member of the Jersey Coast Anglers Association he served as Vice President in 1999 and 2000. He also chaired the JCAA Reef, Tautog and Habitat committees. He has been the Fluke Tournament Award Ceremony MC and the JCAA Dinner Dance MC for the past few years. Pat and his wife Deanna live in Brick with their three children. His dental practice is in Manasquan.

Commissioner Lisa Jackson has been a regular attendee at our dinner. However, Lisa was tapped by President-Elect Barack Obama to be on his environmental and energy transition team and is busy in Washington. We’re thrilled to have someone of Lisa’s caliber representing our issues and concerns on the transition team.

JCAA’s Youth Education Committee presented this year’s Youth Education Award to Paul Harris. Paul is a member of the New Jersey Beach Buggy Association, a member of Berkeley Striper Club and delegate to United Mobile Sportfisherman (UMS) Association for the Berkeley Striper Club.

This affair is JCAA’s second largest fundraiser, and as of this writing I can report that it was very successful. It should be noted that this event could not have taken place without the generosity of the many people and companies that donated the many different items which were auctioned off and given away as door prizes. I would be remiss if I did not mention each and every one of them because JCAA could not exist without their generosity and support.

The following is a listing of all our sponsors who donated prizes, and on behalf of JCAA, I would like to thank each and every one of them:

Chambliss marine, Forked River Tuna Club, NJ Angler Magazine, JCAA, Schneider’s Restaurant, Golden Eagle, Miss Belmar, Capt. Cal, Ocean Explorer, Jersey Shore Florist, Fisherman’s Den, Frank Tenore, Minn Kota, Hummingbird, Tom Siciliano, Eileen Smith, H & H Rods, Profish, S & K Fishing Specialist, Maui Jim, Flying Fisherman, Jonathan Paul Eyewear, LTD/Fitover Sunglasses, Tackle Direct, Jersey Coast Shark Anglers, Boater’s World, Shimano, Julian’s Bait Co., Interlux, De-Fishing Soap, Lamiglas, F.J. Neil Co., Inc., Gene Larew Lures, Tru-Turn Inc, Burford Books, Innovative Textiles, Inc., Larry Cochran/RR Donnelly, Fisherman’s Headquarters, Belvedere Plumbing, Bimini Bay Outfitters, Pels Bait & Tackle, Tom Fote.

Special thanks also to Frank Richetti for the terrific job he did this year as our Master of Ceremonies. I would also like to thank all the fishing clubs that took a table. I would also like to thank the many individuals and organizations who also attended and who have shown their support of the JCAA.

Also, special thanks to Dan & Heather Miller who handled the ticket sales and Ed Cherry who helped me with the many donations that came in. I would also like to thank Don & Al Marantz, Tom Fote, Tom Siciliano, Rich Pasko, Phil Celmer and Bruce Smith.

I hope I have gotten everyone and every company and organization that participated to make this event a successful one this year. If anyone has fallen through the cracks and I have neglected to mention them, I apologize in advance. I have made every effort to keep accurate records, but, unfortunately, not everything gets into my hands the way I would like it to. Thank you, all.

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