Fishing Club October 4th Meeting

The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m.

The meeting began, and it was noted that there were no new attendees to welcome this month.

First, the board provided a financial report by John McClain. Next, Jim Spatharos gave a report on the membership; the club membership to date is 75 paid members.

Steve Mink brought up the subject of the location of the new community center that is currently in the planning stage. Construction may begin in 2024-2025. There were some concerns with the club as to how this was going to affect the boat ramp and parking. If the club has questions for the POA, a written note/card can be filled out, and the club will deliver them to the POA office. The POA office has a box in their lobby for all of Fairfield Harbour to place their questions. We are told that the POA will publish a Q&A for all to see.

Next, a presentation was provided by Rick Fischer on The Art of Surf Fishing. Rick is a long-time fisherman, fishing for all kinds of fish and using many fishing techniques. Rick shared that he once resided near Atlantic Beach, which afforded him an opportunity to fish the beach often.

He shared that there are several things to consider when surf fishing. The first thing is the time of year; Rick prefers the Spring and the Fall. Another consideration is to read the action of the waters at the beach, looking for channels, sandbars, troughs, and rip currents. These are the areas that he targets. Also, he is paying attention to the water, looking for bait fish, and birds. Are the bait fish getting chased? When they are, you can see them breaking the surface of the water and then the birds feeding on them from the top.

In this situation, the fish are getting pushed to the surface by bigger fish feeding on them from below. You don’t have to cast a hundred yards out; you need to target the holes, troughs, and rip currents systematically. If you don’t get any action, then it’s time to move up or down the beach, always scoping the landscape.

Rick brought his equipment with him to show us that surf fishing needn’t be cumbersome. He had a nice beach cart with wide tires to make it easier to pull through the sand. He generally has about four rods of various lengths, the longer rods cast further and the shorter ones for casting closer to shore. He has a foam ice chest to keep any bait and fish that he catches should he choose to. Rick rarely keeps his catch; he catches and releases most of the time. He is very careful in the handling of his fish so that they can survive and reproduce. Rick likes to use various baits, such as shrimp. He said, “Everything eats shrimp. Squid, cut bait, fiddler crabs, and at times sand fleas."

The 50/50 drawing was won by John McClain. He generously donated it back to the club.

The Club meeting ended at 8:30 pm, and the social gathering began.