January 4th, 2023 Fishing Club Meeting
The meeting started on time at 7:00 pm.
Steve Mink introduced Don Willis, club member and proud owner of Custom Marine Fabrication & Sports. Custom Marine Fabrication and Sports is 5,000 square feet retail store with a well-stocked showroom of fishing equipment located on US HWY 70 East.
Don spoke some about the CCA (Coastal Conservation Association). CCA works to protect the health, habitat, and sustainability of our marine resources. He talked about the interests of recreational anglers and their access to the resources they cherish.
Next was a presentation by Jim Spatharos on Kayaks. Jim did a great job describing the sport of kayaking and introduced Andrew and Heather Fournel. They opened a store selling kayaks, small sailboats, and accessories. Andrew was generous to have brought four unique kayaks fully rigged with many cool features. One of the kayaks was an Old Town that was fitted with a Minn Kota I-pilot. Others had different kinds of pedal drives that were innovative in that they could be retracked easily if you needed to get to the propeller. Kayaks varied in length, width, load capacity, color, and available options for each. You needed to be there to enjoy them, even if you were not into kayaking. It was informative and entertaining. The name of the store is Trusty Sail & Paddle, located at 5300 Highway 70 West, Morehead City, NC 28557
Andrew (252) 499-9911
Jared Mabe, manager of Sportsman Wholesale, located in Morehead City, was the third guest speaker. Sportsman Warehouse sells fishing and hunting gear, and they have a large selection of reels and rods. Jared handed out 10% discount cards to all that attended the meeting. Jared also donated three shirts to be raffled off when we did the 50/50.
The shirts' winners are Havey Pye, Gus Villanova, and Steve Mink.
The 50/50 winner was Kevin Heydel. Kevin won $73 and donated most of it to the club's general fund. Big shout out and thanks to Kevin.
I want to thank the stewards, Tim Welsh, Don Yuska, Geoff Gable, and Dan Beaucaire, for setting up and taking down the meeting.
Overall, our first meeting of the year was fun and informative.
This year, the club will be planning fishing outings and contests. Watch your emails for more details.