By Bill May
[dropcap[A[/dropcap]ugust is sort of a quiet month for the Flagler Sportfishing Club but do not interpret that as meaning there is nothing going on. The hot weather may slow us down just a bit but fisherman will prevail in one way or the other. To kick off the month (other than the monthly general membership meeting discussed below) we will have a free memberâs 24 Hour Tournament on August 8th & 9th. This popular event brings out the really determined anglers and the catch is always rewarding yet challenging. This year though, it wonât actually be 24 hours. The tournament will start at 8pm Friday night and we will be looking for Trout, Flounder and Reds. Weigh-in will be between 9 and 10am at Herschel King Park on Saturday morning. As always, cash prizes will be awarded along with our normal raffles and a 50/50 drawing.
The second big event, and one of our most well attended, is our âMEMBERâS CLINICâ which is scheduled to be held on 23 August. This is the second such clinic we have had this year and although primarily designed for new members, many of our old timers attend as well. Fishermen with skills in a variety of areas share information and âhow toâ tips with those of us that readily admit that we are always ready to learn something about our sport. Some topics covered are inshore fishing including tactics and rigging, surf fishing and kayak fishing. We will also present lots of information on our club and its various activities conducted during the year. And yes, there is coffee and donuts for breakfast and normally a snack for lunch. Details are being finalized but will be posted soon on the club website listed below. This is a great day to spend 3 or 4 hours on a Saturday for anyone interested in our sport. I personally have attended many of these clinics and have benefitted from every single event.
And finally as a reminder, look in the September issue of Coastal Angler for complete details on our clubâs 26th Annual Inshore Tournament. The dates are September 12th and 13th and we expect it to be the best one ever. This is the second of two major tournaments we host every year that are open to the public. In these tournaments, we also designate a deserving charity to be our beneficiary. We have chosen the Eli Foundation as our beneficiary for this fall. Eli was a courageous young 16 year old that lost his battle with childhood leukemia and the foundation does great things to help parents of children suffering from this terrible disease. The cash prizes are always in the neighborhood of $500 for first place in each of several categories with significant prizes as well for 2nd and 3d places. We will have a great silent auction and raffles offering items donated by our sponsors. Again, look for details on our website and in next monthâs Coastal Angler.
The Flagler Sportfishing Clubâs regular monthly meetings are held at the Palm Coast VFW, Post 8696, 47 N. Old Kings Road in Palm Coast. Meetings begin promptly at 7:30pm on the first Tuesday of every month. As always, there will be a guest speaker that is a local fishing expert or offers expertise related to the sport of boating or conservation. The public is always invited and encouraged to attend the meetings.
For more information on the Flagler Sportfishing club, contact Bill May at billmayflorida@yahoo.com or see the clubâs website at www.fcsportfishing.com.
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