Florida Surfcasters: A Recounting of the Past & Direction for the Future of Our Surf Fishing Club
By: Jeff Rafter, Capt. ,USN, Ret.
Purpose: Provide members and potential members with information about our club so that membership is informed of our current and historical status and has input for our future.
Background: In the Spring of 2004, on several surf fishing boards, there was much discussion about surf fishing along the northeast coast of Florida. The interest was heightened on the “Florida Surf Fishing” board as there was an individual, George Pope (also referred to as Gowge), who was extremely knowledgeable and delighted in sharing his considerable knowledge with the rest of us. He started that board a couple of years earlier, and at some point turned it over to Mike Foster (aka Frosty), who continued to run the board. One day in the May 2004 timeframe Mike made a post on his board that he had received communication from Steve Austin and others that they would like to form a surf fishing club. From that posting interest grew into the forming of the club. A preliminary meeting was held with a number of the eventual charter members.
The initial meeting of the “Florida Surf Casters” was held at a little barbeque restaurant in Saint John’s County on state road 210 between routes 1 and 95. The club was formed that evening and the eleven charter members were: Mike Foster, Steve Austin, Lyndon Godwin, Noel Kuhn, Anthony Edmonson, Brian Booker, Rob Clark, Don Calhoun, Bill Pollacov, Kylan Fitzpatrick and Jeff Rafter. Mike Foster was elected club president and Steve Austin elected as vice president. Under their leadership the fledgling club took root and began to grow. Each of us had our individual reasons for joining and had an idea what we wanted from our affiliation with the others. The theme that was uniformly expressed was the company of others who enjoyed fishing the surf -- men with which we could share the experience and trust to be law abiding sportsmen.
Thanks primarily to Steve’s association in other civic organizations, we set up a club charter and by-laws that set out rules and regulations that we all agreed to follow. This charter has been amended slightly since, always by vote, and has served us well. One of the key by-laws was the voting process for club officers. Each July, at the annual anniversary of the club’s inception, we install newly elected officers. Year one was Mike as President and Steve as Vice President. Year two was Steve as Pres and Mike as VP. Year three was Mike as Pres and Brian Booker as VP. In November of 2006, for personal reasons, Mike Foster relinquished his position as President. Brian Booker assumed the position of President and Steve was elected as VP. Year four Brian and Steve were reelected respectfully as Pres and VP. Year five, our current year, Steve was elected as Pres and Noel Kuhn as VP.
During the first year of existence Mike Foster added a separate Florida SurfCastersClub forum to his Florida Surf Fishing web site. This addition to “The Board”, as it was commonly called, was useful in posting club specific news such as minutes from the previous meeting and club fishing days. All other information, such as favorite rigs, fishing spots, rods, reels, line, bait, techniques and fishing reports were posted on other forums within the Florida Surf Fishing site. This information was willingly shared with all others who visited the site. Within the past couple of years two of our most respected club members, George Pope and Earl Brinn, have passed away; leaving a huge void in our “how to” responses to those seeking answers. Those men were the corporate knowledge for fishing the Northeast Florida surf.
Changes have taken place, which served to shape the organization. Six of the original charter members have remained active throughout the four plus years and dozens of new members have joined us; including a number of fisherwomen -- each of whom is a very valued member. The basics of good sportsmanship, on-the-beach trust in fellow club members, good stewardship of the resources and the sharing of knowledge remains the foundation of membership.
Very recently the club has taken a large growth step with the development of this website that will eventually be supported entirely by club assets. This step has not been without controversy and is not completely understood by some club members and those out of area surf fishermen with whom we share common experiences.
Due to our growth, we members need to be thinking about what it is we want from our club. We need to share our thoughts to ensure our interests are served. If you have strong feelings about where you believe the club should concentrate its energy or any other constructive criticism, then post your concerns in the Florida Surfcasters Club info section of our forum.