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Lady Reelers battle tough conditions for charity
With winds roaring out of the north, Saturday wasn't fit for man nor
beast on the waters off Long Island's East End. But that didn't stop
the Lady Reelers Fishing Club from heading out aboard the Orient Star
on their annual fundraising fishing trip.
"It was a rough and blustery day," said Lynda Tuttle, president of the
group, "but we still caught fish and had a lot of laughs."
A non-profit organization of women who share a love of angling, the
Lady Reelers consider themselves more than a fishing club. They thrive
on forging strong friendships and feature a well-rounded schedule of
annual events including a holiday party, awards dinner, kayak trip and
a Long Island Ducks baseball game, in addition to monthly fishing
outings. Their fundraising trip is a charity event as everything raised
- including the fish - is donated to worthy causes.
"Each year on this adventure we give our entire catch to Long Island
Cares, an organization whose mission is to feed the hungry," Tuttle
said. "They distribute the fish to soup kitchens and shelters across
Long Island. We ask family and friends to pledge a dollar amount for
each fish caught and that is also donated, usually to a second
organization, so we get a double play out of one trip."
In addition to Long Island Cares, the Lady Reelers have made
substantial donations to groups like Casting For Recovery, a program
that uses fly-fishing to help women recovering from breast cancer
surgery; The Sportfishing Education Center at Cedar Beach, and The
Fisherman Magazine Send A Kid Fishing Program.
Saturday proved the group's dedication is unshakeable. With 30-knot
gusts and sharp-breaking five-foot seas in Plum Gut, 14 club members
stuck it out until day's end while catching enough bruiser bluefish and
jumbo porgies to ensure the event's success.
"I offered to cut the trip in half when the wind kicked up," said
captain Bill Russo, "but they wouldn't hear it. These are avid anglers
and I really enjoyed watching the more veteran women teaching newer
members how to hook porgies and battle big blues in rough seas."
"We never considered heading in early," said Grace Licato, who decked a
brace of blues, a short striper and several porgies. "Not even when the
skipper announced over the loudspeaker that we were a bunch of nuts.
Imagine, it was a Saturday and we were the only boat in Plum Gut!"
Staying the course ended up a good choice as the action was best during
the afternoon. When the boat returned to Orient By The Sea Marina, the
fish were loaded onto a waiting refrigerator truck and hauled away to
become the catch of the day. While this year's tally of 140 pounds was
less than last year's 290, it was still good given the horrendous
conditions.
Gale Kaufmann lost two big blues right at the surface but took
high-hook honors for the porgies. "That was one wild trip," she
recalled with a chuckle, "but I can't wait until our blackfish trip in
November. It might be colder then, but I'm sure it will also be
calmer."
The Lady Reelers meet the first Thursday each month at 7:00 p.m. at
Mickey Felice's On Main restaurant in Patchogue. New members are
welcome. Contact Tuttle at (631) 363-2627 for information.
E-mail: outdoortom@optlonline.net |
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