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2017

SUMMER

In This Issue...

  1. President's Message
  2. Members' Travelogue: Girls Out Fishing
  3. Special Recognition
  4. Scholarship Trust Announcements 
  5. Monthly Awards Milestones 
  6. Regional Representative Corner
  7. Conservation Corner
  8. Upcoming Events/Announcements 
  9. New Members
  10. Sponsors 

President's Message 

What an amazing club this is! As of this writing, there are 146 active members and several others who have inquired about joining the club. I often think about what a treat it is to be able to connect with, learn from, fish alongside (or compete against), and share stories with IWFA members throughout the world.

You know what else is amazing? Your Board of Directors! They aren’t required to meet in June, July and August, but many of them are taking advantage of this time to review policies and procedures and to make suggestions for improvements to the club. Some of the activities currently being undertaken by Board chairwomen and committee members include: seeking ways to keep dues low by finding sponsors for annual awards; finding ways to lower the cost of awards; reviewing the species list, scoring structure and awards rules; evaluating the potential for varying membership levels, including a youth membership; updating the Yearbook for the 2017-2019 term; seeking a better way to present the contents of the Yearbook to our membership; and creating an investment plan that will help the club to establish goals for financial growth and sustainability.

Reading on, you’ll learn that our new Regional Rep program has already been rolled out. This program is designed to be an added benefit for members. I hope you’ll get to know your Regional Rep and find value in the program.

The bottom line is that the entire Board is not only committed to meeting the club’s stated purpose, and to enjoying some camaraderie in the process, we’re also invested in being a fiscally strong and highly regarded organization for years to come.

We invite you to become involved and hope to meet up with you during tournaments, funaments, celebrations, vacations and planned or impromptu fishing expeditions.

Jill Gaddis - President           


 Members Travelogue: Girls Out Fishing

Glenda Kelley, Pam Marmin, and Capt. Bouncer Smith show off their beautiful Blackfin Tuna caught during a fishing trip this summer. The trip was a silent auction item at the Scholarship Trust Dinner held at Roberta Arostegui's home earlier this year. The trip was donated by Capt. Bouncer Smith.

Kathy Gillen, Connie O'day, Brenda Moore, Pam Marmin, Ellen Matthews, and Rose Ippolito had a great day of fishing prior to the Lousiana SLAM Tournament. They caught some beautiful Yellowfin Tuna and Red Snappers. Can you say sore arms??!!!

  

    

Brenda Moore with a beautiful Snook.       Mary Muratori Snook fishing after hand surgery recently.

                       

Ellen Matthews, Connie O'day and Pam Marmin during a pre-fishing day before the Louisiana SLAM Tournament in June. Lastly, Connie showing off one of her many redfish, caught and released in Louisiana. 

  

Happy fishing!


Special Recognition

The Louisiana SLAM Tournament proved to be another excellent year of fishing and "catching" for the ladies that participated this past June. Congratulations to Barbara Moore of Oriental, NC for winning this year's tournament. For more pictures and results from the tournament, please visit the IWFA website. 

 

Congratulations! 


Scholarship Trust Announcements

News from the Scholarship Trust

IWFA Scholarship Trust Logo

AWARDS:

The Scholarship Trust awarded a record $36,000 to 23 deserving Marine Science graduate students in April of 2017. This is the largest amount awarded in the history of the trust and the credit goes to the IWFA members and friends who generously supported the trust through raffles and contributions.   

NEWS:

The Trust will be updating their scholarship web pages this year and are pleased to announce that all the scholarship applications in the future will be submitted electronically. A special thanks to our IWFA President, Jill Gaddis, for her valuable help making this possible.

SAVE THE DATE:  February 10, 2018

On February 10, 2018 the Scholarship Trust will be hosting a fundraiser at the beautiful home of Roberta and Marty Arostegui in Coral Gables, Florida.  Roberta and Marty will once again open their beautiful home to IWFA members, spouses and friends for a traditional Cuban roasted pig dinner cooked by Marty. There will be a silent and a live auction with new and exciting items.  Please save the date and come and enjoy a fun evening with your fellow IWFA members.   

THANK YOU:

The Trust would like to thank the outgoing executive board Chairmen Suzie Villere, Vice Chairmen Diane Locke, Secretary Connie O’Day, and Treasurer Joan Vernon (Joan will remain as Treasurer) for their countless hours spent in furthering the interests of our Trust. Their dedication and support to the Scholarship Trust is a true testament of their belief in the trust and the future of students studying marine science.

2017-2019 TRUSTEES

Chairmen Pam Marmin, Vice Chairmen Lisa O Everett, Secretary Gail Kennedy-McManus, Treasurer Joan Vernon , Trustees:  Roberta Arostegui, Brooke Denkert-Black, Betsy Bullard, Glenda Kelley, Diane Locke, Connie O’Day, Suzie Villere, and IWFA President, Jill Gaddis.


Monthly Awards Milestones 

Congratulations to the following member(s) who have earned such incredible milestones! These monthly award numbers include the June 2017 stats. Happy Fishing!

Laura Russell - Jupiter, FL - 10th Monthly Award

Cheri Tindall - Islamorada, FL - 25th Monthly Award   

Brenda Moore - Pearland, TX - 25th Monthly Award

Barbara Moore - Oriental, NC - 100th Monthly Award


 Regional Representative Corner

Each newsletter we will profile and interview one of our Regional Representatives to provide you with an opportunity to learn more about our IWFA leaders.  In our first issue, we will feature the Chairman of the program Kathy Gillen

Why did you volunteer to Chair this program?

First, I have made so many friends through this organization that I was looking for a way to give back.  But more importantly, I have always felt this program is key to our organizations growth and development.  The representatives are key to developing communications and fostering camaraderie.  

The program recently had a name change from District Rep to Regional Rep.  What was the reason for this?

When we looked at out member base, we had a concentration of members in four areas. Our goal was to divide the world up so that every new and potential member was covered.  By expanding the territories from districts to a much broader regional area, we are providing the desired coverage.  

Florida has the largest territory with about 50% of the members residing in this area.  Therefore, we divided the state’s counties into five territories to best suit the member population.  Continuing as Regional Rep for the Keys, in Monroe County, is Carmen Perez-Padron who also produces the Newsletter for our organization.  Janice Sands who takes over as the new Regional Rep for Miami – Dade County is not new to IWFA leadership as she chaired the Light Tackle Tournament last year and served on the board.   Melissa Littlewood demonstrated her skills and talent prior to becoming an official Regional Rep when she hosted the legendary Boca Funament back in April.  Yes, she is doing it again, in 2018, as the official Regional Rep for the Florida west coast and central counties.  Returning representatives are Gwen Hahn, a prestigious Hall of Fame inductee and past president, who will continue to reside over Palm Beach County, and award winning and past board member Lorraine Francis, who will take the lead on the remaining counties on the east coast of Florida.

The second concentration of members comes from the Carolinas, Louisiana and Texas.  In the Carolinas, we currently have an open position which we are actively looking to fill.  I would love to discuss this opportunity with anyone interested. We created the Southern Region, which includes Louisiana, Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee and Georgia under the leadership of Julie Hebert who has co-chaired the popular Louisiana Slam.  The Western Region is spearheaded out of Texas by our board member and winner of many coveted tournaments Connie O’Day.  While most of the members in this territory reside in Texas this area extends from the west coast to all the states north of Texas.  The Northeast Territory is under one of our newer and very active members Brenda Moore.  Since joining IWFA just a few years ago, Brenda has jumped in and has not missed a tournament or Funament.  While Brenda’s permanent home is in Texas, she spends much of her time in NY where she is soon to be a grandmother again. 

One of the more interesting territories is our international group.  I have decided to take on this challenge.  My goal will be to look at ways to connect our international group with our domestic group.

Anyone interested in getting involved in the Regional Rep program is welcome.  Please contact me.

What is the job of a Regional Representative?

Their primary responsibility is to keep their local members connected with each other, the Officers, and the Board of Directors.  A Regional Representative serves not only as a motivator and contact person, but also as a source of information and education for our individual members. Regional Representatives are also the driving force behind some of the IWFA’s most popular events--the Funament Circuit.  Simply put, funaments are tournaments without the rules, a reason for members to get together to fish... just for the fun of it!


Conservation Corner

Are you respecting your fish?????

This article is intended to help educate the IWFA angling community on fish handling skills and respect of the fish.  Please read as we can all make a difference with a change of habit – with very little effort! 

Large fish can be very sensitive to the landing process and there are a few key rules of thumb that you can apply while landing and posing your fish for pictures to eliminate or minimize distress and damage to the fish. 

The aqueous world in which fish reside in is essentially a zero gravity environment. 

In other words, fish were never intended to be brought above the surface and handled. Therefore, their organs are not designed to feel the effects of gravity in which you and I live in. What many of us take for granted can cause numerous complications for a fish, most leading to eventual death.

Holding a fish by the jaw and hanging it in a vertical fashion is the single most detrimental act one can inflict upon a fish intended for release. 

When the fish is hung vertically, the weight of the fish causes vertebrae to separate in the spine, and causes the organs to shift downward in the stomach cavity and potentially tear. 

A study was done on Barramundi, (a close relative to the Snook) to measure the effects of jaw hanging (aka hanging each fish by its jaw before releasing it). 

In the study, 50 out of 50 of these fish that were handled in this manner eventually died as a direct result of being jaw hung http://myfwc.com/research/saltwater/fish/snook/cryptic-mortality/ . 

That is an astounding statistic and should be an absolute eye opener for every conservation minded angler.

So then what IS the correct way to handle your fish? 

The best rule of thumb is to always keep the fish horizontal. 

Never hold the fish in a vertical fashion whether it is with your hand, or a lip gripping device, and always be sure to support the belly of the fish, letting the stomach cavity rest on your open palm if possible. 

If you lay the fish on the gunwale of the boat to remove the hook, make sure to wet it down to avoid slime loss. 

NEVER grab a fish that you are going to release with a towel or cloth, as this will remove slime.

Landing grips and other fish gripping devices are useful tools ONLY if used in the correct fashion. 

“Lipping” a fish with a device and then pulling it into the boat by the device only is essentially the same thing as hanging it by the jaw for a picture, so make sure you are always using fish grips correctly.

Kneel down and place your hand under the belly of the fish for support as you land it into the boat. 

Thank you fellow IWFA angler, Linda Denkert, for sharing these easy tips for the love of the fish and the mortality of the marine world!

Connie O'Day - Conservation Chair


Upcoming Events/Announcements

Upcoming Events 

The Islamorada Backcountry Tournament will be held on October 22 – 25, 2017.  The Kickoff will be on Sunday, October 22.  Anglers will fish on October 23, 24, and 25.

2017 IWFA Guatemala Billfish Tournament - November 9-13, 2017 at Casa Vieja Lodge

 Announcements

The date and location have been set for the 2018 Annual Meeting and Awards Luncheon. Please save the date on your calendars. We hope to see many of you there so that we can see each other, catch up or meet some of our new members as well as celebrate in everyone's fishing accomplishments.

Luncheon information:

When: Sunday, April 22, 2018

Where: Sarasota Yacht Club - 100 John Ringling Blvd., Sarasota FL, 34236

A Funament in Boca Grande will follow on April 23 - 24. More information to come!

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 Please be sure to check our website www.iwfa.org for information on and to register for all upcoming events


New Members

 

The IWFA would like to wish a warm welcome to the following ladies that have joined our amazing club since July 2017.

* Fika Salleh- Singapore, Japan 

* Betty Bauman- Davie, FL 

* Cissy Beasley-Beeville, TX

* Shelley Johnson-Lake Wales, FL

* Donna Kreling-Placida, FL

* Corinne North Fuller-Sarasota, FL

* Rebecca Strain-Islamorada, FL 


Sponsors

Please support our sponsors!

         

                                       

Links to our sponsors can be found on the Sponsor tab of our website www.iwfa.org

 If you're interested in an IWFA Sponsorship email us at [email protected]

IWFA | P. O. BOX 31507 | PALM BEACH GARDENS, FL 33420
[email protected] | WWW.IWFA.ORG