CAPE FEAR CHAPTER BANQUET INVITATION

Hi Folks, If you were inspired by Stuart ‘s talk at the last Sea Trail Fishing Club Meeting, or by Laurie Thomas’ write up of the event – or even if your heart and interest is in preserving your right to fish in our coastal waters, then you might want to join CCA-NC, and if you do, there is no better time than during the Cape Fear Banquet in August!

The tickets to the banquet include an Annual membership to CCA-NC, a ticket to a great banquet, free bar, and a subscription to the award-winng TIDE magazine. There is a guest speaker at the event, live and silent auctions, and incredible raffles. I attended the event in New Bern and this is a great value! I will also volunteer to be the designated driver for the first three club members that sign on.!

Here are the details:

When: Thursday, August 14th from 6:00 to 10:00 PM

Where: The Terraces, 1826 Sir Tyler Drive, Wilmington, NC

Price: $90.00

Please CONTACT ME ASAP if you decide to go! Table Sponsorship for the Club is available if we have enough takers of this opportunity!

Contact Mike at immikeru@gmail.com or text me at 919-741-0287

FACTS: Almost 60 million people went fishing last year, most of them in public waters. This is huge. It represents one-sixth of the U.S. population. In each case, there is a story to tell. Kids who went fishing for the first time with a father or grandfather (maybe even mothers these days)! Students from high school or colleges going out with their buds. People on vacation or those in fishing clubs like ours. Its easy to take those days for granted – the moments taken to stop by a lake after work, to visit a local lake, river or stream, to try to trick a fish with a lure or worm.

But public waters and access to them is not a given. Efforts are underway in House Bill HR-1 to sell off or transfer a vast areas of public lands. This item is hidden away among other parts of the bill that have recently gained exposure in the news media.

The Senate no doubt will revise the bill but at this time the other controversial items may well overshadow the potential loss of our parks, trails and wwaterways.

OPINION: Make your concerns known! If you value the future of our natural resouce recreational areas, contact your state Senators. Let them know.

The Monthly Members Meeting of the Sea Trail Fishing Club will be held at the Pink Palace in the Sea Trail Plantation at 6:30 PM next Thursday, June 19th.

Featured Speaker will be Stuart Creighton of the Coastal Conservation Association. The CCA of NC is a community of conservationists and recreational anglers working to promote sound management of public trust marine and estuarine resources to protect those resources for the enjoyment of current and future generations.

Stuart Creighton graduated from NCSU with a degree in meteorology before spending 25 years as a high school science teacher. Following that, he was the manager of River Neuse Suites in Oriental.  As his advocacy for restoring NC’s endangered estuaries grew, he became a member of the Coastal Conservation Association in 2015, and a life member in 2022.  He joined the CCA Board of Directors in 2021, serving as Fisheries Committee chairman and became the Vice President in 2024.  

Currently Stuart serves on the Northern Advisory Committee, one of the permanent advisory committees for the Department of Marine Fisheries.  He also has been a member of the most recent Speckled Trout and Striped Bass Advisory Committees and is a regular public commentator at the quarterly Marine Fisheries Committee meetings.

Stuart has been an avid angler all his life and has fished throughout the state.  Chasing trout and redfish on top is his favorite way to catch them.  

Also, Steve Heins will continue his discussion on “Local Fishing Spots”.

Don’t miss this meeting!

Hey Guys, Here is a tremendous outreach opportunity to help kids. If you signup, let John know you are from the Seatrail Fishing Club!

🎣 Looking for Help – Fishing Summer Camps (Myrtle Beach & North Myrtle Beach) ☀️

The Myrtle Beach Fishing Company is running land-based fishing summer camps in both Myrtle Beach (Thunderbolt Park) and North Myrtle Beach, Thunderbolt is in partnership with the City of Myrtle and North Myrtle is a privately stocked 2.5 acre pond — and due to the awesome demand from local families, we’re in urgent need of extra help!

If you or someone you know loves fishing, enjoys working with kids, and wants to spend the summer outdoors teaching the next generation of anglers, we’d love to connect.

🗓️ Camp Runs Weekly M-Th (June–August) 

7:30am – Noon and some afternoons from 3:30 – 7:30pm.

📍 Two Locations:

• Myrtle Beach – Thunderbolt Pond (near Market Common)
• North Myrtle Beach 

👦👧 Ages 6–17
🎣 Onshore fishing only (no boats)
🛠️ We provide all gear and training
💰 Paid opportunity + great experience & fun!

If you know a local angler, college student, teacher, or anyone reliable who might be a good fit, please tag them or send them our way ASAP. We’re looking to add team members immediately to keep up with registrations.

Link to information: https://www.myrtlebeachfishing.co/summer-fishing-camps

Message me directly if interested or for more info. Thanks for helping us make this an unforgettable summer for these kids! 🙌🐟

Myrtle Beach Fishing Company

john@myrtlebeachfishing.co

www.myrtlebeachfishing.co

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At the Sea Trail Fishing Club’s May meeting Ami Staples of NC’s Department of Environment and Natural Resources presented an excellent program about fish tagging and the benefits that the program has for recreational fisherfolk.

Division researchers at the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries are studying the migration, growth, habitat use and population status of striped bass, red drum, spotted seatrout, southern flounder, and cobia in North Carolina.

Fish tagging programs are a vital part of a fishery manager’s tools for assessing fish populations. Conducted properly, tagging can yield a wealth of information about movement patterns, habitat utilization, population structure and mortality rates of fish.

Volunteers are needed in the Sunset Beach and Ocean Isle Beach area!  If you are interested in becoming a part of this program or have questions about the North Carolina Tagging Program or volunteer tagging opportunities, please contact the Tagging Biologist, Ami Staples, at 252-948-3913 or Ami.Staples@ncdenr.gov.

All applicants must complete an in-person, hands-on training before becoming an eligible volunteer tagger and receiving your tagging kit. Training classes are offered twice a year during the spring and fall, and last about 3 hours. Division staff give a brief overview of the Tagging Program, discuss tagging procedures and how to record data, and demonstrate proper handling and tagging techniques with real fish specimens.

To submit an application, click on the link below:

Tagger Enrollment Program

Don’t miss Thursday’s speaker at the Sea Trail Fishing Club’s May Meeting to be held at the Pink Palace in the Sea Trail Plantation at 6:30 to 8:30 PM. If you have not attended any of our previous meetings, the ‘Palace’ is located at 295 Rice Mill Circle, Sunset Beach NC.

Ami Staples is the Marine Fisheries Biologist II for the Multi-Species Tagging Program at the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries (NCDMF). Ami oversees daily operations of the Tagging Program from administration and research to public engagement and outreach.

Originally from Georgia, Ami received her B.S. in Fisheries and Wildlife Management and M.S. in Forest Resources from the University of Georgia. She is a published author and illustrator.

The North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) is responsible for the stewardship of the state’s marine and estuarine resources. The DMF’s jurisdiction encompasses all coastal waters and extends to 3 miles offshore. Agency policies are established by the nine-member Marine Fisheries Commission and the Secretary of the Department of Environmental Quality. North Carolina is a member of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council and the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council.

When not at work, Ami spends most of her time outdoors and her favorite spot is fishing on the dock with her husband and two daughters.

Her favorite part of the job is tracking fish movements and working directly with the angling public. Ami is always eager to speak with an angler about their tagged fish recapture, train volunteers on how to tag fish and collect scientific data, lead science activities for local school groups, and present to fishing clubs about marine fisheries programs and resources.