Welcome to the Sea Trail Fishing Club… Join us and become better at the sport of fishing
- Catch more fish and bigger fish – Come to our meetings and listen to tips from local charter captains. Share experiences with other members.
- Get tips about equipment, rigging and baits for local conditions at our informative meetings.
- Get current information on local hot spots and times the fish are biting from our members’ posts.
- Get fishing safety and information tips on links found on our website.
- Learn how to protect and preserve our local fisheries from our guest speakers and informative posts.
- Keep up to date on rules and current regulatory changes.
- JOIN the Club and get big DISCOUNTS from our local suppliers of CHARTERS, FISHING EQUIPMENT and SEAFOOD vendors.
Meeting times and Location:
Unless otherwise announced, meetings are held on the 3rd Thursday of the month 6:30 to 8:30 PM at the Pink Palace in the Sea Trail Community, Sunset Beach, NC.
Meet our Board Members and Chairpersons:
President – Mike Shannon- Hi Folks! Our Cub is a great place to learn new in-shore and off-shore angling methods and techniques and to meet others that have a love for fishing. A fishing club is a great way for like-minded anglers to get together to share fishing knowledge, learn from one another or perhaps introduce new anglers to the activity. The Sea Trail Fishing Club is a social club that meets monthly to do just that. At our meetings, we hear from local fishing expert guest speakers. We have raffles, socialize and swap fish stories. Many members fish together and we arrange group charter fishing trips. We have an annual fishing contest with year-end awards at out Annual Meeting and Dinner. Dues are extremely reasonable. Come join us! If you have any questions, contact me at: immikeru@gmail.com
As a boy, I learned to fish for catfish and carp along the Wabash River in Indiana. In my teens, I fished for trout in Tennessee’s Tellico River before the dam was built. Later, I learned to fly fish in rivers in several Western States. When I retired and moved to North Carolina, I discovered many new ways to fish for sea trout, redfish, flounder, black drum and striper. Now, I am an avid kayak angler in SE Brunswick County.
Vice President – Hello, I am Steve Pendergrass. When I moved to the Sunset Beach full-time in the Fall of 2020, I knew that I wanted to learn how to find and catch the edible fish that thrive in the Intercoastal Waterway and the surrounding wetlands. The only way to learn at that time was to hire on charter captains and go fishing. Then I learned about the Sea Trail Fishing Club and joined the Club and got involved with the Leaders to activate and grow the Club. Great Decision!!!
Secretary – Jim Baumgartner – Hey all y’all! After a long and varied career at AT&T / Lucent and CIT Bank where I was a systems engineer and auditor, I finally retired three years ago and moved to Sunset Beach with my wife, two springer spaniels, and the world’s most expensive mutt. I grew up fishing, starting in the backwoods of Northwest Jersey for trout, bass, and the ubiquitous sunfish. From there, I graduated to surf and bay fishing at the Jersey Shore for fluke and striped bass. The first thing I did when moving here was to join the fishing club to learn the nuances of primarily fishing the Intracoastal with an occasional foray offshore. Both my wife and I have made extensive use of some of the excellent charter captains the area has to offer and we also enjoy going out in our 17’ Whaler to fish, crab, or just cruise around.
Treasurer – Nick Leb. I look forward to joining the board of directors and assuming my role as the club’s treasurer. My background includes decades of experience in accounting and finance before I retired last March. My membership with the club began in February 2024, and I have not had a chance to meet many of the members. Please do me a favor and introduce yourself to me at the next meeting. I am always available to answer any questions. – Nick
Sargent-at-Arms – I’m Steve Bodenheimer, married to Daria, retired and live at Saltwater Palms in Ocean Isle Beach. We moved to OIB in 2022. Previously we lived on Lake Norman near Charlotte for 37 years where most of my fishing experience resides. I became interested in coastal back water fishing while vacationing in Florida for several years. I own a 24 ft CC I keep at Ocean Isle Marina. I follow numerous guides and attend a lot of George Poveromo seminars. Very excited about this club to learn how to fish this area and meet like-minded anglers
Board Member-at-Large and Tournament Chair – Hi – I’m Brian Brumbaugh. I grew up fishing freshwater in the Akron, OH area and worked at a bait and tackle store as a youth. I moved to Mt. Airy, NC and then Richmond, VA working for Hamilton Beach Brands (small kitchen appliances). While in VA, I primarily kayaked the rivers chasing smallmouth bass and migrating striped bass – then caught the saltwater bug about 10 years ago! Speckled trout, red drum, flounder and cobia have been my primary targets. I retired in 2018 and moved to OIB in 2022. Contact Brian: Tourney.STFC@gmail.com
Board Member-at Large – Hi, I’m Buddy Wilder. I was born and raised in Tampa, Florida where I learned to fish both salt and fresh water. Spent 4 years in the U.S. Navy. I met my first wife and lived for 40 years in Rhode Island. Fished mostly in saltwater chasing striped bass. Moved to Raleigh, N.C. in 2014. I moved to O.I.B in 2021 with my 2nd wife. We both love to fish. Joined STFC in 2022. I fish from an 18 ft CC in the ICW and creeks
Club Founder – Hi. I’m Steve Heins. When I moved to the Sunset Beach area I had a lot of questions about fishing the local inshore and offshore areas. Not to mention surf and pier opportunities. Before retirement I was a Federal and Interstate Fisheries Management Coordinator for the NY State Department of Environmental Conservation, I have had a lifetime interest in all aspects of fishing. Since I could find no local fishing club, I decided to start one. The club is now over 170 members strong and growing. Please join us as either a new member or our guest!
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Sea Trail Fishing Club 