Ocean City Wish-A-Fish / Ocean City Marlin Club

[Honey Hole]

Frank Goodheart and the Ocean City Marlin Club hosted their third Wish-A-Fish Event on Saturday in conjunction with their Kids Classic Tournament. Our 38 guests and their parents started arriving at Bahia Marina around noon, and after being outfitted with WAF hats/shirts, we left for an afternoon trip aboard the JUDITH M. The crew on the boat and at the marina were OUTSTANDING! We anchored on a couple of near shore wrecks and put a hurting on the Triggerfish, Tautog, Spadefish, Bluefish and Sea Bass... I think everyone on board landed fish. Two of the fish (Spadefish / Tautog) were actually leading in their species for the Kids Classic at the end of the day!

A great reception was held at the Marlin Club on Saturday night with the grub for the kids being donated by Appleby's and Domino's Pizza. At the reception, each child was given a "goody bag" stuffed with product from folks like The Fisherman Magazine, Alltackle.com, Albermarle Boats, Grady White... and many more (always afraid to start naming sponsors, because you'll ALWAYS leave one or more out... sorry to those I missed, maybe someone from the club is reading this and can help fill in the blanks). Each child also received a rod and reel combo so that they can continue to fish... you should have seen them "light up" when they got their rods!

I'll post pictures of the event and the catch soon.

As we were taking the "group picture", Bill Regan (president of the Marlin Club) took the microphone and announced that aside from hosting the event, the Marlin Club would be making a contribution of over $6,000.00 to our foundation!!!! Folks, I'm floored with their generosity... 6K will go a LONG way in expanding the reach of our foundation... hopefully easing the stresses faced by families challenged with raising children with special needs. It's amazing how a day on the water let's them "get away for a while"... a part of our great sport that I sometimes take for granted.

THANKS to the folks at the Ocean City Marlin Club... you guys are FIRST CLASS! I, and the kids, thank you for donating so much of your time and effort to such a worthy cause. I've already received several e-mails from our guests... they can't wait for next year!

"It's nice to know fishermen who do more than fish". With my cap in hand, I thank you.

[sling]

Wow - that's a great donation for a great cause. For anyone who hasn't fished in one of these Wish-A-Fish events, they are a great way to remind us of why fishing is a special sport and to help some kids and their families forget about their troubles, if only for a short while.