The Story of the Nettles Island Fishing

Great Grouper DayCelebrating a great charter day for grouper and snapper

on the Floridian out of Fort Pierce

Ed McIntosh

Jim CurryWally JonesBruce Hammerie

Bob Moyer

Bob Bennatti

Foreword

The Nettles Island Fishing Club was established in 1993, to satisfy the need for education of fresh water fisherman new to the scene, who didn’t have a clue on how to catch fish in salt and brackish waters in the area around Nettles Island.

Ed McIntosh was one of these Yankee greenhorns, coming south from years of fishing on the Great Lakes, and on several inland lakes in Michigan.

However, He couldn’t catch a cold in salt water.

So how did it come to pass that he wanted to start a fishing club at Nettles?

Salmon Northern PikePerch Lake Trout Steelhead Trout Walleye

The following article chronicles the creation and success of the Nettles Island Fishing Club. True to the spirit of Nettles Island, the reason for the Fishing Club’s success can be found in the positive and willing participation of its members, old and new. Other than mentioning the names of the club’s founders and past and current President, we have refrained from getting into mentioning names behind this or that event. We salute all members of the families who make this story fulfilling.

ITS GENESIS

Let’s back up a bit, to earlier days in Michigan, experience that ultimately led to the creation of the Fishing Club at Nettles -

THE INTRODUCTION. The Pacific Salmon was placed into Lakes Michigan and Huron to combat many invasive species, especially the alewife. It created an exciting furor within the fishing community all over the State of Michigan. Before the pacific salmon was introduced in the waters of the Great Lakes, the a l e w i f e p o p u l a t i o n h a d exploded exponentially. When their life cycle was complete their carcasses washed up on the beaches of the Great Lakes in the billions raising a terrible stink and disposal issues.

Pacific salmon eggs were brought to a hatchery by the Michigan DNR, where they were raised and eventually planted in Lake Michigan to consume the alewives. The salmon would feast on them

and grow to 30 or more pounds each. Sports fishermen would soon feast on the salmon. The news of these giant fish in the millions eventually drew in fishermen from all over the Midwest and south.

But no one knew how to catch the wary salmon. The increase in sports f i s h e r m e n i n M i c h i g a n a l s o increased exponentially, and no one yet had a proven method of catching the salmon.

The Michigan Steelheaders Association rose to the challenge, creating many new chapters around the state apart from its main base in the Detroit area. The new objective of the Steelheaders organization was to teach fishermen how to find and catch salmon, both off the beach, and in rivers as well as out on the big lakes. They also sponsored fishing tournaments, providing “hands on” experience to fishermen new to the sport.

Eventually salmon were being caught on the big lakes, using a new tool - the downrigger, in waters as deep as 600 feet. The design and manufacture of fish finders, temperature gauges and other devices became t h e n e w i n d u s t r y f o r fishermen and suppliers, but they needed to be taught how to use them.

Alewife

LACK OF “KNOW HOW”. When Ed arrived in Nettles in the early 90s, he like most Yankees, struggled to find ways to catch local fish, either in a boat on the Indian River, around bridges and islands, or off the beach or out on the briny sea.

I t w a s n ’ t p e r c h , walleye and salmon a n y m o r e . U s i n g worms and minnows o r s i l v e r s p o o n s d i d n ’ t p r o d u c e . Newbies to Florida’s fishing grounds had to learn to use sand fleas, shrimp, live or dead, clams, chunk mullet and ribbon fish, plus a great variety of lures.

Knowing where and when to fish, what lure or bait to use and how to set them up was, for a time, (pardon the pun) a “catch as catch can” procedure. We soon learned that fishing worked in cycles, affected greatly by the tides. There are no tides in the Great Lakes.

Local fishing buddies used to Florida fishing were very helpful in showing us how to fish, and imparting little tips that make a difference, but teaching the art per se was sporadic and sometimes not available.

We needed to get training organized. It wouldn’t happen by wishing for it.

FORMING THE FISHING CLUB. Because the positive teaching technique used to acquaint fishermen on how to catch salmon and steelhead became a proven method up north, Ed thought that an organization with the same objectives on Nettles Island could also prove successful.There were two principles that needed to form the basis for this Fishing Club.

Primary Principle

The club primary objective would be to teach members on local fishing techniques and gear, by making members meetings entertaining and informative. Local professional sportsmen were to be invited to come to the meetings and share t h e i r s e c r e t s a n d o f f e r suggestions on how to improve fishing results. Experienced members would be asked to help those who needed it whenever they could.

Second Principle

Having a large Board of Directors to run the club was the second principle. The club would elect a 15 member Board of Directors for three year terms, five being elected each year. The Board’s basic objectives were to :

run the club,

make the decisions on behalf of its members,

design member’s meetings to feature training, not club administration.

After each annual election, the Directors would meet and elect a President and other officers, and hold at least one meeting per month during the “season.” This plan worked out fine, and is still in effect.

FOUNDERS. The original eleven Nettles Island men attended the formation meeting in the Snack Bar back in February 1993. They were:

Bob Amrhein Pat O’Keefe

Gene Bronner

Bob Bennatti

Mike Dragon

John Szylin

Jack Miller

Ed Green

Joe Lapini

Bob Bemis

Ed McIntosh NOT

PICTURED

The following members have served as President, most serving two terms.

PRESIDENT’SHALL OF FAME

ED GREENED MCINTOSH

PHIL ERDESBOB PHILLIPS

JERRY MANY

BOB AMRHEIN

SNOOK GRAHAM

TOM FORKAN

RON BUTSCHILLINGER

1993 2012

HIGHLIGHTS of

CLUB ACHIEVEMENTSBeginning in November each year, members meetings are convened in the upper hall, on the third Wednesday of each month, until May. Chaired by the President, upcoming events of the club are presented and tickets for various programs are offered for sale. Membership is currently about 400 Nettles Island families.

EDUCATION PROGRAMS. A director is assigned to plan each meeting, especially procuring a guest speaker.An important feature of each meeting, usually first up on the agenda, are presentations by those guest speakers, usually charter captains and fishing guides or tackle shop owners or other notable experts in fishing or boating.

They present the “where, when and how” of local fishing practices. In some cases they offer services to the public. Many speakers bring in fishing gear to demonstrate their methods and the audience is never disappointed. Entertainment and education fulfills the fundamental objective of our club.

When Nettles Islanders, owners or renters, joins the club it makes them eligible to purchase fish fry tickets, and participate in all club programs.

If you are interested in becoming a member, watch for the meeting dates in the local calendars, and just show up at the meetings. Membership covers the entire family, living under the same roof. At the present time, annual club dues are $5.00.

FISHING TOURNAMENTS. One of the 15 Directors is p u t i n c h a r g e o f c o n d u c t i n g t e a c h i n g tournaments, usually down at the ocean beach. Surf fishing is popular here, and generally produces fish, by those who know the technique. Members can sign up for several Saturday morning tournaments, for a buck. If they don’t know how to go about surf fishing, there a r e l o t s o f buddies down there to lend a hand. How to fish successfully shouldn’t be a secret.

Henry from the Snook Nook

See the next page for a pictorial of our monthly meeting at the Recreation Building.

Connected with the Fishing Club Annual Picnic, a fishing tournament precedes the party with fishermen bringing in their catch of the day, with no limit on where they can fish. (Frozen entries are banned.) Prizes are presented after each judging, and since we as a club do not play favorites we serve hot dogs and hamburgers which get a chance to shine.

CLUB OUTINGS. Another Director is responsible for organizing group fishing trips, whether they are on party “head” boats for a few bucks, or p r o f e s s i o n a l c h a r t e r t r i p s , where casting or d r i f t f i s h i n g expeditions for six o r e i g h t participants are conducted. Those on the charters usually bring home a ton of filleted fish, from cobia, groupers, snappers, red fish, and many more available on the briny sea. You never know what might be on your line.

The club traditionally presents a river dinner cruise for about one hundred persons.

Both fishing outings and dinner cruises are usually underwritten partially by the club as a reward to members for all they do. Some of the profits from the fish frys are spent on club programs, as well as funding club support of w o r t h w h i l e p r o j e c t s updating or improving facilities on Nettles Island.

FISH FRY PROGRAM. Back in 1994 some members of the club were getting together to share cooking their catch, mostly by deep frying it. “Fry Daddies” and other mini cookers were used to great advantage. They discovered that Budweiser and Bisquick made a great coating and that became their standard.

Fish fry parties were eventually organized and held down at the ocean front Cabana. As the cookouts fame spread, groups of 20 or 30 soon grew to the capacity of the Cabana and of course beer and other de l icacie s were i n t r o d u c e d i n t o t h e dinner fare.

Children’s Awning

Shortly after the formation of the club, the Board struggled with revenue issues. Five dollars per family each year wouldn’t raise enough to finance our activities. Raffles and other ideas were given consideration. Hearing about the famous fish fry cookouts down at the Cabana, in 1995 the NI Recreation Department asked the club if they could produce a Spring Festival fish sandwich event. They of course agreed, and the rest is history!

Now the volume of participants grew beyond the 100 or so to eight times that much. In order to do a quality job, and boost the serving rate per hour took a considerable work-flow analyses over the years.

Bottlenecks were identified a n d a c c e l e r a t e d o r relocated. Currently the team can serve around 450 d inner s per hour . The Fishing Club had found its main source of revenue. Now, more members enjoy a tasty meal with beer and wine served at a bargain price, and there is still some money left over for the club’s treasury.

The club approved a program to prepare and present a fish fry once a month in November, January and February. The March Fish Fry would continue to be conducted as the club’s contribution to the Annual Spring Festival.

Each year, the event has grown larger and more efficient. Currently 400 or more members enjoy a tasty meal with b e e r a n d w i n e served at a bargain price, and there is still some money left over for the club’s treasury.

Ed Green, our second president, continues in a m a n a g e m e n t r o l e a s perpetual chairman of the F i sh Fry program. He i s assisted by about 50 members who prepare the fish and batter it in the kitchen, convey it continuously to the cooking area, where it is served with all the trimmings and condiments, usually in the flagpole garden behind the Recreation Hall. The

following pages shows the club members at work.

Shirley Green

AND HER

“CREW”

The Work Flow

The RunnersGetting Ready Master Tweeter

Fry Them UpGolden Brown

Beer Break

Directing Traffic

Oh, So Good

50/50 Chances

Does That Look Good!

No wonder that over 500 tickets are sold

Tradition prevails a lot here; as members are proud to contribute their time and talent doing the same job each time, right down to maintaining the correct flame height to assure consistent quality. Several years ago, deep fry cookers and pans were designed and fabricated by the club so that now four cooks prepare batches in unison, with fish filets of consistent thickness and size, to standardize cooking time. What a show!

The ladies in the kitchen begin work several hours before the serving time, preparing the fish, the batter, cutting lemons and onions and so on. They are seldom seen but are a key in our overall effort. The men and women outside work like a family, taking great pride in working effectively, with a

welcoming smile on their faces. Truly the club’s Fish Fry has become a respected Nettles Island icon.

We hesitate to mention the names of all the workers, but we are including several photos of our fish

fry team in action. We hope you can find yourself in one of the photos.

FISH CLEANING STATION. The Fish Cleaning Station on the causeway was completed on April 4, 2007. The project was advanced and coordinated by the Fishing Club Board of Directors, who donated $8,000 of club funds. The total cost was $ 13,810.

Financing was initially stimulated by the Fishing Club, but Directors asked other supporters to help out, and we gratefully accepted $1,000 from the Men’s Club, $500 from the Lot Owners Association and $100 each from the Horseshoe Club and the Hartley family in the memory of their dad Robert. The remaining $5,000 came from the Condo Association.

Not only was the old cleaning table replaced by a new facility, but the size was increased to allow 4 persons to work on their catch at the same

time. A photo of the old table (which had been there for at least 20 years) and the new fish-cleaning station are shown. Even local pelicans are pleased

with the increased opportunities for a free dinner.

CONCLUSIONWe hesitate to mention the names of all the workers, but we are including several photos of our fish fry team in action. We hope you can find yourself in one of the photos.We hope you have enjoyed this capsule of some 19 years of the Fishing Club existence, whether you are a member or not. If you are not, and would like to join us, just drop in to one of our regular meetings in the Upper Hall. We know you will enjoy it.

The club’s current President is Ron Butschillinger.

Nettles Island Fishing ClubBoard of Directors

2011-2012“Fish ON”

Wally Jones

Jerry Many

Snook Graham

Ed Green Bob Amrhein Jim GrantTom Forkan

Bob MoyerStu Gartside

Karen JordanMike Magliano

Ron Butschillinger

Ralph MangelliBruce Hammerle

SnookPompano WHITING

Ken Jonak