smrfo

The St. Mary’s County Recreation and Parks Department notified the Southern Maryland Recreational Fishing Organization (SMRFO) that they are anticipating 150 children participating in the “Hooked on Fishing” event being held at Point Lookout State Park on July 17^th as part of the county’s summer camp program. 

SMRFO volunteers assist children fishing off the pier.  They also maintain the rods for this event.  On Thursday, January 16^th, 27 SMRFO volunteers changed out the fishing line on 168 fishing rods.  Their January monthly meeting was dedicated to providing enough fully functional fishing rods so the children could enjoy a morning of fishing. 

Below is Captain Bruno Vasta (left) sitting with David Gaestel (right) changing out fishing line in support of “Hooked on Fishing”. 

SMRFO is a non-profit organization supporting fishing events throughout Southern Maryland.   

Thanks to the leadership of Amy Widerman, our annual holiday party held on December 13th was truly awesome. The dinner coupled with games, doors prizes, and gift cards made for a fun evening at the Kingfishers Restaurant on Solomons Island. Here are just a few pictures taken by Leon Smith at the party. What a great time!

On Wednesday, October 2^nd, six SMRFO volunteers served as boat captains for 17 patients from the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Washington, DC.   The patient spent a beautiful day on the Patuxent River catching dinner for their evening fish fry back at the Center.

The volunteers serving as boat captains included David Meiser, Parran Wilkinson, Russell Bowie, David Seagle, Julian Tsai, and Martin Duby.  Other members who served as first mates or hospital support included Judi Tsai, David Hersh, Bill Bonner, Jeff Stevenson, and Phil Zalesak.

The patients had great weather and caught dozens of perch and spot with an occasional toad fish, puffer fish, flounder, or crab.  All patients and volunteers were treated to a Mission BBQ lunch served by the Greenwell Foundation which served as the sponsor for this event.

Our annual picnic was held at Greenwell State Park on September 21st  on an absolutely beautiful day.  The temperature was perfect as members and their guests feasted under the shade of old oak trees.  Participants enjoyed steamed shrimp, hamburgers, and hot dogs as well as dishes provided by the membership.

Dishes brought by members included scrumptious bean recipes (thank you Shonna Meiser), salads, fruit and other great tasting side dishes, as well as cakes, fish shaped sprinkled cupcake (thank you Theresa Bonner) and cookies.  It was a great opportunity for members to get together, share good conversation, and enjoy each other’s company.

Greenwell State Park appears to be a great venue for future SMRFO events.

The St. Mary’s County Recreation and Parks Department held its annual “Hooked on Fishing” event at Point Lookout State Park on Friday, July 19^th.   A total of 61 campers from different county camps came together for a morning of fishing.    The department was supported by volunteers from the Southern Maryland Recreational Fishing Organization who provided fishing rods, tackle, bait, and fishing assistance. 

The fishing was absolutely great as many campers caught fish in the double digits.  Campers mostly caught spot, perch, and croakers from the pier.

Southern Maryland’s children are having a great time this summer at the Greenwell Foundation’s fishing camps.   These three week-long camps allow children to learn about the fish of the Chesapeake Bay, how to tie a fisherman’s knot, how to cast, and how to prepare bait fishing.  And that’s just the first day.  Children also fish off the Greenwell State Park pier, fish off boats provided by volunteers of the Southern Maryland Recreational Fishing Organization (SMRFO), and crabbing off the kayak pier.

The camps are supported by the SMRFO which has teamed with the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory which demonstrates how oysters filter and clarify the waters of the Chesapeake Bay and uses a seine to demonstrate the diversity of life in the Patuxent River; the US Coast Guard which provides a water safety brief to campers before board boats provided by SMRFO volunteers: the St. Mary’s River Watershed Association which assists campers in pouring and hatching reef oyster balls; and the Tackle Box in Lexington Park, Maryland which provides fishing rods, bait and tackle at a discount. You can learn about this and other camps at the Greenwell Foundation website