The 2011 Bunny Clark Guestletter

Before I end this Guestletter, I want to cite those anglers and experiences of note that deserve an honorable mention for their uniqueness and/or fishing prowess during the 2010 Bunny Clark fishing season. I realize that this is a value judgment on my part but I believe that my conclusions are recognized as a popular opinion and/or statistical fact among my crew and fishing guests and are based on many fishing trips. These special anglers and incidents are as follows:

Fisherman of the Year (FY-'10): Tim Williams takes our most prestigious title for the second year in a row. And, actually, there was no one even close; relinquishing the need to add comparative value points (CVPs) in order to come to a salient decision. (CVPs - points added or subtracted between two anglers who end the year at the top end with 30 points or less separating them. Points are only adjusted on those days where both were fishing together.) This is the sixth time that Tim has prevailed in this category, a tie with Fred Kunz (NH) for the most FY awards in the history of Bunny Clark Deep Sea Fishing!

As most of you know by now, the FY award is based on a point system that relates to specific achievements during a trip and during the year. Each achievement is worth a set of points. The individual with the most points at the end of the season wins. In order to compete in this category, you have to have paid for and completed at least 10 different trips on the Bunny Clark. I have had many excellent anglers who fish with us on a regular basis every season, any one of whom has the potential to become the Fisherman of the Year. Tim was consistently the best or one of the best anglers last season. His strengths in this category included the most trophy fish of the season, his penchant for being high hook on almost every trip he attended, his fisherman of the day abilities (catching the largest fish of the trip on the same trip that he was high hook), his competitive spirit, his belief in himself and his consistency. By definition he becomes the best angler (with Fred Kunz) who has ever fished on the Bunny Clark. I can say quite honestly that it has been a supreme pleasure to have served Tim over the years. I have taken it as a great honor that Tim has chosen to fish the Bunny Clark on so many occasions. So, to me, it is a wonderful thing just to be able to say; "Hey, Tim, you are the best" - and mean it! Congratulations, Tim!

[The digital image, right, shows Tim Williams holding his 22.5 pound cusk caught on the June 15, 2010 marathon trip. Tim has caught three cusk over 30 pounds on the Bunny Clark and has caught many over 20 pounds, more than any angler I have ever met.]

[The picture, left, is one showing Tim holding his first trophy cod of the 2010 season. This one weighed 27.5 pounds and was caught late in April on a marathon trip.]

Tim's total point count was 257 (24 more points than last year with fewer trips overall). Dan Kelley took second place with a point total of 165. Eighteen year old Bryan Lewer (FL) was third with 149 points. Steve LaPlante came in fourth with 102 points. Jon Griffin was fifth with 97 points. I am reminded that all five anglers fish with jigs and jig sticks. However, Tim rarely fishes with a fly over his jig. Dan never fishes with a fly. Bryan, Steve and Jon rarely use a fly. These accomplishments become even more meaningful when you consider that those who fish without that extra hook are limited to only one fish a drop (with rare exceptions). It certainly makes it that much harder then to reach high hook status on a given day and almost eliminates you from the points that could be gathered by landing one of the top five double keeper catches of the season.

Female Angler of the Year: Gloria Gennari (MA) wins this award for the fifth season in a row. There wasn't a woman even close - again last year. Her consistency, her nine trophy fish and her drive put her well above any other female angler who was aboard the Bunny Clark last year. Gloria, you make it easy for me to fill this category. Thanks and congratulations! You rock!

Best Bait Fisherman: Shameless Ray "The Pole Tossing Master Baiter" Westermann (MA), just gets better every year. He took bait fishing to yet a higher level than he did when winning the same award last year and the year before! For three consecutive years he has caught the biggest hake of his life. In 2009, he did it five times! Last year he did it twice, the first time with a 42 pounder and the second time with a 47.75 pound hake that could have tied the IGFA all tackle world record! Not only that, he did very well on the haddock in numbers and size, including three Maine state trophies, the most trophy haddock for any (except for Jeff Frisby who also boated three) angler on the Bunny Clark last season. You know when a fisherman is good when other anglers on the boat are constantly asking; "How's Ray doing?" Congrats, Ray - again!

Most Aces: For those who don't know, an angler scores an ace when he or she lands the three (or more) largest fish during a single trip. There can be no ties in fish size with other anglers in order to achieve true "ace" status. There were only two anglers who qualified for an ace last season. Jared Keniston was the first. On July 1, 2010, Jared was acting as an overseer for Alec Levine (ME) on Alec's first trip (a 4PM-8PM half day trip). Alec was working the deck as a mate without Jared's help. Jared was there to correct anything that might go terribly wrong. As it turned out, nothing did so Jared fished all evening and caught the three largest fish. A total of twenty legal fish were caught that night for the twenty-five anglers aboard. Jared caught twelve legal cod and may have caught one or two legal "others". And I believe he was the only one who knew how to use a jig. His three largest fish included an 11.5 pound cod, a 10.5 pound cod and a 9.5 pound cod. There was a tie for fourth place. Both Ron Poremba (MA) and Phil Springer (NY) caught an 8 pound cod each. Ron's was a cusk. Phil's was a cod.

The first and only ace caught by a customer came on August 11, 2010. Fred Fredberger (CT) was the fisherman of the day on that trip. His three largest fish included a 22.5 pound monkfish, a 17.5 pound pollock and a 13 pound pollock. There were twenty-two anglers aboard that day with a total count of seventy-seven legal fish landed of which Fred had a count of twelve and was high hook.

Incidentally, Mark Whitney (ME) was the only angler to catch a legal fish on the August 20, 2010 afternoon half day trip. He caught three. They included a 7 pound cod, a 6 pound cod and a one pound redfish. Had he caught a legal cod for his third fish he would have had the ace. There were, however, at least three anglers who had sub-legal cod larger than his redfish. There was also another trip where Bryan Lewer caught the three largest fish on an evening trip August 4, 2010. His three fish included a 7.5 pound cusk, a 7.25 pound cusk and a 6 pound cod. However, Tim Golden (NY) spoiled his ace by duplicating his third largest fish with a 6 pound cod himself.

[Bob Williams (NY), right, holding his 27 pound Maine state trophy monkfish. This picture was taken by Captain Ian Keniston. ]

Most Trophy Fish (including hake over 15 pounds, cod & pollock over 20 pounds, monkfish over 15 pounds and any halibut) of the Season: Tim Williams caught the most with a count of forty. Dan Kelley was second with a count of twenty-nine. Bryan Lewer was third with twenty-six counters.

Most Trophy Fish during a Trip: Tim Williams, Dan Kelley and Chris Porter tied for the most with six trophy fish each. For second place, Tim Williams, Gloria Gennari, Jon Griffin and David MacDonald (MA) shared with five trophy fish each. For third and fourth place, Tim Williams fished two more trips where he landed five trophy fish on each trip. There were also several anglers who deserve an honorable mention for landing four trophy fish on a single trip, some more than once. These anglers include: Dan Kelley, Jay Tenney (MA), Steve Selmer (NH), Marian "Merv" Murphy (NH), Ray Westermann (on two separate trips), Ron Roy (NH), Bryan Lewer (two trips), Steve LaPlante (three trips), Steve Shugars (ME) and Jim Watson (NY).

Most Pools (largest fish of the trip): Tim Williams and Bryan Lewer tied for first place by catching the largest fish of the trip on four different occasions. John Russell (ME) landed the second most pools with a count of three. Brian Murphy (NH), Brian Walsh (NJ), Fred Fredberger (CT), John Griffin, Paul Dykeman (ME), Ralph Small (NY), Ray Westermann, Scott Anzalone (NJ), Shane Anderson (MA), Steve Kenney (ME), Steve LaPlante, Steve Levine & Walter Morenski (NJ) landed the largest fish of the trip two times last season.

High Hook: Tim Williams was high hook (the most legal fish on a trip) at least fourteen times that we know of. Bryan Lewer was second in this category with nine counts that we know of. Dan Kelley was third at eight counts. You should know that Dan Kelley never uses a fly, the implication of which is not lost on me when considering this category. Dan can catch fish, a lot more of them if catching the most fish was his goal. I appreciate Dan's method very much indeed.

[The digital image, left, was taken on June 8, 2010 marathon trip. This shot was taken of Jim Phelon's 176.5 pound bluefin tuna, the only bluefin we landed last season. The photo participants from left to right include Jim Phelon, Bryan Lewer, Don Prior and Mike Neveu (MA). ]

Hardest Luck: Rod Wood (PA) had the hardest luck this season. On April 23, 2010, Rod threw his (our) jig stick, rod, reel, jig and five hundred yards of Spectra line overboard in one errant cast, never to be seen again. I thought he was going to cry. I almost cried with him (That would have been a picture for the Internet.). Later that day he lost two more jigs. After that he almost launched himself overboard when he slipped while making a cast. It was only by the grace of God that he stayed aboard. There was a part of me that wondered if we would ever see Rod on the Bunny Clark again. I'm happy to say that he returned with much better luck a couple more times later in the season!

Second place in this category has to go to Bill Hazlett (MA) who waited until September 1st to go out fishing on the Bunny Clark for the first time last year. On that day he was high hook, which was good, caught the second largest fish, which was good. That's where it ended. He was tangled all day long which is remarkable considering he had a legal fish on his line most of the times that he was. He got sun screen in his eyes so badly that Ian's first impression was that Bill badly missed not having his wife aboard (obviously balling about his loss). He lost a great fish, lost a favorite jig and lost his expensive sun glasses overboard, never to be seen again. You can certainly tell when an angler should have been fishing more often.

Third place has to go to Mark LaRocca (NY) who lost, arguably, the largest cod of the fishing season. We lost a big cod in the fall last season as well. But Mark lost his cod during prime spawn on June 24th on a spot I only use twice a year where we always (up to this point, of course) hook into a big cod (and have caught several whale cod over the years). Tim Williams was the only other angler to hook up with a steaker there that day, a 31 pound cod which he subsequently released back to the ocean alive. The signature of Mark's fish on the sounding machine was just phenomenal. When I saw the fish on the machine leaving the bottom, going back to bottom, leaving the bottom and then getting high enough off the bottom where I could get a good look, I had to cross my fingers and hope that I could at least see this fish on the surface. It was not to be. A third of the way off the bottom the fish held depth for too long. I looked from the machine to Mark and a perfectly straight rod. My heart sank. Well if ever Mark LaRocca is on the boat the same time Mark Francis (PA) is aboard, they can hold hands on the way out and try to figure out what went wrong.

Most Improved Angler: Fred Fredberger (CT) pulled in a hell of a season with just a handful of trips last year. He started on an afternoon trip where he was high hook, won the boat pool and was a fish away from getting the "ace". The very next trip, a full day trip, he took home all the marbles. Not only was he high hook and the pool winner again, this time he captured the "ace" that was denied him the trip before and his largest fish became the Bunny Clark's second largest monkfish of the season. And he was successful during his later trips. Fred wasn't nearly as successful any other year previously. Whatever it was that happened, I want to see more of it this year! Nice work, Fred!

Honorable mention has to go to George Smart (NY). On a marathon trip in 2009, George endured a serious tongue lashing by yours truly (including that phrase "Shut the *%#@ up", the recitation of which by Jared Keniston, has never allowed me to live it down.). There were tangles galore that day. This year, George came up to me before the trip to "apologize" for something he thought he did wrong when it was actually me who did the wrong thing! Well George was the much improved angler on last year's trip. He was also quite a bit quieter. I would call it more respectful. Thank you, George. Let me be the one to apologize to you! Incidentally Barry Juhasz or Rick Gurney (both from the Lighthouse Fishing Club - MA) might ask; if the word "forgiveness" weren't in the dictionary, would Tim still retain any repeat business?

Best Team: Tom Ward (CT) and Jim Sanford (NY) have fished with me for years but have never received the recognition they deserve. So I thought that this year I would reserve this category for them. The criteria for a good team has always been a function of angling success based on a deep knowledge of their equipment, with a strong sense of the harmony, fun and companionship that is so much a part of fishing. These two epitomize what a good team should be. And their success ratio is high enough to always give me something great to write about on the Internet. And I appreciate that! Thanks, guys. You're the best!

Jackass Award: This award is for the one person who most stands out on a charter who doesn't enter in the boat pool. This does not apply to religious groups or to persons who can't afford to get in the boat pool for other reasons. John Kelley (MA) wins this award hands down. He stands out not only because he had a fish large enough to win the boat pool for the second largest fish of the trip but also because the fish was so large, a 35 pound Maine state trophy white hake! I took this award out of the Guestletter a few years ago in the flavor of political correctness that was sweeping the land. John's utter disregard for his fellow anglers made me decide to put it back in. Nice going, John!

[Kelly Strob (MA), seen right, holds her 7.5 pound Maine state trophy haddock that she caught on the Bunny Clark in July 2010.]

Exceptional Good Luck: : I have a plaque in my workroom that you will see as soon as you walk through the door. It hangs on the wall between two shelves. It is an honorary membership in the 104th Fighter Wing out of Westfield, Massachusetts. That plaque comes close to my heart. Jim Nodwell (MA) and his crew presented it to me years ago after my small bit of support in their military involvement during the Iraq War. Jim and his crew had fished with me before they went overseas and have fished with me a few times since.

In mid June last season they were sixteen of the nineteen anglers aboard during a marathon trip. And what a trip it was. As soon as we got to our first fishing spot, one of their crew, Don Prior (MA), hooked into a bluefin tuna. He fought it for five minutes only to have it break off - no fault of his own (That afternoon, Don landed the largest cod of his life, a 49 pounder!). Later, one of their father and son teams (Theo & Tad Russell - MA) hooked into a bluefin tuna of about 400 pounds or less and fought it for two hours at least. For two more hours others on the boat took part including Tim Belisle (MA), Captain Ian, Rowland Mortensen (NJ) and me. We got the fish close enough to gaff later in the fight but the fish was too green and the gaff pulled out. The long and the short: we lost the fish due to a severely chaffed leader right next to the boat. I was surprised the fight lasted as long as it did. The ordeal took us three miles from the original spot.

Licking our wounds, tails between our legs we limped back to the original spot where we had started and went back to cod fishing. We weren't there for five minutes when Jim Phelon (MA - with Nodwell's crew) hooked into another bluefin tuna! That was the last straw. I announced that I was not going to chase another tuna. Jim was welcome to fight the tuna as long as he wanted and I would help him land it. But I was not going to move the boat - again. Nor was I going to make anyone reel up who was engaged in the act of cod fishing - again. Well, as luck would have it, Jim's bluefin stayed on the surface the whole time and made screaming runs directly aft and then right back to the boat. Jim was fighting the fish from the stern. He was able to stay tangle free away from everyone. Watching him on one of the fish's runs from the boat, I noticed the line chattering and realized he had the fish tail wrapped! Encouraging Jim to "reel", he got the fish right back to the boat where Bryan Lewer (FL) and Ian were waiting for the fish with two gaffs. They sunk the gaffs in the tail, got the tail out of the water and the three of us hauled the fish over the side, kicking and thrashing, into the boat! It happened so quickly that no one on the bow even realized a tuna was on the on line, never mind on the deck! The fish weighed 176.5 pounds, 67 inches long. A week later that fish would have been an illegal length to keep! And the 104th enjoyed another conquest.

Most Unusual Catch & Quote of the Year: During a marathon trip June 1st with fifteen minutes left to go before heading home on one of Dave Miller's famous charters, Dennis Pietro (MA) hooks into something near the bottom that starts stripping line off his reel. Unable to gain line, I had everyone else reel up so I could chase after it and Dennis could gain some line back. I couldn't imagine what it was that early in the year but I knew I wanted to at least see it. The fight was on.

We moved Dennis into the bow pulpit so he could get some rail support in three hundred degrees of a circle. Plus, I could see what was going on more easily while at the helm. Dennis fought this fish like a champ (pumping and reeling). Try as he might, after half an hour we still hadn't brought the fish above the 40 fathom (240 feet) mark. It seemed to want to stay right there. On the sounding machine it appeared as a big red blob. I couldn't imagine what it was. A tuna? At the end of that first half hour Dennis started to work his rod, forcing the fish into 20 fathoms. For another hour it hung at that depth. The fish's progress led us southeast. Coming up on two hours we were already three miles from where it was hooked. And Dennis wasn't doing well. He had already hurled a couple of times with the enormous amount of energy he was expending. Dennis does not get sea sick.

Just before the two hour mark, I pulled Dennis off the rod and put Shane Anderson (MA) on it. Dennis, in the meantime, had crashed on the deck, on his back, spread eagle and appeared dead to the world. Shane put renewed vigor into the fight, just what we needed. In about a half an hour, the fish started coming out of 20 fathoms and right to 10. It hung there for a bit and then headed up. I left the helm to run up to the bow just in time to see this big brown shape coming from the bottom. "It's a halibut", I said. "We'll never get it in the boat", Ian cried. But, in fact, it was a basking shark about twenty-six feet long, one of the biggest ones I have ever seen. Dennis' jig was lodged in the corner of the jaw like it was smoking a lead cigar! The fish had come up head first. With the big wide pectoral fins just behind the head, it looked like a huge halibut initially. This is the strangest catch I have ever witnessed and the first time I have ever heard of a huge basking shark being brought to gaff with a cod rod! We promptly snapped the line at the jig and watched the big fish lumber off into the depths as if nothing had ever happened.

[Dave Gray (VT), seen left, is my most regular of regular anglers. In this picture he is holding his 46.5 pound Maine state trophy white hake. I believe this is his biggest hake. And for the years and his many fishing trips, that's saying something!]

Most Unusual Hook-Up: Two weeks after the basking shark incident I was hosting a marathon trip when Brian Stevens (VT) hooked into something unusual. His jig was part way to bottom when his line started to angle outboard. Something he hooked while dropping his line to bottom was on the way to the surface - fast. I thought it must be a tuna. I urged Brian to reel quickly to take up the slack. This he did. At a distance a few boat lengths away a silver and dark fish appeared just under the surface with Brian's jig swimming rapidly from left to right. All of a sudden this fish leapt a few feet out of the water, throwing the jig out of its mouth and landing flat on its side. It was a sunfish (Mola mola, spp.)! Once it hit the surface, sans jig, it resumed normal sunfish behavior and remained on the surface paddling slowly away - dipping its dorsal in and out of the water's surface. Never have I seen a sunfish get hooked in the mouth before. Was this a chance thing, luck of the draw or did it intentionally go after the jig? Also, I have seen sunfish jump before but I never realized that they could swim so fast. I guess they would have to have this kind of mobility if they were going to get enough speed to get out of the water. Very strange indeed!

Biggest Double: Rob Foster (ME) caught the largest double keeper catch of the season on the second trip of the season! His catch included a 23 pound pollock and 20.5 pound pollock, both fish caught on the same line at the same time. Jon Griffin (MA) caught the second largest double. His catch included a 24 pound white hake and an 18 pound white hake. Chris Porter (MA) took third with a 24.5 pound white hake and a 14 pound white hake. Jim Shepard (MA) was fourth with a 21.5 pound pollock and a 16 pound pollock. Bill Dewsbury (NY) took fifth with a 26 pound Maine state trophy white hake and an 11 pound pollock. To my knowledge all the doubles were caught while using a jig and cod fly combination, one fish caught on the jig and the other on the fly.

Unexplained Phenomena: My daughter and a couple of her girl friends go to a Japanese restaurant where you sit down at a table while the chef prepares your meal right in front of you. She is shown to a table already partially occupied by a family. After a couple minutes the gentleman at that table leans over and tells Halley that he saw the name "Tower" on her softball jacket; "You wouldn't be related to Tim Tower, would you?" It was Captain Phil Eastman from the biggest party boat fishing fleet in New England, his family's business, and a good friend of mine. Not only does he surprise Halley initially, he secretly paid for their meals before the girls got the bill! I wrote about this event in my daily web page blog mentioning Phil's kindness and commenting that I now owe him one but "What do you get the man who has everything?" Someone got wind of the event and my comment and started a thread on a popular fishing chat page. The thread characterized Phil as the man with everything and the gifts that should be forthcoming. You can imagine where it went from there. It was one of the funniest things I read all summer! Obviously there are a lot of Phil Eastman admirers!

[The picture on the right was taken during a marathon trip in late April. The pollock were already in full force, which is unusual; normally they appear later in the year. Dana Decormier (NH) was one of the early lucky recipients. He is shown right holding his 18 pound 40 inch pollock while posing in the bow pulpit on a choppy day. Had this fish been filled out with spawn later in the year it could have easily weighed 30 pounds! If so it would have been our biggest of the year. Timing is everything!]

The two people who are the basis for a very successful Bunny Clark fishing season are Captain Ian Keniston and Jared Keniston, brothers in the strongest sense of the word. They operate my boat and business as well or better than if I did it all myself. As I have become more involved in my family's restaurant business, Barnacle Billy's, Inc., I do not take as many trips as I used to. Not being on the boat as much also affords me more time with my children who are fast approaching the time of their college days. Ian and Jared have allowed me to continue with my many jobs unfettered and worry free. As true professionals, they have handled any and all problems on the Bunny Clark with common sense and positive outcomes. You can't know how much I appreciate their time with Bunny Clark Deep Sea Fishing. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Ian and Jared.

Captain Tom Corbett (NH) was not able to work for us last season. With cut-backs at work, he couldn't take the days required to work for me on a part time basis. Instead, I had Tom Parker (ME) who took his place. Tom was one of the Ugly Anne's (another deep sea fishing vessel that sails out of Perkins Cove, Ogunquit) best captains of yesteryear and a person I have respected as one of the best for as many years. I was truly fortunate to have him aboard to take my "other" Tom's place. And it didn't take Tom very long to come up to Bunny Clark speed. Thanks so much, Tom. I so appreciate your tenure with us.

[Left; a digital image of Rob Wojciak holding his 7.5 pound Maine lobster.]

We also added an extra deck hand to the mix. This was meant to give Captain Ian and Jared more time off. His name is Alec Levine and he did a masterful job. It took such a short time for Alec to get up to speed that I became immediately comfortable being with him alone on a trip. Thank you, Alec. I was delighted to have you working with us last season.

I also want to thank those who keep us all going. Of most importance is my wife, Debbie. She did all the bookwork, computer stuff and controlled the reservations side of the business. Last year we didn't have the added help of Renée Stevens, our best at the computer and desk over the years. And I did miss her and thought it might be too much of a burden on Deb along with her role as the head of our family. I am very pleased with the outcome. Jane Staples became our number two. She took on more responsibility with a smile and a professional attitude that I have come to like and respect. I'm glad to say that Jane has been with us for a number of years now - and just gets better. Thank you, my wonderful wife and Jane for allowing us to keep the Bunny Clark going. I couldn't do it without you.

We had four reservationists who work solely to help perspective anglers book positions on the various fishing trips. Reservationists need to know how the trips work, what people want, how to provide it and to be able to communicate well and in a pleasant manner. We had some excellent people this year, three who have been with us before and one bright new girl. That such nice employees come back is certainly a benefit and a blessing to us. Highest on my list, of course, is my daughter, Halley. Halley completed her fifth year last season. Halley, Deb and I communicate very well together. But it helps that Halley knows the business well enough that she can make some very pertinent decisions on her own. This establishes her as our best asset and I can truly say I love her for who she is. Halley is the best and I am not biased in the least. I am really happy to say that Katie Graichen completed her fourth season with us last year. She is just about perfect, certainly everything I would want in a person dealing with the public, particularly where it concerns my fishing business. I was very happy to have Eliza Jacobs back again last season. This was her third season. Eliza is very upbeat and outgoing in the best way. We also had a new recruit, Lathrop Kelly, who struck me as being mature beyond her age. She is a school mate of Halley's and the daughter of one of Halley's best teachers. Lathrop was excellent. I want to thank you all for being wonderful representatives of Bunny Clark and doing a great job besides. I very much appreciate it!

We had three reservationists who work solely with the people booking positions on the various fishing trips. Reservationists need to know how the trips work, what people want, how to provide it and to be able to communicate well and in a pleasant manner. We had some excellent people this year, made better by the fact that all have been with us before! That such nice people come back is certainly a benefit to us and the public they serve. Highest on my list, of course, is my daughter, Halley. Halley completed her fourth year last season. Halley and I communicate very well together as she seems to do with everyone. I may be a little biased but I think she's the best. Also, it helps that she knows Deb & Tim better than anyone! Katie Graichen completed her third season with us last year. She is just about perfect, certainly everything I would want in a person dealing with the public, particularly where it concerns my fishing business. I was very happy to have Eliza Jacobs back again last season. This was her second season. Another great season with Eliza! I want to thank you, all three of you, for being who you are and for doing such a wonderful job. Don't change a thing!

[Ah, the trickery that's so a part of the Bunny Clark experience. The note is on the back of one Glenn Stadnick (CT). The picture was taken in May 2010. Glenn lost a cod bigger than Dave Bingell's, in 2009. And this one we could see on the surface, a gut wrenching loss! And what a way to lose it! Oh, by the way, Peter Victoria (CT) placed the note on Glenn's back in the dark before we left the dock. Glenn wore the note all day long without anyone telling him. ]

This was my fourth season riding in the Pan-Massachusetts Challenge (PMC), an 192 mile two day cycling event in August to raise money for cancer research and care at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI), Boston, Massachusetts. Last year I passed a total of $96,279.25 to the Jimmy Fund, the fund raising arm of the DFCI, the end of a four year effort that included the support of more than a thousand donors. For this support from all of you, I feel deeply grateful. I have already renewed my application for the 2011 PMC and have thus far raised $3,400.00. This means I have received and passed on a total of $99,679.25 or $320.75 shy of the $100,000.00 mark as of this writing. This is truly great and it helps to maintain the most wonderful cancer facility in the country right in our own back yard. The research that comes out of that place, the friends of mine it has cured, the kids that emerge cancer free and go on to a better life, the fact that 100 percent of your donation goes right to the cause with no fees taken out and the fact that this money pays for the best researchers in the world makes the DFCI number one to deserve the donations I try to bring to it through you. This is truly a way to make this planet a better world. And cancer curing needs the money. Thanks for your help.

As I end this Guestletter, I want to make you aware that I have never meant this missive to be just a newsletter. It is a primer or outline of the top events of the previous Bunny Clark fishing season. But, more than that, it's about the people, anglers and individuals who have made the past year something I enjoy writing about. My goal, when writing, has always been to include as many individuals as I can. I started my first newsletter with "Dear Guests" in 1984. It grew over the years into something that involved a commercial printing service. I named it the "Guestletter" in 1993. It has remained so ever since. And the reasons are obvious. So when you read this treatise again, pat yourself on the back. I couldn't write it or maintain this wonderful business without you. From the bottom of my heart; thank you, all, for another wonderful season. I am very much looking forward to seeing you again come April!

My Favorite Angler

This is a shot taken of sixteen year old Micah Tower on the Petrel, our lobster boat, thirty miles offshore. We have spent many winter trips on this boat with many anglers from the Bunny Clark who have been gracious enough to say "yes" to an invitation to go on a spartan fishing trip with me. In this picture, Micah is reeling in a pollock while also assuming the Petrel fishing position, the most comfortable position for reeling a fish up. This was the first trip of the 2011 season, New Year's Day, a very successful one. We hope this trips success bleeds into the 2011 Bunny Clark fishing season!

If you want to send me e-mail, the current address is ttower@bunnyclark.com. The general email address is info@bunnyclark.com. My personal email address is sowhake@gmail.com.

With this web site in general, I hope to keep you current on all of the fishing particulars on the Bunny Clark and include updated information on fishery management decisions that could potentially affect us. For a current report go to the Fishing Update section from the link located on the index page of this web site. Thanks!

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