Updated: September 11, 2007.

Greetings,

Welcome to Absecon's Saltwater Sportsmen Club.Getting kids hooked on fishing, not on drugs. Please feel free to browse our pages.

Mission Statement:                                                                                   

As an organized charity that promotes both natural resource and fishing education along with drug and alcohol abuse awareness, the Absecon Saltwater Sportsmen are involved in six youth fishing / education events yearly. We fully fund and coordinate the Absecon Saltwater Sportsmen “Kids Hooked on Fishing – Not on Drugs” Youth Essay Contest. This contest is available for the 32 Middle Schools located in Atlantic County. This event targets eight graders in public, private, and parochial schools and include up to 4000 possible participating students. Letters of invitation are sent out by Oct 15th of each year to each school principal asking for participation.

We also co-fund and co-sponsor the Nuncie Bruno Youth Bluefish Tournament held at Chestnut Neck Marina for youth sixteen years of age and younger. This event offers education in fishing and boating regulations, natural resource awareness, fishing equipment and strategies as well as drug and alcohol abuse awareness.

We are also involved in four fishing derbies for students 5th through 7th grade under the national Kids Hooked on Fishing – Not on Drugs programs. The Drug Alliances Committees of these communities offer financial support toward these programs. We provide volunteers to assist, donate prizes, or offer financial support to the Birch Grove Park Youth Open Fishing.

Tournament in Northfield, the Patriot Lake. Tournament in Galloway Township, the Absecon Kids Hooked on Fishing –Not on Drugs Youth Fishing Tournament, and the Atlantic City Boys and Girls Club Hooked on Fishing – Not on Drugs Youth Surf Fishing Tournament.

As a social fishing club we also hold 6 in-house fishing tournaments as part of our fund raising events to raise monies for the above activities. We solicit contributions from other 501c-3 organizations such as the Atlantic County Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs, the Jersey Coast Anglers Assn., and the Recreational Alliance Foundation in support of our efforts. The Jersey Coast Anglers Assn. awarded our club the 2005 Youth Education Award at their yearly awards dinner in November of 2005. We also receive private contributions from private citizens, businesses, Fraternal and Benevolent associations, civic organizations, Veteran associations, and corporate sponsors that support our community efforts throughout Atlantic County.

We are also the host club for the Greater Atlantic Bluefish Tournament. Like the Hooked on Fishing education endeavors we are currently involved with, the GABT Foundation grew out of our club into its own 501c-3 organization several years ago, creating it’s own foundation. Its purpose is to raise monies for cancer patients in the Cape-Atlantic area. We provide volunteers for the tournament and several of our club members serve on the GABT Board of Directors.

As can be seen we have evolved from just a local fishing club to an organization that is now attempting to reach out to the youth in our communities in an attempt to expose them to the recreational activities of our area through education about natural resource management and protection, fishing activities and opportunities, and the dangers of alcohol and drug use. Certification as a “Kids Hooked on Fishing – Not on Drugs” instructor is available through our contacts with the N.J. Division of Fish and Game. Many of our members are also members of the Atlantic County Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs, The Recreational Fishing Alliance, The Jersey Coast Anglers Assn., and several smaller local fishing and hunting organizations.