Fishing-A Family Tradition that Builds Memories that Survive Generations

Photographs may fade through the years but the memories of that special fishing trip live on forever for generations, and somehow that fish gets bigger and bigger. The best part about fishing is sharing the experience with your children, your family and friends.  To the left is Richard DeMarte, age 12, who like his dad Joe, and his grandfather, searches for opportunities to share these special moments in time with everyone he can. In chatting with Richards dad, Joe (picture below and left), I could not help remember those special moments in my life fishing the Long Island Sound and offshore Jersey Canyon trips (left below Joe) and how I could not wait to share this with my son Andrew III (top right).

Both Richard showing off one of his stripers and my son (at age 11), showing off his first bluefish, share that irreplaceable smile that only a prize fish can generate. There is a sense of pride that is generated by catching that special fish that you want to share with everyone, and as a parent I can feel Joe's pride in his son just as he can share mine.

Now if you look to the right you will see that fishing does not always make you smile. What's worst for a 6 year old kid than not even getting a nibble. Gosh was I intense when I fished. Maybe I was using mental telepathy to bring the fish to the boat. Betcha I would have smiled if I ran across a couple of those stripers that Joe DeMarte is showing off to the left. But I am sure there were plenty of fish to be caught that day as there always were back in 1958.

But I did not always get skunked, I did catch an 83 pound White Marlin fishing with my cousin Frank Marchell and Henry Wright (left). Hmmm, somehow I am still intense (age 29). Maybe I take life too seriously.

But one of my warmest memories was in May, 1999 when I took my dad, Andrew Sr. fishing on my first boat Anticipation (lower left) for his 79th birthday. I did not know it until he told me "thanks son, that is the first striper I ever caught.

It was also the last fish he caught as he passed away a year later from congestive heart failure. I will treasure that picture forever as will my son and his children to come.

Ah, yes, lest I forget, I won the heart of my wife to be by taking her fishing. In fact, she became such a fishing fanatic, I had to carry a trunk full of tackle where ever we drove. Teach a man to fish and you feed him forever, take someone fishing and you create memories, one smile at a time.