Central Ohio Chapter Muskies Inc. – November President’s Message

It is hard to believe another fishing season is winding down. I just got back from a long weekend trip with friends where we took one last shot at boating a thick fall fish or two. Unpredictable weather and fishing for sure, but we got a few nice ones and my season finished on a high note. I’m already thinking about next year’s trips and outings as I pile up all the gear that needs some winter maintenance and put away the rest.

Our October meeting was an enjoyable night as we held no program or business, and had a social evening swapping, selling and buying tackle. Our 2013 schedule is winding down: This week’s meeting Tuesday the 12th where we’ll do elections and planning and our Christmas Party on December 10th at the Sunbury Eagles are all that remains.

One bonus for our November meeting will be an update by Kevin Page of the DOW on the muskie tagging study. After Kevin talks to us we’ll do elections, set the basic 2014 chapter calendar, officer reports, raffle the guide trips, do a Sledge Bait lure raffle with some bonus bucktails, etc.

On the topic of elections, I’m predicting a leadership team going forward that is a great mix of both relatively new and older chapter members, and it should be exciting to see where the club goes in the near future. There has been a lot of good discussion recently about changes, new or expanded events, fresh ideas, etc. It will really all come down to people stepping up to do a small part to help make the big picture ideas a reality.

I doubt we’ll do a Newsletter in December, so this is likely the final edition of my President’s message dubbed “Rob’s Rant” by Randy back when he told me I had to keep to a one page limit. Never at a loss for words, I’ve tried to make these informative and I hope you got something out of them other than filler for the recycle bin. I’ll finish with one final trip to the soap box:

The founder of my company was quoted as saying something along the lines of “In order for the company to get bigger, we must each put in more than we take out.” Think about that. I believe this same wisdom applies to the future of our muskie club. Ask yourself: Are you just a user? Or are you a contributor giving back something in return? Too many users will consume the organization over time. Contributors will grow the organization for the long haul. Hopefully you can see the connection I’m trying to make. And with that I’ll retire the soap box.

In conclusion I want to say thank you for trusting me with the keys to the store. I certainly made a few mistakes, but not to mention the lifelong friendships that I’ve made, I got a lot out of these eight years as a club officer and so I attempted along the way to put more than my fair share back in. Good luck to the new chapter leadership. I’ll be around to help in any way that I can and most importantly, I’ll see you on the water.

Rob