I attended the SSFFF dinner last night and was very impressed by not only the turn out (all 22 tables with 10 seats per table were sold out) but with the amount of $$ people spent on raffle & Chinese auction tickets--this on top of the $75 ticket (so there was a good deal of $$ raised for our cause) and hearing some encouraging news by keynote speaker Congressman Frank Pallone. We are starting to make some noise and people are starting to listen. We have a long way to go but we are definitely on our way to getting there.
Some truly outstanding & amazing prizes were donated. Some of the silent auction prizes included an original Guy Harvey piece of art work valued at $5000, a complete Shimano Lucanus jigging system (I'm talking rod, reel, line a dozen jigs) a $1000 value, a 1 day trolling trip on the Canyon Runner valued at $2700 and some sports memorabilia that included an autographed ball by David Wright, A John Franco game used bat that with hsi autograph, an autographed Jorge Posada picture and some Jet stuff (autographed footballs, game jerseys etc).
A few of the raffle prizes included various trips on charter boats ranging from striper trips in Raritan Bay to fluke trips in central Jersey to a Delaware bay striper/blackdrum trip, new electronics and a real nice wood craving of a fluke. However in my opinion the raffle prize to win was the Raritan Bay Party Boat/Charter package. Had to be at least a dozen + trips donated in this one prize alone
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The Chinese auction prizes were equally amazing & gracious; custom plug packages, various baskets of tackle (high end stuff I might add), fishing rods & reels (I'm talking Penn, Avet,s Abus, Diawa's) bait pens, bunker spoons, party boat fluke, striper & canyon trips, baskets of joy (liquor) and allot, lot more.
There were even door prizes of charter & party boat trips.
I was fortunate enough to win 1 Chinese auction package that included 2 striper trips aboard the Gambler, a Penn International rod matched with a Penn 965 reel that was already spooled with braid and a cannister of GULP Alive. I also won a bottle of Crown Royal XR (which is the one item I really wanted to win). And lastly I went in half's on the silent auction for the Canyon Runner trip and won. We really didn't expect to win as our bid as way below the value of the trip, so one one hand we got a great deal & on the other we know the $$ is going to a good cause.
Sorry I can't attend tonight's NJSWF dinner but I don't think the wife will let me out of the house 2 nights in a row. Enjoy tonight.
