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BEACHCOMBER SURF
AND GUN CLUB
Of Staten Island
A little bit about us:
The Beachcomber Surf and Gun Club of Staten Island was formed in 1947 by a group of sportsmen with a common interest in hunting and fishing. The club was incorporated under the laws of the State of New York in the same year. Motivated by a goal of furthering their knowledge and improving their skills in hunting, fishing and related outdoor activities they became more aware of the problems facing the local fish and game. With this new awareness they involved themselves in promoting and supporting conservation efforts that were aimed at improving the local hunting and fishing conditions. By the late nineteen-fifties and sixties, with a membership of 115 sportsmen, the Beachcombers were one of the strongest voices for conservation and environmental concerns on Staten Island and the East Coast. As a club the Beachcombers strongly supported the establishing of the 200-mile fishing limit for foreign commercial fishing vessels.
Although the Beachcomber Surf and Gun Club of today has a much smaller membership, the club continues to fight for the environment and for sound conservation practices. The members remain alert for and maintain their strong opposition to activities that would harm the environment. The constant threat to the waters of Raritan Bay by agencies that would use it as a toxic wastes dumping ground is a particular concern.
The Beachcombers helped to establish the Staten Island Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs. As a member club, it participates in such Federation activities as sending young, Conservation Class leaders to Camp De Bruce, and working to preserve various ecologically threatened areas on Staten Island. Along with its conservation efforts, club members enjoy other Federation activities. The club participates in the Federation's two annual fishing contests; the Joe Minkle in the spring and the Jim Ball (which is hosted by the Beachcombers) in the fall. In conjunction with the Federation, the Club regularly sets up a booth for the annual National Hunting and Fishing Day.
Club members have competed for and won many trophies and awards in surf-fishing contests from Cape Cod, MA to Cape Hatteras, NC. They are equally well known to clubs from New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia for distance casting ability with their spinning and conventional rods. . There is also intra-club competition for the members with awards in different categories, i.e. the First Striped Bass on Staten Island, Largest Striped Bass-surf, Largest Striped Bass-boat, Largest Buck, Largest Trout, etc.
Although the club is essentially a surf-fishing organization, the members enjoy and participate in all forms of outdoor activity. The Beachcombers plan three charter-boat trips each year with the club treasury paying for half the cost. Some of the members operate their own boats for fishing and enjoy taking other members out with them. Many of the Beachcombers are also enthusiastic freshwater fishermen. Additionally, the Beachcomber Surf and Gun Club is a National Rifle Association affiliated club. Although the Club does not have its own shooting range, some of the members enjoy trap and skeet shooting competitions at ranges in New Jersey and Staten Island.
Because many of the members are either parents or grandparents they have a strong interest in passing on their skills and knowledge of the outdoors to young people. As part of this interest the Club has been active in setting up and supervising outdoors activities for children, most recently, a fishing contest at Camp Pouch for a local Cub Scout pack.
The Beachcombers have long been aware of their responsibility to the environment. They also know of the need to pass this awareness on. The Club welcomes newcomers to the outdoor sports and is eager to pass along the knowledge, skills, and the ethics of good sportsmanship to anyone genuinely interested. They are also willing and eager to learn from others.