Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE WEST PALM BEACH FISHING CLUB SPRING/SUMMER 2015 VOL 80, NO. 1 In This Issue... • Upcoming Club Events • Annual Award & Contest Winners • New Club Records • Member News & Much More! continued on page 30 80 YEARS & STILL GOING STRONG.... On some evenings it is hard to find a seat inside the historic West Palm Beach Fishing Club (WPBFC). The tin roofed, clap board building located on the corner of Fifth Street and North Flagler Drive, and the programs that take place within, have been drawing anglers to downtown West Palm Beach for decades. While unassuming from the outside, once you step inside the club’s true character is quickly revealed. The spectacular array of trophy game fish mounts, old fishing photographs and local memorabilia that adorn the tongue and groove cypress panels magically transport any first time visitor to a bygone era. If these walls could talk you’d be consumed in conversation for weeks. In the world of saltwater game fishing the WPBFC is considered hallowed ground. The enduring organiza- tion is currently celebrating its 80th anniversary. It is a milestone shared by very few fishing clubs in the world. Established in October of 1934, the WPBFC was cre- ated by local leaders as a civic antidote to the Great Depression. Originally founded to help draw tourists to the region and provide a much needed boost to the local economy, the club soon found itself playing a leadership role in marine conservation, sport fishing innovation and angler education. In 1938, the club was the first to develop and promote the use of red release pennants as an alterna- tive to bringing sailfish back to the dock. The catch and release of large saltwater fish was a totally new idea at the time. In the 1940’s the WPBFC successfully lobbied the state legislature to give game fish status protection to largemouth bass in Florida, abating growing commercial exploitation of the species. In the 1950’s the club supported the forward-thinking concept of a saltwater fishing license to help fund the conserva- tion and management of marine resources. In the 1960‘s the WPBFC played an instrumental role in helping marine scientists foster a cooperative game fish tagging program with anglers that would yield valuable data on age composition, growth rates and migratory patterns of Atlantic sailfish. It was also during this decade