Unfortunately, few people in Atlanta, which is 300 miles from the nearest body of salt water, were raised in a coastal environment. In the past, any information on salt water fishing had to be learned by reading, asking questions, and trial and error. Under these conditions, it can take years for someone to become proficient enough at the sport to really achieve a sense of enjoyment and satisfaction.

This was the situation that faced Leon Brown, an Atlanta public relations executive, when he purchased his first sea-going boat in 1984. Although he had grown up fishing the inshore water around Panacea, Florida, Leon had little experience in deep water fishing and boat handling. It soon became evident that reading, asking questions of those on the coast, and trial and error left a lot to be desired as far as really learning about the sport, and his frustration grew. Leon knew that there had to be others in the Atlanta area who shared these frustrations simply because of the volume of salt water tackle sold in the area. He began to wonder what would happen if he were to get all these people together to network information about the sport in an atmosphere of fun and comradarie. Thus the idea for the Atlanta Salt Water Sportsman's Club was born.

With the help of the two largest salt water tackle stores in the Atlanta area promoting the idea, the first meeting of the Atlanta Salt Water Sportsmans' Club was held at the Century Center Hotel in April of 1987. Attending that meeting were 80 Atlantans with on thing in common. . . a love of salt water fishing and a desire to learn more about it through networking with others who shared their interest in the sport.

The basic groundwork that was laid at the meeting still guides the ASWSC today. It was decided that the best way to promote and learn about fishing is to fish. For this reason, the format of putting on "just for fun" tournaments was adopted. This accomplished the goal of getting people out on the water in the relative safety of a group environment.

The first tournament was scheduled for a weekend in July of 1987. Leon Brown, who had been elected President, thought we would be lucky to get 10 boats and 40 people to show up. Instead, we had 17 boats and 78 people in attendance. Many fish were caught and friendships were formed that remain strong today.

Later that same year, another tournament was held at West Palm Beach, Florida, and it became evident that the ASWSC had taken hold as another of those Atlanta phenomena reminiscent of the Atlanta Ski Club, which is the largest ski club in the nation. Today the ASWSC is the largest inland saltwater fishing club in the U.S.A.

The next year, six tournaments were scheduled, including one at Walker's Cay in the Bahamas. This represented a giant step for a group of landlocked ocean lovers from Atlanta. Twelve boats made the Gulf Stream crossing to the small Abaco island in July of 1988. At the tournament the first blue marlin and first yellowfin tuna were caught in a club event. It was then that we knew we had arrived.

Since then we have had an average of seven tournaments per year with as many as 42 boats and 180 people in attendance. Tournament locations read like a sport fishing travelogue with events being held in places like West Palm Beach, Islamorada, Key West, Fort Pierce, Homasassa, Destin, St. Augustine, Apalachicola, Steinhatchee (all in Florida); Orange Beach, Alabama; Savannah, Georgia; Georgetown, South Carolina; Venice, Louisiana; and Bimini, Bahamas. The basic format of each subsequent tournament has remained the same as the first one in Destin: we fish only for fun with winners receiving plaques and accolades. . . never prize money; we encourage family participation; we promote conservation by releasing billfish and all other fish no to be utilized; and we put safety first. Junior angler particpation is an important focus.

In addition to club sponsored tournaments, many members fish "on their own" in a number of world class destinations including Costa Rica, Mexico, Australia, the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, Hatteras, North Carolina, and countless others around the world.

In 1991, the ASWSC formed a Conservation Committee to investigate ways to give something back to the sport from which we have received so much enjoyment. At the recommendation of the committee we have become involved in, and taken as an official stance on, several conservation issues, including the plan to institute a salt water fishing license in Georgia, a plan to open Georgia's inshore water to shrimping, and the over-harvest of finfish in Florida by commercial interests.

In 1993, ASWSC made a $1,000 donation to the Save Our Sealife (SOS) Committee in Florida. The Conservation Committee is currently looking into helping the state of Georgia finance and build several new artificial reefs either on the Georgia coast or in the Gulf of Mexico.

Over the years over twenty (20) ASWSC members have chosen to expand their knowledge and saltwater fishing skills beyond club tournaments. Those few obsessed souls truly believe that the cure for everything is salt water, sweat, tears and the ocean. They have received U.S. Coast Guard Six Pack Licenses. Some just wanted the challenge of renewed study and memorization disciplines and testing ability. Others wanted to apply practical experience with new academic expertise to improve personal proficiency and safety on the water. Some see a captain's license as a tool to augment retirement income. Whatever the motives, improving one's ability to enjoy the marine environment and create a safer place for those we love surely enhances the comradarie and quality of the fishing experience.

One of the reasons the ASWSC was formed was to create a forum for members to learn about salt water fishing. To this end the club has, since the beginning, held monthly meetings that feature an infomative program related to the sport. Those meetings are held the second Tuesday at 7:00pm of every month at Winfield Hall on 3890 Satellite Blvd, Norcross, Ga.

Contrary to what many may believe, fishing is not the only way to have fun. To prove this, the ASWSC has promoted and sponsored many non-fishing related events over the years. Every December there is an ASWSC Christmas Party, an event which has evolved into a major blowout, eagerly looked forward to by club members. Additionally, the club has sponsored, and continues to sponsor, events on Lake Lanier, including an annual picnic, a spring camp out, a striper tournament, and a fall leaf cruise. The ASWSC has proven to be a year round, all weather organization.

Since the beginning days, the Atlanta Salt Water Sportsman's Club has continued to grow and mature. Today the club is accepted as the foremost authority on salt water fishing in the Atlanta area with fishing and boating skills rivaling those of salt water fishermen everywhere. Our future is as bright as our past as long as we stick to the ideals on which we were founded, those being. . .