Announcement

Ocean Pines Anglers Club: A legacy of fishing and community engagement

Friday, March 29, 2024

(March 29, 2024) The Ocean Pines Anglers Club was formed in the mid 1990s by the late Art Hansen, an Ocean Pines resident who once held a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records for fishing.

Today, the club boasts about 100 members and, among their missions, is teaching the next generation how to fish and appreciate the sport.
John McFalls was among the earliest members. He fished his whole life, but never fished saltwater until coming to Ocean Pines.

“I joined the Ocean Pines Anglers around 1996, and there were only like six or seven guys and one woman,” he said. “I’ve really learned what little I know from that small group.”

Originally from Philadelphia, McFalls moved often for work and lived in upstate New York and the Washington, D.C area. His background was in IT, and he worked for IBM.

“I retired here in Ocean Pines in 1993,” he said. “We built our house in 1992 and came down a year later, and we absolutely just love it here.”

He said Anglers Club meetings were originally held in Hansen’s kitchen – before the group grew too large. Later meetings were held at the Yacht Club, and now the club meets at the Ocean Pines Library.

Jerry Leuters recently took over for McFalls as club administrator.

Growing up, Leuters remembers “fishing by the creek when I was a kid.”

“My kids have been on boats since they were four years old, and my son just built his first boat,” he said. “We’ve been around boating and fishing for a long time.”

Leuters moved to Ocean Pines and joined the club in 2018. In his professional career, he was a director of IT for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. He and his family previously lived in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia.

Club activities

This year, the Anglers Club will host “Teach a Kid to Fish Day” on Saturday, June 22, and the Art Hansen Memorial Youth Fishing Contest on Saturday, July 20. Both events are held at the South Gate Pond, and both are free and open to the public.

McFalls said the fishing contest was the first club function geared toward children.

“And then, a year or so after that, we thought we ought to be teaching the kids to fish if we’re going to put them in a contest!” he said with a laugh.

During Teach a Kid to Fish, Anglers Club members and representatives from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources show local children the basics, from preparing their rods and lines, to casting and catching a fish.

“We have tables to show them how to tie their hooks and another one about using different baits,” Leuters said. “Usually, DNR is there with little giveaways, talking about safety and those types of things.”

McFalls said they also bring a display board of different kinds of lures, plus different kinds of fish to help with identification.

“We’re looking at the next generation of people that may fish, and helping to foster the love and the continuation of the sport,” Leuters said. “Plus, it helps kids to focus on things other than roaming around the streets – or being locked on their computers. They can get outside, breathe the air, enjoy a little bit of nature, and learn how to fish.”

Leuters said club members benefit from the event as much as the children do.

“A lot of the guys are really happy and smiling, and they remember doing this with their kids and grandkids. It brings a lot of fond memories back,” he said.

For McFalls, one of the most rewarding aspects of the event is seeing so many familiar faces.

“I’ve been around for 28 years now. There are parents who come out now who were kids when I first started working with the club,” he said. “It’s rather amazing to see them grow up like that.”

The Art Hansen Memorial Youth Fishing Contest is open to three age groups: 4-7, 8-11 and 12-16 years old. There are prizes for winners in each age group, and Leuters said no one walks away emptyhanded.

“Every kid gets something – a t-shirt, a hat, and we give away tackle boxes and rods,” he said.
Leuters has also seen some impressive catches over the years.

“They stock the pond with little bluegills and stuff like that, but there are some pretty big fish in there. Occasionally, someone will hook into a big catfish or a carp or a big bass – it’s not just catching little fish,” he said.

Each event draws 60-70 participants, plus scores of parents and grandparents.

“The interesting thing about both events is that you end up teaching a lot of parents too,” McFalls said. “We have a lot of parents who come and don’t know anything, and they’ll bring the kids because they’re interested.”

Often, he said, parents will bring still-wrapped fishing kits from Amazon or Walmart.

“We end up actually opening them and putting the thing together, because the parents don’t know how. So you can also say, ‘teach a kid, teach a parent,’” he said. “There’s a real benefit that runs through each generation.”

Looking forward and giving back

Leuters said there are plans for additional fishing tournaments for adults this year, to help expand club offerings and provide an alternative to the larger Ocean City tournaments.

“We’re trying to establish more in-club tournaments where it’s just the anglers fishing against each other, and you’re not competing against the ocean charter guys or the bigger charter guys. It’s just the club members fishing and having fun,” he said.

The Anglers Club will host a Fishing Flea Market on April 6 to help raise money for upcoming events and activities.

Members also participate in Believe in Tomorrow programs and the Bay Day event, and the club hosts an annual holiday dinner with the Atlantic Coast Sportfishing Association.

“A lot of our people are members of the Believe in Tomorrow program, and we have boaters who will take critically ill children out for fishing or crabbing, or just for a ride in a boat. That program’s been going on for a long time and one of our board members, Budd Heim, runs it,” McFalls said.

Leuters said the best way to join the Anglers Club is to come to one of their meetings, held on the second Saturday of the month at 9:30 a.m. at the Ocean Pines Library.

“As you get older in life, it kind of gives people a place to go and something to do and keep moving,” Leuters said. “And it’s just a great group for camaraderie and to help find new fishing partners.”

For more information, search "Ocean Pines Anglers Club" on Facebook.

Announcement

Ocean Pines Anglers Club: A legacy of fishing and community engagement

Club activities

Looking forward and giving back

Member Login