Today I lost a friend: Larry Craig (May 8, 1942 – March 6, 2025). I got to know Larry while I was President of the Plum Island Surfcasters (2012 – 2015). During my four-year tenure, Larry was my right-hand man. He shared my vision for the club, and like me, he suffered from Yankee Determination (more commonly known as “stubbornness”). As the Programs Director of the club, he reached out to members of the recreational fishing community to come to our club meetings and talk fish. He had a unique ability to find new speakers and fishy topics of interest for our members. He also did outreach for the club by running our booth at the Topsfield Fair and hanging out at Surfland Bait and Tackle. The Plum Island Surfcasters membership is now six times the size from my first club board meeting.
I am going to miss receiving random text messages letting me know life-changing things like: “The 30-pounders are towing the kayaks on Joppa Flats” and “OMG…the blues beaching herring on the ocean front.” I am going to miss his make-no-excuses, get-stuff-done outlook on life. I am going to miss the ice fishing trips to the smelt camps in Maine. But, most of all, I am going to miss his friendship.
