If you're a surfcaster, you may know that Tony Stetzko, former holder of the world record for striped bass (caught from Nauset Beach), passed last month after a prolonged illness. He leaves his seven-year-old son and fishing partner, Anton, behind and little money to support him or send him to college. Tony was always extremely helpful and more than generous to everybody he met. He was also an exceptionally great father who loved his son more than anything. Please check out the event below and come support Anton. We are also in need of donations of fishing-related items (new would be nice) to help raise some money for this young boy who lost his father at such a young age.
https://www.facebook.com/events/865970850128467/
https://www.facebook.com/events/865970850128467/

Dave Anderson said it best:

For those of you who don’t know, the surfcasting world lost a legend this week. Tony Stetzko was one of those rare people that didn’t let his “status” in our tiny circle of the fishing world overshadow the fun he had doing it or his amazing enthusiasm for what he loved to do. In fact, Tony seemed like he wasn’t even aware that other surfcasters held him in such high regard and he honestly wasn’t interested. If you followed him on Facebook then you know he was a regular poster and his entries were injected with a rhythm that oozed a kind of excitement that is rare in people older than 12. Beyond that, Tony was just a really good guy that treated everybody like they were a close friend. That may sound like a cliche but, with Tony, that was just plain truth. In his decades fishing the Cape Cod beaches he landed untold numbers of bass over 50 pounds, several 60s and Bertha, one of the largest surf bass ever taken, she weighed a whopping 73 pounds. Take a minute to go back and read his posts and you’ll realize that he got fired up no matter what size fish he was catching. He just loved to fish.

Tony scratched together a living off of the land, he was a “clam whisperer” using his buggy to access virgin backwaters in the hopes of raking up a day’s pay. He may have been the last “true” Cape Codder. His loss will impact our great sport in ways that we don’t even know yet. But one thing is sure, whether you knew him or not, if you love to fish the surf you lost a friend this week and our sport lost one of its brightest supporters. Rest easy Anton, to say “you’ll be missed” would be a gross understatement. But you will

-D.Anderson