Top shelf guy and one of the nicest people you want to meet!

RIP Capt'n Don

Selfless, honest, warm, and genuine; a true gentleman. Increasingly rare qualities.

As I usually don't roam that far into South County, I only stop by the shop a few times a year. Wish I had travelled a little further more often.

R.I.P. Captain Don

Didn't know him as well as many of you did. We chatted a few times in the shop and seemed like a good guy. My memory of him is a number of years back when he sold me my first Habs needle. It was in the early Habs days and there were none on the wall just one he was tinkering with behind the register. While checking out, I said, wow, that is a good looking plug... and he proudly handed it to me to check out and proceeded to tell me about J. Habs and his work. We talked a bit more and he asked me where I fished...I was on my way to CH for a week of solo fishing and I said if you get any more in before I leave in a couple days give me a call...I would come back to buy some. He said that he wasn't expecting some for a while but then slid the panel back under the counter and he had 3 needles and he said he would sell me one of these if I wanted. He sold me a black and purple needle and added his own bucktail tied siwash tail hook. My trip was memorable and that plug was killer.

I am saddened to hear of his passing. My sympathies to his family.

very sorry to hear this. Thoughts and prayers to his family.

I never had the pleasure to meet him, but from his reputation, I know that I missed a good man. My thoughts and prayers for him and his family.

RIP

Terrible news. Told it like it was and willing to point you in the right direction.

Tight lines Captain Don.

Sad news. Don was one of the good guys. He freely shared what he knew and he knew a lot and enjoyed life. I will miss him.

Very sad news! It was always a pleasure to stop into his shop while in SoCo.

Thoughts & Prayers for his family

A sad day for sure. RIP Captain Don, fair winds tightlines.

While I didn't know him as well as many on this board, he always treated [me] everyone as if he knew them for life ... always friendly in the shop, helpful on the telephone and remembered you too ... knew his stuff, was a great guy. A sad day.

Thoughts and prayers to his family.

sad to hear when such a nice guy passes on- reminds us all of our own mortality...... and what is truly important in life; family freinds, honesty, hard work.................. Don exemplified them all.


RIP Captain

Thoughts and prayers to him, his family, and friends. May he rest in peace. Such sad news.

Such sad news.
Don's is my first stop when I go to RI, it is a few blocks from the inlaws house.
One day a few years back, a tuesday morning, mid November, raining sideways, cold, blowing hard. I went down to the Quonny Breachway. I had not been there in a while, as I don't care to fish it when it is packed. I figured I would have the place to myself. As I walked out, I saw this big guy out there in a blue rain suit. It was Don. The place was loaded with blue fish and I seemed to hook one every cast.
Don, without fail caught a bass every time.
We were talking the entire time, mainly about my young daughter and about owning small business, how grateful he was for John and Jarrod at the shop.
Don could sense my frustration at dealing with "his partners" the blue fish every drift. He gave me his rod, and explained to me how to work a pencil popper so that it would attract a large lazy bass and not get sucked up by any blue that came by.
He and I laughed really hard as I began to get into bass the rest of the hour or two we were there.
Thoughts and Prayers to all Don's good friends and family, anyone who new him lost a man we all learned so much from.
Johnny

this is sad news. i remember sitting at "the bar" in capt don's old shop in dunn's corners watching him wait on customers. he definitely had a gift of being able to talk to customers about fishing, tackle, hunting, alaska, etc., all while making the customer comfortable. i had a lot of laughs in the old shop with don and those laughs continued into the store's current location. he always had a smile on his face and you were always welcomed with a "Hi!" when you walked into the store. i truely enjoyed just sitting in the shop and talking to don.

don, thanks for the memories and i'm sure you're in a better place today. my prayers go out to bonnie and your family.

My condolences to his family, thoughts and prayers are being sent.

Sounds like he was a heck of a guy. Rest In Peace Don.

May he rest in eternal happiness, our thoughts are prayers go out to his family, may you know he is at peice with the big guy upstairs.

RIP Cap.

Very sad.

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Too bad , he was a friendly guy who helped a lot. biggest striper i ever saw unmounted was the one he had in his freezer for a customer waiting to sent it out to be mounted , maybe 15 years ago. I think it was about 65 pounds.

Don was a great guy....God Bless, will be missed by all.

R.I.P. Capt. Don. Thoughts and prayers to your friends and family.

R.I.P. thoughts and prayers sent ..

I will trurly miss Don. He was what I could honestly call a great guy. Always willing to lend a hand to my confused group of guys from CT, and always had the ability to make you smile. I always made a point to stop in and see Don whenever I was in the area. Thoughts and prayers sent to his family and friends....

I finally got around to this thread. Captain Don obviously meant a great deal to many fellow fishermen, but sadly I never met him. I hope his family finds a little comfort in the fact you all thought so highly of him. R.I.P. Capt. Don

R.I.P old friend

RIP Captain Don! :angel:

wow- i dont know what to say- he was a great guy & i will miss him. he booked part of my trip to alaska this comming summer with close freinds of his who own a lodge & he set me up with his old deck boss while im there.... the stories we will tell of him will make the trip for sure.

rest in peace cap

thats a real shame . Don was one of the best . Always had a good thing to say and always willing to help . He will be missed .

thanks for the fyi Don M

All of us from MSBA who fished RI for Tri-State or the MDA or any other tourney or if we were just extending the season always enjoyed our visits with Captain Don. He made everyone feel welcome whether we bought or not (but we usually did buy).

He was not afraid to tell you where and when the fish would be biting and he was as right as anyone could be. As someone said above I believe he enjoyed putting others on fish as nmuch as loved catching them himself (if not more).

Condolences to friends and family, he was a wonderful man.

Bill
President MSBA

Fair winds and tight lines Capt.Don
 

I grew up in CT but moved to NJ for work 25 years ago. On a striper fishing trip I met an amazing man. I walked into a tackle shop at Dunns Corner in RI.
I asked the big guy behind the counter what was happening locally. He gave me a normal fishing report . We talked a bit and the subject came up that I was just up from NJ and was looking to tag some stripers. His eyes lit up and he told me to wait till the other customers left. He sat down and proceeded to draw me a map detailing spots rocks and all and jotting down the lures to use each area. This was the start of many years of respect and friendship.
I have not been in great health myself so my trips up have dwindled. I got a chance last year to see Don again and his wife also. We had not seen each other for years but with that same gleam in his eye he shook my hand.
The fishing community will miss Capt. Don. He was one of the great personalities of out sport. I hear his wife and son will open the shop this year. My wife and I will have to drive up and stop to pay our respects.
Anyone who happens to go to his services please send best wishes from Fred and Sara in NJ

Very sad news indeed. R.I.P Captain Don I am sure you will be looking down on all the South County surf fishermen.

Glad Don's shop will be open
 

Glad to hear Don's shop will be opened by his wife. I will
certainly stop by to offer my sincere condolences for a
man whose life was well lived. I am sure Don is with the
Lord now. There were a few times I was in his shop on a
Sunday AM and he said he had to close, be back in an hour.
The first time I asked if he had a hot spot to fish and his
honest reply was he had to go to church. Not many of us
go to church anymore, never mind admitting to it. But
Don was a straight shooter in everything. He will be
sorely missed.

Don was such a nice guy, class act and a true gentlemen; rest in peace.

he always greeted you with a smile and offer of caribou stew cooked on the wood stove when you walked in in the middle of the night during the tri-state tournaments, a real welcome on a cold miserable October night.... I will miss him and offer my condolences to his family.

may the wind always be at his back, and his lines tight.....