bad, bad news about flaptale
 

at 3am this morning ,my best friend and fishing mentor died of a heart attact. i am sitting in my man cave tellen u this, is the only place i find comfort ..here steve and i would concock our plans 4 fishing and other good stuff.plans and idears, he was a master tinker and only the best would do..in the 25+ yrs ive know steve he has brought me to a greater understanding of cape cod and its secret hot spots .the where and whens of the striped bass fishing......steve loved stripers and did,nt care what size they were..he has touched many people with his kindness and quick tonge.. and always keep me my sharpest when we were together. i look at all my fishing gear here . 20 -30 rods, reel and assorted boots, bags, plugs, momentos and more %$%$%$%$ and gear than a man can use in a life time and right now i have no reason to use it ...........god i will miss him so much. fishing for me will never b the same again, i,m lost

I feel for you man I know the feeling.the thing I hold on to is the memories.I'm sorry for your loss

RIP Flap....

RIP big fella, i was so looking forward to skiff fishing with Flap this comin spring....been a rough few years for our little community :( , i'll always remember his smle....

As I said in Numbskulls thread, I am in total shock. I knew and fished with Steve many years ago and it has been awhile since we wet a line together but I will always have those memories.

Stiff tip I feel your pain as I too have lost several fishing partners but life goes on and so must you and your fishing.

My condolences to Flap's family and all who knew him.

Keep the memories close to your heart at this time Dave. So sorry.

Dave you have my deepest sympathy:(
I am shocked at the news like everyone else.
Be thankful for the friendship you had over the years .
I still can't believe this.

Stiffy I know you guys were close. Man this really SUCKS. The man was a wealth of knowledge and helped me alot. As much as he liked to stir the pot he was a pretty friggin decent guy and always enjoyed talking with him.

Remember the good times Dave. This one will take a while to get over.

Dave - so very hard to hear this. I know he was a great friend to you, as well as to many others.

Saddened to hear this, my sympathies to his family and friends.

Total shock,
This happened toa neighbor also 3 weeks ago, 40 min after I talked to neighbor, bam same thing.
Very saddened, he will be missed

Hang tough Stiffy, remember the memories, Steve would insist you get out and cast a few lines for him, even if you feel like you can't.

Dave so sorry for the loss of your best friend. Steve was one of the nicest guys on this site, and he would talk to everyone like they were his best friend, there are not many people you can say that about.

Carry on Dave.... you know he would be ruthless, and rag on you hard, if you didn't get out there and get your lines wet.... even if you feel you can't do it for you... do it for him.... time on the water, or near the water, will help you heal...

Condolences to you, and all those that were closest to him...

RIP Flaptail...condolences to you and his family :-(

Condolences indeed.

Sorry to hear about this We will pray for you.

Dave---7 years ago I lost my best friend and fishing buddy too, Brad Poehler, the Hawg Hunter. Way, way before his time. I still miss the hell out of him today. The pain will never go away.

But here's what you do, and I think what Steve would want you to do. Keep at it. Ask his wife if you can have his favorite rod as a memento--you know the one--and go catch some fish with it next spring. And know he's watching and giving you a big thumbs up.

Dave ..... (Stifftip and Numby) i know your hurting bad...

i myself had a good CRY this morning as i hugged my wife because Steve
always treated me with Such kindness and respect that i was literally Blown away
each time we chanced to meet....

this a HUGE loss to the fishing community in that.... Steve kept meticulous records and knew more about the History of Plug Making and the history of striped bass fishing than anyone i can think of really.

ALL i can tell you is.... the healing will take a long time and only the beauty of Nature "as you see it" will give you comfort. You have him "with you" in your heart and memory and there..... he resides now.

I like to think that...... he is watching over us as a protector.

I've been working hard on the house all day to keep myself mentally occupied so the sadness won't overwhelm me.

Rest in Peace Flaptail

I am so sorry for your loss Stifftip.

Stifftip,

I agree with Karl F, get out there with or without a rod,
look at and feel those wild waves and thank the Lord that
you had a friend of Steve's caliber. May God Bless him and
his wife and children. We will see him on the beach again.

Dave,
I really didn't know Steve at all. But I knew you and he were real close.
Losing such a close friend is tough, but at least you had the opportunity to have had such a close friend.

Hope to see you this spring.

bob (markG)

RIP Flaptail, always enjoyed reading your posts.

So sorry for your loss.

Sorry for you loss Stiff Tip, tough losing a best friend. I been there.

Dave, hang in there bud. It's up to you and all that knew him to now keep his memory alive and keep on doing what he loved best......Fishing. Im sure there will be moments from now till the day its time for any of us who knew himto go. When we will feel his presence on the water and we will look up to the sky and say Thanks Steve.

warm thoughts to his family and friends.

Reading all of these posts has made me realize who my father was to the fishing community. It boggles my mind to see how much influence he had on so many people.He was such a great man who had such a deep passion , and the one thing that is consoling me right now is that I know fishing for my father was his outlet and how much he enjoyed sharing his knowlegde with everyone.He was such a great guy I LOVE AND MISS him to death. Reading these posts helps so much because it reinforces to me how kind and generous my father was to not only our family but everyone.I'm lost right now without him he knew the answer to everything ... I'd never thought I'd be writing this but to all that are effected by our loss keep on fishing.. keep my father's passion alive .. even if you don't catch anything the thrill and chase is the best part. One Father's day I sat down as a young girl while he was at work in the cellar.. trying to tie line around a hook with a piece of bucktail fur . The final result was horrible and bound to fall apart but there it still sits in his "office" in Cara's lure box. He was so happy that he had two daughters who could out fish any of the boys. Thank you all so much !! Miss you Dad - Cara Lauren and Deborah Shiraka

Cara, he spoke often of you and your sister and your accomplishments, he was so proud of his family. My deepest sympathy to you all. Your dad will be sorely missed by many and remembered always. God bless.

If I may speak for the community here, we wish you peace,strength, and love in the difficult days ahead of you. Please know we have your back, as Steve had ours. If you need something, you need only ask. George and Dave would be happy to let us know, I'm sure. Thank you for your words tonight. It means a lot to us hearing from you. God bless.

Your friends at Striped-Bass.com