CALS Connection Summer 2019
"CALS Student Forms University of Florida’s First Saltwater Fishing Club"
By Zoe Bowden, agricultural education and communication master’s student
Team photograph by Anai Colyer Photography
Published June 1, 2019
For Daniel “DJ” Staub, fishing full-time would be living the dream. Growing up in St. Petersburg, Florida, saltwater fishing has been part of Staub’s life as long as he can remember.
Upon arriving at the University of Florida as an undergraduate, Staub discovered UF did not have an organization where he could connect with students also interested in saltwater fishing. When he returned to UF to complete his Ph.D. in nutritional sciences, he decided it was time to change that.
Staub founded the Salty Gators Fishing Club in 2017 with the intention of bringing together like-minded people, providing them with the opportunity to learn from one another and participate in the sport they enjoy.
“With more than 55 clubs affiliated with CALS, it’s great to see our students exercising their leadership skills by creating new organizations and living out the college’s core values of collaboration and service,” said CALS Dean Elaine Turner.
Salty Gator Fishing Club members have access to the club's equipment.
For Staub, it was important to establish a saltwater fishing club that wouldn’t just be for those who were already expert fishermen.
“It’s open to anyone, even if you’ve never picked up a fishing pole in your life,” Staub said. “If you’re interested and want to learn how, we are absolutely open to all experience levels. People who have never had this opportunity before are able to not only sit in a meeting and learn, but also go out the next weekend and apply the knowledge.”
The Salty Gators’ mission is to educate, network and serve in order to maximize the enjoyment of the ocean’s resources now and for years to come.
“Education is one of the cornerstones of the organization,” Staub said. “Every meeting has an education component, whether it’s learning how to tie a certain rig or target a certain species.”
Most Salty Gators meetings feature a guest speaker with expertise in an area where club members are interested in gaining more knowledge. The organization also welcomes member presentations with a hands-on activity component. Above all, Staub desires to create a community where members can learn from each other and grow in their craft together.
“What’s cool is sharing intel, trying different [fishing] spots, learning new things about fishing and being able to communicate that knowledge,” Staub said. “This makes it a better experience for everyone because were all learning together.”
Since the club started three years ago, it has grown exponentially. At first, fishing trips were piecemeal, with members combining personal equipment. Now that the club has gained traction and a variety of sponsors, the club owns enough equipment to make weekend fishing trips easy for any member who wants to get out on the water.
“As of last year, in my last semester as president, we closed out with 78 active members,” Staub said. “When I first started, at our first meeting we had five people show up. The last meeting I was at had about 90. It’s been quite an experience seeing [the club] grow.”
Salty Gator Fishing Club posing with their first place plaque at their inaugural spearfishing tournament.
In addition to member saltwater fishing excursions, the club hosts fishing tournaments each semester that are open to family, friends, alumni and the general public.
“Our spring tournament last year had such an amazing turnout,” Staub said. “We put together prizes and ended up raising money for some charitable causes. It was great to see how much fun everyone was having, connecting friends and family. People were coming from out of state to experience what we get to do every day.”
The Salty Gators also hosted the inaugural Florida intercollegiate spearfishing tournament last year and had several universities in attendance, including University of Central Florida, Florida Gulf Coast University and Florida Atlantic University.
As part of their mission to help maintain ocean resources, the Salty Gators have begun coordinating with UF/IFAS fisheries and aquatic sciences researchers and restoration projects in Cedar Key at the UF/IFAS Nature Coast Biological Station. According to Staub, as the club continues to grow, he hopes to be able to become more involved in aiding these ongoing projects.
“We do little things like species stock assessments and report our catches to use as data,” Staub said. “We volunteer for events, such as helping restore beaches and building structures for clam farming.”
Staub encourages anyone who is interested in saltwater fishing to become involved in the club, whether as student members, alumni, faculty or friends.
“Were open to all who are interested; don’t be intimidated if you don’t have a fishing background,” Staub said. “We have an alumni and friends program where you can sign up and we’ll send you email updates, information about events and recaps of tournaments.”
Learn more about the Salty Gators Fishing Club by visiting the Facebook page.