Last weekend in San Diego was bitter sweet for me personally. On a positive note I feel very blessed and proud of all my fly fishing buddies that rallied and made this crazy event possible to do and sadly because we lost one of our original One Surf Fly cheerleaders, in Shane Chung. Shane loved the One Surf Fly and his infectious laughter bellowed across each beach we landed on. I will no longer be coordinating the One Surf Fly, (The Qman is done!) it has become larger that I can personally handle. This may have been the last curtain call. It was a blast looking back and realizing how far we came in such a short time. When I first came up with this idea, there was nothing happening in Southern California fly fishing scene, it was stagnant. We needed to shake the tree. I wanted to create a fun event that enlisted all my passionate surf fly fishing friends. A non-competitive event that was all about fun, comradery, mentoring and celebration. A surf flyfishing one day of the year holiday, where you could see your old buddies and make new ones! I wanted to support good causes and in turn support our local fly fishing stores by coordinating these events up and down our coast. We were the spark that many in the industry took note of . Its been fun seeing other events popping up in our wake. We did it and I am proud of everyone that came out onto the sand to experience that magic we ALL created together. Thank you so much for allowing me to take part in this. There will be many more fun things in our future including the Double Haul Ball, the CarpThrowDown, etc. and now that I will be free to fish more I may see some of you on your local beaches. Remember the tug may be the drug, but the peel off the reel is the deal…. always remember change can take place, one person at a time…take a kid fishing, and pay what you know forward… visit onesurfly.com for the Mission Beach recap!
peace & love
-Al Q
Thank you Al for all of your hard work and Vision. You have enriched this sport with your selfless efforts and great karma will come your way. You have done the ultimate Mitzvah! Donating your time and effort with no monetary reward that has in turn, enriched many lives – especially raising funds for cancer research and Devon’s education. It does not get any better than this! You DA MAN. I do hope for all of us that this great event continues. Solly
Al,
I was going through the website and see that you did a fine job! It is hard to believe that I one time I would almost beg to get guys to go to the surf with me. Too bad your efforts with this outing came after I moved.
I can help but think that God is saying, well done, good and faithful servant! You have been a blessing to many with this project, especially Shane and his family. You deserve the sabbath…now go fishing! 😉
It is so cool to see your daughter participate; she’s so darn cute!
Timm
Date: Tue, 5 May 2015 21:36:02 +0000 To: timmtews@msn.com
I don’t know how you managed to pull off the One Surf Fly, year after year, but I can completely understand that with growing family obligations, it couldn’t continue, even with the good help of many friends. Take a well deserved break, and love that family that is so lucky to have such a thoughtful and caring husband and Dad. We were all enriched by these special events, and appreciate your efforts.
Take care, and we will see you on the beach – Kevin
Reblogged this on A Fly Rod in My Sea Bag and commented:
Bummed I couldn’t be there.
I am sure your presence will be missed each year. Thank you for the work you did!