"Conservation is Preservation"
Preserve our striper fishery.
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The Beginning

The club was born on the Internet in early 2000, through the StriperChaser website,
where Internet messages and fishing reports had been exchanged for over a year with
fellow striper fishermen who fished Kerr Lake on a regular basis. Striper fishing was a new and growing sport, with only a few freshwater striper clubs in existence and even fewer on the World Wide Web at the time.  There was not a striped bass club formally representing Kerr Lake although there were many people fishing for the species.  Immediate interest was generated about starting a club on Kerr Lake after a few messages were posted on other fishing websites.  Members from other clubs offered their assistance and suggestions.  Most everyone was helpful with ideas on how to get the club going. We had to decide what we wanted in a club, should it be a conventional club with regular meetings or a strictly Internet based club? Then we needed a name for the club. Up to that point most people in NC referred to the lake as Kerr Lake, not Buggs Island as in Virginia. A suggestion was made to name the club, "The Buggs Island Striper Club” and so it was.  After several more weeks of emails and Internet message board posts, a decision was made to organize an inaugural meeting. A location was found and rented just before the StriperChaser website announced the first Buggs Island Striper Club meeting would be held on May 6, 2000 at Ivey Hill Recreation Area. There were 16 people that attended and we had a great first meeting turn out.

Following are a list of names of our first charter members:
Gerald Hare,  Steve McBride,  Tom Hayes, Rick Ellington , Paul Wicklund,
Mark Kwiatkowski,  Mark Warren,  Marion Hall,  Dennis Bryant,
John Ryan,  Lynn C Howard, Norman Cowder,  Jim Roland,  Rick Hailey,
Bobby Smith,  Buddy Robinson and Diane Robinson.

We filled out questionnaires including things like how often we should meet,
what type of club we wanted, how many officers we needed, fees and dues,
how we should use those fees and dues, tournaments and how they should be run
and personal information.  The focus of the meeting was to get things rolling right
out of the chute and we seemed to accomplished that.  On June 17th, 2000 the first
BUGGS ISLAND STRIPER CLUB tournament was held at Henderson Point State
Recreation Area. This first tournament was a tremendous success.  Our membership
increased substantially and the interest in the club continued to grow.  Another meeting
and tournament held in the fall was yet another success.

Our club's original goal was to promote and preserve the natural Striped Bass fishery on Kerr Lake (Buggs Island) through conservation, information, and fellowship for and by our members, families and guests. The Buggs Island Striper Club continues to set policies concerning membership, tournament activities and general club activities / interest.  Members are urged to participate in club discussions and attend meetings to voice your opinions.

The StriperChaser website designed the original Buggs Island Striper Club website and maintained it from 2000 until December 2004.  The club grew from the (16) original members to over (300) members today. With that growth came changes in policies, philosophies, and club direction. The club is currently led by a great group of officers and board members.  They work hard behind the scenes to make the club a success. I'm proud of my association with the Buggs Island Striper Club and my contribution to its origin. I never dreamed it would grow to the size it has.

Today Buggs Island is commonly known by striped bass fishing clubs, organizations and individual fishermen from all over the country as a great lake for striper fishing on the North Carolina / Virginia border.

Just five years ago few people had ever heard of Buggs Island. They called it Kerr Lake.

Buddy “Budman” Robinson
StriperChaser.com
BISC
 

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