Local anglers have a voice through club

BIG LAKE — A new club in the Valley hopes to unite sportfishermen for the conservation and enjoyment of local fisheries.

Mat-Su Anglers will fill a void in the Valley, according to co-founder Julie Busch, who doesn’t think sportfishermen have an outlet worthy of their great resource.

Busch and her husband Greg Busch, owners of BuschWacker Decoys, first had the idea after accompanying a fishing club on a trip to Mexico. In between landing blue and striped marlin, the couple learned about the good the club does in Gig Harbor, Wash., the community where it is based.

“When I got home,” said Busch, “I asked a contact at the ADF&G if there was a need in Mat-Su to enhance recreational fishing. He said yes, the sportfishermen do not have a very large voice.”

In response, and after very positive reactions from their local fishing friends, the Buschs are trying to create a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization to provide more opportunities for sportfishermen in the Mat-Su.

Mat-Su Anglers will be similar to the rod and gun clubs Busch remembers from growing up as an Air Force child. It will be a social club with a mission, said Busch, based largely on the Gig Harbor model. Its guiding principles will be three-fold:

1. Recreational fishing is an important part of Valley culture and way of life.

2. The fisheries should be managed for conservation of the resource first and secondly to provide quality, sustainable recreational fisheries.

3. Anglers will support full enforcement of fisheries laws, rules and agreements.

In order to accomplish its goals, according to Busch, “we will have to work with [the ADF&G], and they appear to be more than willing to work with groups to find the issues and work through them.”

But besides politics, the Mat-Su Anglers will start small with the social aspect. They are first planning on co-sponsoring events with local groups like Sportsman’s Warehouse and the city of Houston. Down the road, the club will run events of their own like fish-frys, derbys and clean-ups.

The group will meet the second Thursday of each month from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Mat-Su Resort. Meetings will feature a guest workshop about techniques and issues that pertain to the Valley fisheries.

The club’s first meeting is planned for April 16. Membership is $35 per person, $50 for families, and $75 for corporations. Memberships will potentially include a subscription to Fish Alaska magazine.

Mat-Su Anglers are actively seeking volunteers with all skill sets to help organize the club, create a website and get through the necessary paperwork.

Contact Busch for more information at buschwhackerdecoys@hotmail.com or (907) 892-7543.

Contact Todd L. Disher at todd.disher@frontiersman.com or 352-2252.