Letter from Al Ristori:

December 12, 2003

Dear Carol:

I've been negligent in keeping in touch as the fishing season is a whirlwind for me and I'm still trying to squeeze a few more days of fishing in before the winter when I have to travel to Panama, Costa Rica and Florida around show appearances in order to keep fishing. Fished Panama twice last winter as well as Ixtapa, Mexico during the Super Bowl, when we walked through the streets to a party and heard John Madden's voice booming out of every bar and restaurant in the town. Was out to Las Vegas for the annual tackle show in July, and fished the World Cup Sportfishing Championship in South Korea in October. Won the first one two years ago in Japan, but lost out this time. Fame is fleeting! From there I flew to Japan to take a Quantas flight to Australia. Fished for 1 1/2 weeks on the Great Barrier Reef and in the Northern Territory (Crocodile Dundee country) where we had to chase crocodiles away from a ramp on the Mary River in order to launch the boat. My guide's name was also Mick!

Traveled to Miami in May for my son Mike's graduation from UM with an MBA. Youngest daughter Cyndi has started at the University of Delaware where she's training to be an athletic trainer. Her high school gymnastics career came to a crashing halt at states when she tore an ACL that required surgery last winter. This weekend's Division 1-AA football championships are interesting for us as Delaware is a semifinalist, and the other game is between my alma mater, Colgate, and Mike's undergraduate school, Florida Atlantic.

Going into my 20th year as Saltwater Editor at The Newark Star-Ledger, and am still Conservation Editor at The Fisherman magazines and Regional Editor for Salt Water Sportsman. Ran both my 28-foot center console, Sheri Berri II, from Brielle for charters this year as well as Aquasport 25-and-27-footers out of Highlands loaned to me by Atlantic Yachts. No prospect of retirement with a daughter in college, but there's nothing I'd want to retire from in any case. A few more grey hairs are popping out on my head, but I'm still fishing just as hard as I did as a kid. Guess I just never grew up!

Will be doing seminars and appearing at The Fishing Line TV & Radio Show booth at the N.Y. Boat Show at the Javits Convention Center in NYC — My slide shows are on two Sundays: Dec. 28 at 2 p.m., and on Jan. 4 at 1 p.m. Will be at The Fishing Line TV Show booth (around seminars) from 12 to 4p.m. Dec. 28 and 11 to 3 p.m. on Jan. 4. Will also do three seminars at the Garden State Sportsman's Show in Edison the second week in January -- and will co-host the Salt Water Sportsman Seminar in Boston on March 7. Hope to see old friends at those appearances.
Sincerely,

Al Ristori