2024 Lifetime Supporter Award
Jeff Perry leading fly casting instruction at RISAA Youth Fishing Camp in June, 2024.
(Following is the presentation of the Rhode Island Trout Unlimited 2024 Lifetime Supporter Award by Glenn Place, President of Rhode Island TU at the RITU Annual Fundraiser Banquet on April 5, 2025, with 125 attendees at the Quonset “O” Club.)
The Lifetime Supporter Award is presented to an individual who is always willing to contribute their time, energy, and knowledge to support the Chapter in its Mission-related activities. This can be to lead an activity or to support an activity led by a fellow member. This person always demonstrates a genuine interest in the success of the Chapter and its members.
I am not quite sure when I met this year’s recipient, but when we met, he was already well ensconced in what was then the Narragansett Chapter of Trout Unlimited.
Here’s a few facts perhaps unknown to most of us about this person:
He is lucky to still go fishing with friends that he grew up with.
There remains a mystery from his youth about opening a box of tiny hooks that fell into the waders of his friend’s father.
He has a history of fishing at Quonnie when he was young, catching hardly anything, and almost swamping the boat from a rogue wave (in Quonnie??).
He has a unique ability to take a cell phone call, cast, and catch a striper all at the same time without breaking a sweat.
He also has the unique ability to attract black bears in the Adirondacks and brown bears in Alaska.
His generosity is always evident, giving his friend flies that he had tied that resulted in her catching salmon left and right. As a side note to this adventure, his friend was touched at how helpful and patient he was during that trip, even though he didn’t catch a thing.
His Spanish leaves a lot to be desired, but he still manages to teach jokes to his Patagonian guides.
His chapter activities include fly casting clinics of all types, Adopt-a-Highway, RITU host at public events, URIWW water monitoring, annual banquet, soliciting donations, generous personal donations, leading live auctions, and lead instructor at RISAA Youth Fishing Camp.
He organized for the second year in a row a 2-day event for Boy Scouts to earn their fly-fishing badge.
He is Able Bodied Seaman and Captain, and his boat handling skills allow him to enjoy his sport on ponds, lakes, the bay, and ocean.
He is also a certified FFI Casting Instructor, an LL Bean Outdoor Discovery School Casting Instructor, accomplished fly angler in both fresh and salt water, expert donation gatherer and giver, fly tier, and overall, a very generous supporter of our chapter with his time, effort, organizational skills and energy.
If I could offer him a piece of advice: Next time you are daydreaming and your wife asks you what you are thinking about, be sure to say, “us dear” and not FISHING!
I would like to invite Jeff Perry up here to receive The 2024 Rhode Island Trout Unlimited Lifetime Supporter Award.
