LETTER FROM TRED BARTA

My name is Tred Barta and when you receive and interpret about 20,000 emails a month, pro and con, about yourself even I can’t help form my own opinion how some people, my detractors, see me. They say I’m often too loud, obnoxious, self-centered, an egomaniac, an aggressive self-promoter. If that’s not enough, I often can’t notice the comments saying I’m over rated as a hunter and fisherman. Just like you’d expect, these comments are hard to see in writing and it does hurt.

What do I say about the above? I say at one time or another, every one of them is true. My detractors though have missed a couple of items. I’m dyslexic and have been my entire life. I went to special schools. My wife Anni will absolutely confirm I’m ADD or ADHD and everything I’ve accomplished in my life I’ve had to work twice as hard at as everyone else to succeed. Life’s a funny place, isn’t it? My detractors often are quite cruel and yet in my heart all I ever wanted to be was the best I could be, to never give up, to never look back, to follow my heart. I’ve always known I’m different, but never questioned my intentions as they have always been based on honor and hard work.

Now at the tender age of 54, I look back: $1,000,000 raised for the IGFA Junior Angler Program in seven years with the Barta Blue Marlin Classic, $300,000 raised in three years now with the Barta Boys and Girls Club Billfish Tournament in Beaufort, North Carolina on the way to $1,000,000. Where has the time gone?

I’ve inked the back page of “Sport Fishing Magazine” titled, “For the Record” for 20 years, plus writing for some other 10 magazines. I’ve written a book, own the largest company in the world specializing in King Air and Cheyenne Executive Aircraft. If that’s not enough, I’m an accomplished pilot with over 22 ocean crossings, 7500 hours flight time, was on the Junior Olympic Biathlon Team and have a wall full of hunting and fishing records – world records. Did I forget to mention I have a TV show on OLN (now Versus) with some of the highest Nielsen ratings ever achieved by anyone in the world in this genre?

Guess what? I’m just finally realizing my entire life has been spent trying to be somebody, to be successful in accordance to the definition of society. By God, I’ve made it!

But there is a huge problem. All of the above means nothing to me unless it’s for the purpose to promote and help others understand what the true meaning of life is and where happiness lies.

Much of my life has centered around hunting and fishing, alpine skiing and horses. I’ve seen incredible wealth and lavish lifestyles and witnessed some terrible unhappiness. So what’s this all about? Why is Tred panning out his philosophy in a 50- gallon barrel at a time and what does this have to do with a fishing tournament? Well I guess I have no secrets and no secret agenda. My answer – a lot; read on.

Today’s yardstick of morality is apparently changing every ten minutes as are the basic morals and recreational activities of our children. I believe in the constants of nature; the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, the tide changes every 8 hours, all constants. Outdoor activities, including hunting and fishing, teach kids the life lessons of reliability, accountability, perseverance, patience and teamwork. It also grounds our children in the concept of how perishable and valuable life is.

I know in my heart there is nothing more valuable in life than time spent in a duck or goose blind with your children or one’s you love. There is no greater time on this earth than the first rays of sun glinting off the decoys while your Labrador’s head rests in your lap and the splash of a Drake mallard hits the spread you didn’t even see. Of course, fishing for Blue Marlin, trolling a rigged mackerel on a flat line on a cobalt blue ocean, especially when someone yells right rigger and there his majesty appears, all 700 lbs. of him, is not bad family time either.

Across this country, we are losing our outdoor heritage, we are losing the basic skills of both hunting and fishing and our children are learning that bigger is better, that success is equated to how much you own or how much you earn, and that any problem in life can be solved by just spending more and buying more.

I believe in my heart Camp Woodie represents everything I believe in and represents so much of what our children need in today’s world. I’m telling you right now if we do not pass on the legacy of our fish and wildlife heritage to our children, this great tradition will be lost. The more you learn about Camp Woodie, the more passionate you are as a wildlife conservationist and the more passionate you will become about supporting Camp Woodie.

So it’s easy to understand why I’m proud to announce the Inaugural Barta Camp Woodie Offshore Tournament to raise needed funds for Camp Woodie. The tournament is set for June 13 – 16, 2007 at the Georgetown Landing Marina in Georgetown, SC.

This tournament is an extension of what I believe in as a person. There is no Calcutta, no financial aggrandizement for winning or placing. The Barta Camp Woodie Tournament is an honor system scoring event. Our children need to learn that your word is your bond and that when somebody says, “I trust you”, it’s the most valuable asset you will ever have.

We fish dead bait old style, single hook, no shirts to restore the lack of basic skills in our sport today and to even the playing field. This tournament believes it’s not how you place; it’s how hard you try. With many different divisions a father and son in a 25 ft. Mako is not competing with a 60 ft. Hatteras with three paid professional crew and yet they can still win the entire event. There are trophies for dolphin, king fish, wahoo, tuna and billfish release. For the king fisherman we allow live bait and award king fish division trophies for the top 5 boats.

In this tournament a Junior angler may be assisted and passed off a rod as long as they stay in the fight. No child is left behind and no child leaves without a trophy or participation award.

During seven years of the Barta Blue Marlin Classic in Walkers Cay and during the last three years of the Barta Boys and Girls Club Billfish Tournament in Beaufort, North Carolina, 78.7% of all billfish have been released by children under 14 years old. This would never be possible if a brown bag with $800,000 of Calcutta money was at stake.

My name is Tred Barta. I am what I am. I am not afraid to fail, I believe in honor, God, core, family and country. Judge me as you wish, but what I have written is from the heart. If you believe as I do that the legacy of water fowling and our fish and wildlife heritage is in jeopardy, I beg you, I implore you, I invite you to one of the greatest events in the world, “The Barta Camp Woodie Offshore Tournament.” Bring your kids, mom, dad, friends and grandparents. This is a family event.

Welcome to a world of old-time values. We say a prayer at all meals, a fleet blessing every day and proudly stand for the Pledge of Allegiance to the United States of America at opening ceremonies.

Help Me, Help You Raise money for the South Carolina Waterfowl Association benefiting Camp Woodie and other charities for underprivileged children of South Carolina. Let’s make this tournament the Pride of South Carolina.

By the way, ADD, Dyslexic, and Eccentric – they must be wrong. I think I’m absolutely normal.

You just can’t afford not to have your kids fish this tournament.

See you on the docks!

Till next tide, Tred Barta

Field Notes – Pay Attention

The total cost of this tournament to you is a $600 entry fee, including food and all activities. You will pay the cost of your slip and marina charges directly to the Georgetown Landing Marina. Why is it so inexpensive? Because in this tournament no one is left behind. Today’s Calcutta tournaments are ridiculously priced. One hundred percent of all billfish will be released.

How Do We Raise Money? The tournament fees are not enough to cover 1/5 of the expenses. Well it certainly doesn’t fit any Harvard business plan, but it’s worked for me before. We raise money through corporate sponsorships, live auction night and on-line auctions and donations of products, selling merchandise tee shirts, jackets, hats, etc., and auctioning off donated hunting and fishing trips. One hundred percent of this money goes to Camp Woodie and a few charities for underprivileged children. One hundred percent of the money stays in South Carolina. It’s that simple; without one penny of profit taking or personal aggrandizement to anyone except bare staff salaries.

We need your help, period, in corporate and donation sponsorship. Please give, please call us. We need every one of you. Original artwork, hunting and fishing gear. We need a duck boat and motor for our premier auction item.

I need you to embrace this event. We all can’t afford not to support Camp Woodie.

“Tred Has Deep Concerns”

I almost turned this great opportunity down to raise money for Camp Woodie because I felt it would diminish my commitment and steal the thunder from the Barta Boys and Girls Billfish Tournament in Beaufort, North Carolina held July 19-21, 2007.

I want to clearly put this on the table. I now believe that both tournaments will enhance each other and I’m asking everyone to consider fishing both events and sponsoring both events. Both the Barta Boys and Girls Billfish Tournament and the Barta Camp Woodie Offshore Tournament have the same values and are a breath of fresh air in today’s world.

In celebration of both events, we announce:

“The Barta Championship”

The highest scoring billfish release points by the top three boats fishing, both the Barta Boys and Girls Billfish Tournament and Barta Camp Woodie Offshore Tournament championships will be eligible for the following spectacular awards:

1) Weekend With the Barta Family for 4. Four of you will enjoy a weekend at Tred Barta’s house on Long Island including two days of Canyon Fishing with Tred Barta

2) Manitoba Duck and Goose Hunt - Four of you will enjoy a 3-day duck and goose hunt to Manitoba,Canada.

3) Abaco Beach House Rental – Up to 12 people will enjoy a one week rental at the Bone Ami house located next to the bone fishing flats of Cherokee sound at Abaco Island.

The top boat will take their pick of the above awards with the number two boat choosing from the remaining two awards and so on. Both tournament brochures will be sent to all participants. Can there be any better neighbors than North Carolina and South Carolina!

Note Well!

Relax and take a deep breath. Forget your cell phones, your blackberries and the stress of everyday life. Come support and fish and experience the wind in your face, experience what it’s like to trust your fellow man based on his word, spend quality time with your kids, family and friends and leave knowing that what we have accomplished serves the greatest of accomplishments: preserving our youth’s fish, wildlife and waterfowl heritage in South Carolina – WOW!

LETTER FROM TOURNAMENT CHAIRMAN DON QUATTLEBAUM

I went to my first Barta tournament in Walkers Cay when my now 9 year old son, Andy, was 5. In any tournament there is a spirit of competition, but these tournaments are more the “bet your buddy a dollar that you shoot get a better round of sporting clays” instead of the high pressure, big dollar tournaments that are typical today. It somehow sets the right mood with the kids that it is important to do well, to try hard, but it’s not necessary to win at all costs in order to enjoy life. Two years ago in Beaufort, Andy was reeling in a peanut dolphin from a weedline when a large blue marlin decided to eat his peanut. To this day, tagging and releasing that marlin during a tournament remains a huge memory for Andy.

We’ve all been to the big tournaments, and we’ve all been to the home marina, “no big deal” tournaments. This one is completely different. And a lot of it has to do with Tred Barta. Tred is a serious guy, a guy who takes life by the horns and wrestles it. To see him extol the virtues of trying hard, not giving up, really pumps the kids up. Tred is a huge proponent of family hunting and fishing. He’s been preaching it for years. All of us with children know that he’s right, that time on the water or in a duck blind with our kids is the most precious time of all. We don’t get it when the kids ask our opinion of the latest TV show or band, but we sure do when our children marvel at tuna feeding on flying fish in the dawn’s early light.

I was thrilled last year in Beaufort when I came upon Tred and David Wielicki talking about the Barta Camp Woodie Tournament. Everyone who knows David, knows that he can be very persuasive. I knew that the values that David and the South Carolina Waterfowl Association teach at Camp Woodie were a perfect fit for Tred and his ideals. So I was very happy, but not surprised when Tred agreed to do this tournament.

Believe me when I say that you do not want to miss this tournament. It is great fun, and the kids, and the adults, always have a blast. Ricky Ferdon and the crew at Georgetown Landing Marina know how to handle a big time tournament and the fishing should be great. I have already signed up for the tournament in Beaufort again, and I know that once you experience this tournament you will want to do both tournaments as well.

Help Camp Woodie teach our outdoor heritage to the next generation and have a blast at the same time. How can you go wrong? And by the way, I never did check with Tred to see if the marlin eating the peanut dolphin violated the “dead bait” rule.

Sign up soon, reserve slips and rooms, and help us with auction items and sponsors. You’ll love it.