50-plus years writing about fishing the surf, a lifetime of memories.
On November 7, 2024, I received an email with a subject line that simply read, “Sad News”; it was from the account of Frank Daignault. I had been communicating with Frank digitally for quite some time while I sat as Managing Editor of the New England edition here at The Fisherman, and from time to time after that I would check in to see how he was doing.
In recent years it was just as likely that his wife, Joyce, was the author of the replies and updates as it was Frank himself. I also regularly conversed with Sue Daignault, one of Frank’s daughters, ever since she contacted me back in 2016 with an idea to author an article commemorating Frank’s 80th birthday that November. This time around the email came from Joyce, and even before I opened it, a lump began forming in my throat as I fought back the tears in my eyes. I cautiously clicked on the email, knowing all too well what was likely to follow, and my worst fears were confirmed when Joyce alerted me to Frank’s recent passing.
In Print
Frank Daignault was a staple of the editorial team at The Fisherman Magazine since his first article appeared on these pages in 1977 in which he told the account of his wife getting a hook in her hand and having to rush her to the Cape Cod Hospital in Hyannis at 2 a.m., but his writing career began much earlier as “Block Island Safari” appeared in Salt Water Sportsman in 1969. The article was bought by then editor, Frank Woolner, an early mentor of Frank’s.
Over the years, in addition to regular features in Salt Water Sportsman and The Fisherman Magazine, Frank’s byline appeared in countless publications including Fishing World, Outdoor Life, True, The Man’s Magazine, Surfcasters Journal, and Garcia Fishing Annual, just to name a few. He has also penned eight books over the years including Twenty Years on the Cape, Striper Hot Spots, Eastern Tides, Striper Hot Spots Second Edition, The Trophy Striper, Striper Hot Spots-New England, Fly Fishing the Striper Surf, Striper Hot Spots-Mid Atlantic and Striper Surf.
In Surfcasting Minds
You’d be hard-pressed, even in today’s digital world, to find a surfcaster on the Striper Coast who was not only familiar with Frank’s work, but who had not read something from his extensive editorial catalog. Further, there are even fewer surfcasters who have not benefited from his vast knowledge of angling for striped bass – Red Gills, anyone?
| IN HIS OWN WORDS |
| In the fall of 2023, along with co-host Jerry Audet, the author sat down with Frank Daignault to record an episode for The Surfcast Podcast. Accompanied by his wife Joyce, they run the gauntlet, and hit on a huge variety of topics, from fishing the beaches of Cape Cod and Rhode Island, to the introduction of the Red Gill, to what it takes to catch a 50, to raising a family on money made from commercial fishing, to fishing the rivers of Maine for Atlantic salmon, and much more. So much was covered that it ended up being a two-part episode. You can listen to the episodes on YouTube or anywhere you get your podcasts. Find episodes 1 and 2 of A Fishing Life With Frank Daignault at surfcastpodcast.com. |
I have joked many times that I learned how to read as much from my early school teachers as I did the likes of Tim Coleman and Frank Daignault (as well as many others), but I most certainly honed my writing skills, not to mention my angling prowess, over the years with heavy influences from both. Frank’s books were a bible for me in my early, eager days as I absorbed anything and everything I could find relating to surf fishing. Every year that he published a new book my mom made it a point to get me a copy for my birthday or Christmas. Those early books remain staples in my angling library to this day, well-worn and tattered, notes and highlighter marks dotting the pages. I refer to them regularly, searching for that little key I might have overlooked or forgotten to help unlock a new challenge in the surf. I have since added backup copies, as well as hard cover versions when they pop up at my local used bookstore, and each one is a cherished piece of the collection.
Twenty Years on the Cape is an annual read for me; anytime I even consider making the 3-hour ride from my home in Connecticut to the beaches of the Cape to fish, I make it a point to thumb the pages and study a few select chapters before I leave. That was one of the most lasting influences Frank’s writings had on me in that even in his stories – as Twenty Years is essentially a collection of fishing stories – there was always a lesson to be extracted, so long as you knew where to look. Frank was a master of this craft in a time when many wrote fishing articles in the how-to form. He breathed life and emotion into every article he wrote and not only made you feel like you were right there with him on the beach, but that you wanted, no, needed to join him on his next adventure!
Frank inspired people to fish the surf. Early on, he romanticized a style of fishing that at times was overlooked by much of mainstream print media. He made it cool to be a surfcaster, and he never held back when speaking of his fellow brothers in boats. He was always sure to include a “Frank-ism,” as many of us referred to his witty sayings, in all his books and articles. I never had the forethought to ask him or Joyce if he employed the same wit in everyday speak, or if he saved it for print, but things like “keeping a spot honest,” “sitting on a pile,” “doing a job,” and one of my favorites “I’d rather have a sister in a whorehouse than a friend on a boat!” will forever be a part of my angling vernacular.
A Personal Account
I’ve told the story before, of the first time that I met both Frank and Joyce in person, but it bears retelling. It was the Worcester Fishing Show in the late 1990s – 1998 or 1999 – and my main reason for attending the show was to sit in on one of Frank Daignault’s seminars. I met up with a friend and fishing partner at the time, Dave Fontaine, and I had a copy of Twenty Years on the Cape in hand to get signed by Frank.
As Frank finished with his presentation, a line quickly formed to speak with him and I stood back, both wanting to give him his space as well as feeling more than a little overwhelmed at the prospect of being able to meet and perhaps even speak with someone whose books and articles I had been reading for many, many years. I must have looked like a nervous schoolgirl, book in clenched tightly in my hand with knuckles turning white, when a woman – whom I immediately recognized – approached me; it was Frank’s wife, Joyce.
I forget exactly what we spoke about, but I remember feeling much more relaxed as the conversation progressed, and I eventually mustered up the courage to ask her to sign Twenty Years. I figured that she was as much a part of the stories I had been reading for all those years, and to have her signature also grace the pages would be an honor. I’m not sure if she had been asked this before, and it was her standard response, or if she came up with the idea on the fly, but she suggested that perhaps the photo of her with the 50-pounder she landed at the Mission Bell would be a better choice than the title page – a true surfcaster she was!
I eventually made my way to the front of the line and had Frank sign my book. We spoke for a few minutes, and the rest of the day was rather uneventful aside from the new appreciation that I had for them both.
I recounted this story to Frank and Joyce when I sat down with them in the fall of 2023 to record a double episode of The Surfcast Podcast. Joyce said that she remembers the passing encounter, Frank as well. While I’d like to think that I had the same impression on them both as they did on me, at the time my voice likely blended in amongst many others of the day as they made the winter show rounds.
They say that you should never meet your heroes in person; well, I consider myself a better person for having gotten to know Frank and his family.
| VOICES OF THE SURF |
| In an effort to honor someone of Frank’s legendary status, we wanted to give some other surfmen the opportunity to acknowledge how Frank influenced their personal journeys in the surf. –D.Anderson
Frank Goncalves While I’ve always been enamored by his catches, I was most captivated by Frank’s vivid account of every experience. His descriptive writing set me up to observe so much that I may have overlooked early in my surfcasting obsession. The awareness I gained for my surroundings came from his writing and has certainly paid dividends. Maybe more than any single technique I’ve been taught along the way. Chris Voorhies I can recall reading Twenty Years on the Cape in high school. It may have been the first book I read that wasn’t an assignment. Mr. Daignault’s book hit home for me. It wasn’t that I had experienced the true heyday of striper fishing, but I had heard about it and I knew I wanted to live it. His stories seemed familiar when compared to those told to me from my uncle who was my mentor, and a damn good fisherman in his own right. These stories beautifully documented a bygone era of old salts and simpler times, a time I jealously wanted to be part of. Unfortunately like Frank, many of my mentors have passed but the stories they told will forever live on and we can continue to chase the dream. Gary Soldati When I began surf fishing back in the early 1980s, Frank Daignault was the name that was synonymous with all that was striper fishing. The great writers of today were just fishermen back then or were not even born. Frank’s first book, published in 1989, Twenty Years on the Cape detailed a way of life that was envied by all. I knew Frank was fond of the Creek Chub Giant Jointed. So when I began making plugs I reached out to him and asked him about that plug. He told me there was a weight in the rear of the front section and another weight in the front of the rear section. This allowed the plug to fold on the cast and lead with those weights for measurably greater distance. I made my Jointed Eel exactly that way and it cast just the way Frank said it would. I will always think of him fondly and he will be sorely missed! Jerry Audet Through Frank’s books and articles I learned tactics and techniques, for certain; but I also felt a sense of connection. Frank “got” surfcasting; he was really one of us, deep into his soul. I believe that his writing will stand the test of time – and remain legendary – as much for being the first to capture the feelings and thoughts of a diehard surf angler, as for teaching so many anglers the ins and outs of being a sharpie. That is how I will always remember him. |
