Paddle-Fishing.com

Marion “Jay” Brewington

July 26, 1949 – April 16, 2009

The paddle fishing world lost a good man today. Jay "JayB" Brewington passed away after a long battle with cancer.

As the founder of Paddle-Fishing.com, together with his good friend John Callaghan, Jay brought fishermen and fisherwomen of all walks of life together to share the enjoyment of fishing from paddle craft.

Recognized by many as the “Highly Trained Expert”, Jay was quick to offer a hand or provide valuable input to the many newcomers to the sport. His articles and interviews about fishing from kayaks were posted on websites around the world and helped many in their introduction to this wonderful pastime.

Many are blessed to be able to call Jay a friend. Our little corner of the world was a better place because of him.

Thank you, Jay. You will be missed, my friend.

Please also read the home page for words from John Callaghan
http://www.paddle-fishing.com/

Rest in peace old friend.
Thank you for the laughs, and friends.

I learned a lot from that Highly Trained Expert and not all of it had to do with fishing.

Thanks Jay! You will be missed.

Thanks for taking this know nothing Limey under your wing Jay.

Together we made a name for ourselves, explored the waterways of Florida and forged an unbreakable bond of friendship, we shall never be apart.



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http://www.paddle-fishing.com

I never met him...But I hope to be one day loved and remembered as well as he has been here on pf.com. John your home page tribute really touched me. My condolences to his friends and family.

Jay I salute you!

Our adventures together always bring a smile to my face. Whether it was countless mornings just off the beach fishing the tarpon, drifting some corner of Ft. Desoto, or camping riverside in Sebastian it was always pleasure. My time on this earth was made better by knowing Jay. It's really just that simple I guess.
I'll miss the "Curmudgeon" terribly.

I am fortunate to call Jay a friend. I did not get to know him as well as I would have liked to but how many people can we say that about. It was because of the site that Jay and John created that have enrished my life and introduced me to so manypeople and places.

I first "met" Jay on the old Cap Mel chat room days and made my way here to P-F. Then I got to meet him in person at one of the first origional Paddle-Ins (TM). I was catching fish that day and when I remarked that I only needed a snook to complete a slam.... Jay in his best mocking tone repeated that "I only need a snook to complete my slam". I knew that I liked him immediately that he would needle a noob like myself. Then embarassing in front of everyone by pointing out the curlyQ at the end of my line were the bad knot I tied came unbuttoned.

Jay will be missed but he will not leave me because there is a place in my heart where I haved saved a small part of him!

See ya again sometime you crusty old curmudgeon!

Mike

I never got to know Jay very well due to being a relative newb on this forum. I enjoyed corresponding with him in various pm's and I finally met him in person at a bbq last year where I was lucky enough to get a few hours of his time talking to him. Very enjoyable person to talk to on a large variety of subjects. I really came to like him in that short period of time. Wish I had another chance to sit down and talk to him.

The first time I met Jay was at one of the Paddle-Ins on Shell Key. I was a noob but Jay made such an impression on me that I have been hooked on P-F.com and its band of misfit (old school) since the beginning. I have made lots of friends through the years because of P-F.com and for that I will always be grateful to Jay & John. Thank you! I will put a couple of Silver King in the air this season in your honor.

It's hard to put into words what Jay did for many of us. He was a great friend, a mentor, and a guy many of us looked up to. To me, he was like an older brother who I admired and respected. He was a Miami boy like myself, and I always enjoyed sharing stories of the good old days with him. His friends will openly tell you they are better people because we had Jay as a friend. The best tribute to Jay is that you very rarely, if ever, heard anyone speak negatively about him. He was occasionally misunderstood and called himself a curmudgeon, but in reality he was one of the nicest and most generous people you could ever meet. We'll miss you, Jay, but we will never forget you. Your spirit will live on forever in our hearts.

I only got to fish with Jay one time. At that point he could not stay out to long, but he did paddle up and procede to jump a big threadfin right next to me.

It was a sight to see.

I only wish I could have gotten to know him better.

JayB, you will be missed my friend.

Jay was a good man, I am lucky in life to have made friends with him and spend some very memorable moments floating around in a plastic boat with him. He not only taught me a lot about fishing but a few life lessons along the way. Yes he could be a cranky bastard at times but that is what we loved about him.

Sad to see him go but he is in a better place today. And, while looking down, I am sure he is giving us all the finger for writing this sappy stuff. He never asked for anything but sure gave a lot.

There is a special place on the water he loved to fish that we fished many times together, that spot will forever carry a happy memory and put a smile on my face each and every time I go there. And Jay, I promise not to stay out until after 10 AM, you at least taught me that.

I never fished with Jay but i did meet him 2 times to exchange a few record albums........Truly a nice nice guy.........RIP Jay.......RIP..........Oh and Jay I still say it was Manfred Mann......

I met Jay quite a while ago, through different paddling get-togethers, tournaments, etc. From day one, the guy was nothing but nice to me. Every now and then I'd get a PM from him after posting about one of my kayaking mishaps, and it always made me laugh. Jay couldn't fish too much lately, but I knew he was a pretty good amateur photographer, so last year I asked him if he wouldn't mind taking some pics of my motorcycle for me. He jumped on that project with all the enthusiasm of a 5-year old kid being handed a huge bag of candy. We did quite a few photo sessions at all different times and places, and even though I had to help him up from his knee a couple times after shooting a few shots, he was always ready to come back and do some more. The result is a couple really nice photos Jay framed for me. They are displayed proudly on my walls, along with some other fishing photos Jay had done in the past. After the project, he and Kathy had me over for dinner, and I had a wonderful time. Two of the nicest people I have ever met in my life.

And I'd be remiss if I didn't thank him and John for starting this site. Because of it, I have made great friends with some wonderful people I'd never have met otherwise. For that I will forever be in Jay's debt.

I never got to meet Jay as I don't get out that much but I do appreciate what he created and the people he brought together. I am sad to have missed out on getting to know him.
Thoughts and prayers to Jay and his family from Suzie, Heather, Cody and I.

The first time I met JayB, a couple years ago, I had no idea who he was, we just found ourselves at a FtD launch returning at the same time. Both of us had a skunk trip, something I gathered I am much more experienced at than he. We struck up a conversation and he imparted his considerable knowledge once he relaized how new I was to kayak fishing. It seemed he wanted to talk and as we loaded up our trucks, it became obvious that he missed teaching and, thus, taught when he could, even on a hot afternoon on a muddy beach. I remember driving away thinking how friendly he was to a stranger.

I ran into him again about a year or so ago, again at a launch, he had been chasing redfish and was happy with his result, but what he really wanted was a tarpon. We talked again and, again, he talked about missing being a teacher. By this time, of course, I knew of his connection to the forum and the contribution he had made and expressed my appreciation, which he waved off as no big deal. We talked about retirement, our professions and how similar they were, fishing and I think we both wore the "curmudgeon" label rather proudly. This time, it seemed, he was more frail and needed help loading up his gear, but he was no less friendly and, despite his obvious illness, glad to be outside, fishing and especially chasing tarpon. After that meeting I would get the occasional PM about something that he read and I remember being impressed that he remembered our conversations and brief meetings.

I never got to fish with him, I envy those of you who did. I am sorry to hear of his passing, but heaven must welcome such a man and those who he touched are fortunate. My condolences to his family and friends.