The Passing of RI CAG Member Richard Bessette

At 82 years old, Richard Bessette of Providence was one our most enthusiastic members of the RI CAG. Here was a guy who had found a new passion called carp fishing, and he was out doing it just about every day of the year. I fished with him on dozens of occasions and always enjoyed his stories about fishing and life, and I can tell you he had a lot of them.  He was always showing me some newfangled gear that he had bought for carp fishing. He was also one who would lend a hand or advice to any newcomer who wanted to get into carp fishing. I often saw him fish with a friend and he would let the friend use one of his rods while he would fish the other.
I did a post about Richard earlier in the year.  He was so hooked on carp fishing that he bought a vanity plate for his car that read "Carp 7".  He was real excited the day he got it and called me over to proudly show me the plate on his truck. He also had CAG (Carp Angler Group) stickers on a lot of his gear as he was a proud supporter of our group.
He was a guy who had a lot of health problems in his life, but never showed it. He always had a positive outlook and like many of us, saw carp fishing as a means to relax with friends and get away from life's problems.
And, he also knew how to catch carp.  He told me that he landed 150 carp this year, his best year ever. He was looking forward to having an even better year next year. He would never see the next year as he passed away this week.
For all who knew and fished with Richard, he will be sorely missed in the upcoming season.