Cliff and I met in 1976 and our 'lifetime' friendship continued to the day he was called away for something greater. We shared so many good times that it's difficult to say one was better than the other. However, it was Cliff, several of us called him Buford, who introduced me to 'surf fishing.' He had an old trailer parked at 'Sandpipers Trace' at Nags Head, NC. We'd both try to get off work early on Fridays so we could head to Nags Head. Loaded with fishing gear and a cooler full of Pabst Blue Ribbon, we'd get to the trailer at 1 - 2 am Saturday morning; grab our gear and beer and head to the pier. We'd fish, talk about all the things we wished we could do or change, drink a few brews, and when the sun started to rise, we'd filet the fish, mostly Croakers, and fry 'em up for breakfast. We'd fish until late Sunday then head back to Northern Virginia asking ourselves where the weekend went.
Friendships don't get any better than this. A true friend will come to your rescue regardless of place, time, or weather - Cliff was a true friend. I'm going to miss you Buford but hopefully one day - not too soon though - we'll once again get to enjoy some good memories together. Always a best friend, Dave Gokey
