Anglers and the public are invited to attend the Friends of Inshore Fishing Banquet and Auction, hosted Saturday, Oct. 24 by the Snook Foundation. Participants should be at the Captain’s Table Restaurant in Punta Gorda by 6 p.m. ”for great food, interesting speakers and a silent auction packed with fishing-related treasures.” Reservations are still available, starting at $30 for dinner.

Noted cracker artist Rick Powers is attending the event, creating paintings on site. Works by celebrated outdoor artists such as Diane Peebles, Joe Suroviec, Carey Chen, Karen Chadwick, Guy Harvey and others will be offered. Excellent fishing gear and exceptional trips to exotic locales will be available in the silent auction and raffle.

Also, Classic Tournaments and Flatsmasters Fishing are conducting the Florida Oktoberfest Inshore Slam Challenge to benefit the Snook Foundation. Captain’s meeting will be at 6:00 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 23 at Laishley Park; fishing is on Saturday and Sunday. Leaders in the Florida Oktoberfest Inshore Challenge will be announced at the banquet. See the flier above for complete details.