We had another GREAT trip with Olive Crest. All fisherman arrived early and enjoyed the ambiance of Dana Point. Some of them bought coffee, ice cream and soft drinks before boarding.
We boarded the Sum Fun around 5:15 and were greeted by Capt. Kenny and his gracious crew. We picked up a load of 4-5 inch sardines which were very fresh and headed south for a 45 minute ride down to a very productive kelp bed. Before the anchor was fully set Calicos were being decked. The fish cooperated all evening long. Almost any bait that hit the water was struck by a fish. Not all strikes produced a fish, but excitement was experienced. We caught many undersized bass. To put a number estimate would only be a WAG. We did take home 25 “keeper” bass. By using our sardines we did not experience a “Mak-attack”. If they wanted to catch mackerel they needed to use squid, but that was discouraged. The weather for fishing in the evening was perfect. We had calm seas with a little bit of rolling, a light breeze to keep the evening very pleasant, and a quarter moon to light the evening sky. Our fishermen brought their own snacks and a lot of energy that was enjoyed by all. Our crew from FIB’ers and the Sum Fun were able to teach many young anglers how to fish. The evening began with many young people not even willing to bait their own hook or throw it in the water.
Hooking and handing-off was necessary to get the party started. We ended our trip with most fishermen baiting the hooks and hooking the fish on their own. Smiles and self-pride exuded from the young fishermen as the boat headed back to the dock at 9:30. Many thanks to the crew of the sum Fun and our FIB’ers volunteers: Paula, Dave W., Floyd, Bernie, and Ken. A special “Thank You” to Capt. Rollo’s Kids for their financial assistance.
Submitted by Ken Kunkel