More old memories - landings and boats

Recently, I heard Dick Helgren passed away. That's sad. Many of the old timers are disappearing. I never fished out of Norm's landing much - but I do know Dick Helgren and Roger Hess ran the two 75 footers from there. I think the Sport King was too. I was also aware of 22nd Street Landing - but didn't fish much out of there either. Most of my fishing time was spent at Pierpoint Landing. It was a lot like Ports 'O' Call village - stores, restaurants, fish markets and gift stores. I can still smell the distinct odor the area had - a mix of petroleum and the ocean. For a while, the landing had a barge parked in front of Dearden's - the fish market. When I wasn't on one of the sport boats - I was on the barge. The fishing was pretty good. Bonito - lots of bonito, and big piling perch - along with the occasional halibut. It was great. I think I wrote a lot about Pierpoint on another one of my posts - but, the three big Dittmar-Donaldsons - Freedom, Liberty and America are all still running today. The big boats were being run by Bobby Carr, Jim Peterson, Cookie Cooke and Taka Tanaka - and probably others. The Freedom is still the Freeom - except out of 22nd Street now. The Liberty is still the Liberty - out of the new Pierpoint Landing, I think. And the America is now the Grande in San Diego. Back to the barge fishing - the fishing was better at the barge in Malibu, but Long Beach was closer than Malibu from our house in Gardena. I also fished out of Pacific Landing - home of the Pacific Queen and Eddie McEwen. The landing also had the FishermenII and III, along with the Estrella. I think I started rock cod fishing seriously about this time. 5 lb sinkers and 4 or 5 hooks. We'd fish anywhere from 60 to over 150 fathoms. It was fun - but a lot of work. I'm going off on tangents. Pierpoint had a charter boat called the 'Miss L'. A 50 foot boat that was known for its speed. That boat eventually ended up at Sea Landing in Santa Barbara - being run by Merit. Great Calico Bass fishing on the 'GM green' candybars and 45's at Naples Reef. There was a landing being run from the Santa Monica Pier - Kiaora is the only boat I remember. I don't remember a boat ever being run from the Manhattan Beach Pier - but, there was a 1/2 day being run from Hermosa Beach Pier. I don't remember the name of that boat. And finally, the biggest landing in that area - Redondo Sportfishing. The Reel Special run by Homer Lightfoot (I remember being in the wheelhouse watching Homer look intently at the paper graph on the fishfinder at Hidden Reef), the Pursuit run by Louie Abbott, the two 1/2 day boats City of Redondo and Redondo Special and the barges. I think at one point, there were three barges there. I don't remember all the names - the Sacramento and California is about the only ones I remember. Ferrying all the passengers from shore and between the barges was the Voyager. I think the boat is still there today, along with the two 1/2 day boats. The Reel Special is called the Royal Pacifico I think and it is being operated out of Ensenada. The Pursuit is now at 22nd Street Landing running the local all day. On the coastline next to Los Angeles, the two big landings were Pierpoint and Redondo. Back to the barge at Malibu Pier - the Star of Malibu. I have great memories of that barge and the pier. I remember meeting Sammy Davis Sr. while he was fishing on the pier for halibut. The ferry was the 'Wae We Go'. Paradise Cove also had a landing - operating on the pier. I can't remember the names of the boats off hand - but, there is a restaurant where the pier used to be - and there are pictures there. If I go back there and see the pictures - I'll post again. Going up the coast, the big landing - and the rock cod capital of California (at the time) - CISCO's - Channel Island Sportfishing Company. Lots of boats here - all fishing for rock cod - Ranger 85, Coroloma and a few others. This is when I got into rockcod fishing big time. 8 lb sash weights and 15 hooks. I was not fucking around here. I made my own rigs. I had Yo make me a 9 foot gaff blank into a cod pole. Look out!! We would fish 60 to 80 fathoms for cows, lings, warthogs and all sorts - and they were all big. I did not venture much further north than Oxnard until much later. I would imagine Virg's at Morro Bay and San Simeon were operating - and fishing had to be nothing short of awesome. I also did not fish much south - Oceanside and San Diego. The only boat I recall was the Point Loma run by Eddie Diehl. White Sea Bass fishing at Tijuana flats - with squid bunched up on heavy 6X's. The sea bass were big ones too. I think the landing at Oceanside has been there for a long time. I have never fished out of there. Oh well. Enough ranting and raving for now.