Moose & Virg's / Avila, Morro Bay & San Simeon

First of all, I just found out one of best friends (a very carefully added 's') is reading my blog. His name is Moose and is one of the most terrible fishermen I have ever seen. Just kidding. He is one of the few people I know that actually spent a lot of our younger years in the same places. His dad ran boats out of Pierpoint Landing - the 'REAL' Pierpoint Landing back in the 60's. He's only a few years younger than me - but, he hung out at the landing about the same time I did. He knows about selling blue perch and blacksmiths to Dearden's for 25 cents a pound. Even fished for them the same way I did. Mashed up anchovies in the bucket, threw them a little bit at a time, let the fish gather around real good then....yeah!! Scoop them puppies up and into another bucket. His dad was one of the skippers running the Freedom - and probably others, I don't know. Those were some of the first trips I took to Catalina and San Clements Islands. I recall one of the trips to San Clemente with tanks of squid. What a trip. Big halibut, white sea bass, black sea bass, yellowtail and calico bass. Bobby Carr hooked and handed me one of the yellows - but I was just too inexperienced to do much about it. Oh well. I'll write more about those trips later.

My recollection of time just sucks. I don't know exactly how many years ago - but I think it was about 1978 or so. I was going to school and working on various boats and tackle shops. A small group of us led by a couple of guys that went to school at CalPoly/SLO would go all the way to San Simeon Pier from Gardena. They couldn't rant and rave enough about how good the shallow water rock cod fishing was. We would leave around midnight and get there about 4 or 5 in the morning. Park and wait for the landing to open. I think the boats were the Lotta Fun, Mallard and maybe others I don't recall. But the fishing was nothing short of phenomenal. First catch blue bass (blue rockfish) and slab them out. Put the slabs on big kirby hooks - 6/0 or so, and to the bottom with a 8 or 10 oz sinker. The big lings would climb on one after another. Reds, Goldeneyes, Chuckles and they were all jumbos. This is one of those areas that are still as good today, as it was then. One day, I am going to venture up that way with my skiff. For now, I have not had to go much further than 5 to 10 miles from Port San Luis. The fishing is just outstanding. There are days when the fish just don't bite as well - but, the worst day around here is way better than the local fishing in the South Bay area. I'm still in exploring mode. I meter around everywhere I go and find new spots. There is a point south of PSL about 20 to 30 miles - Purisima Point. I hear all sorts of stuff about the place - but, I have yet to go there. Actually, from what I see of the fish others bring back from Purisima, I think most of my days staying within a few miles of PSL is just as good. And I don't use bait.

I have to cut this posting short, but I am hoping that Moose comes up soon and fishes with me. Well, I do have to tell one story of fishing with Moose. I don't remember what boat it was - but it was a slow morning and we were all fishing on the bottom for whatever might bite. I was looking out on the surface of the water and all of the sudden, I see a boil a good distance from the boat. Not wanting to give away the farm, I casually started to reel up from the bottom - intending to get my jig stick to throw an iron at the boil. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Moose. He is also casually reeling in from the bottom. I start reeling faster, he starts reeling faster. Damned if he didn't see the same thing I did. Miserable person!! I don't remember who caught what. But that scene just makes me laugh every time.