More old memories, Malibu Pier, Playa del Rey

In 1963, I was 8 years old and was already crazy about fishing. Everywhere I went I carried a fishing pole. My dad used to take me to the rocks along Ballona Creek Bridge. We used to buy shrimp at a tackle shop on Culver near Pershing. It was a small tackle shop and did not carry much - dang if I can remember the name of it. I was armed with a Thrifty special combo - small kiddie rod and spinning reel. We used to catch opaleye and calico bass. Little biddy ones - aquarium size. On one of our trips there - my dad bought me my first conventional reel. A Penn 501. Wow. I didn't know what the hell to do with it, but I had a 'professional reel'. My dad started expand from there - venue and method wise. He also used to take me to the Malibu Pier. I remember watching the old-timers making these long casts by swinging their sinkers under the pier. You walked up to the office, where you bought bait tickets. Each one entitled you to one anchovy - which you took back to your pole as quickly as possible and slid it down your line on a swivel to your sinker. I think the pier fishermen still fish like that. Every once in a while, you would hear someone yelling for the net. One of the pier guys would go running with a big net attached to a long rope. The net was carefully lowered to the water from the pier and the halibut netted. Exciting. At some point, my dad decided I was ready to do more. I was never really at the pier early enough to watch the day boat go out, but every hour or so, I would hear.....'ladies and gentlemen, alongside the pier is the Waaaaay Weeee Goooo, the ferry boat to the barge'. There was a fishing barge a few miles from the pier - The Star of Malibu. By then, I had a large spinning reel - 'Optimo' spinning reel and a Garcia Conolon rod. Look out fish.....here I come. There were bonito being caught at the barge - big bonito. I could hook them, but getting them was a whole different story. I had hit the big time. I just had a spontaneous thought - I recall talking to an old black guy on the pier. I don't remember what all we talked about - but he was a smallish old man, and he said his name was Sammy Davis. Not sure if he was the father to the famous Junior, but to the best of my recollection, he sure could have been. I drive by the old Malibu Pier almost weekly. Guess I should stop by and see if that joggles any more memories. There were several barges you can go fish around the Southern California area - the most fun was the barges at Redondo Beach. The timeframe had to be the early 70's/late 60's. I recall three barges - Sacramento, California and C-Coaster(?). You could take the ferry (Voyager) to and between all three. The Sacramento was the nicest one - it was mostly covered and had openings in the middle to fish from too. The California was sort of an open deck barge, and I don't remember the third one much. Used to catch them black cod and threw them back.....dang, if we only knew. Them things are great eating and expensive! There was also an open party 1/2 day boat running out of Hermosa Pier. Dang i wish i could remember the name of that boat. Then in the late 60's, I got introduced to Pierpoint Landing. WOW!! This is the Big Daddy of all landings. Big boats going out late at night to fish Catalina, San Clemente, Albacore - All day, Half day, Local All Day....all sorts of available trips. There was even a TV show - Fishin' Flashes with Mac McClintock. My dad used to go fishing and bring back yellowtail. I could hardly wait to be able to go. By now, both my dad and mom knew I was absolutely crazy about fishing. My dad would challenge me to do various things - which when accomplished would be rewarded with a fishing trip. Jump rope 100 times, good grades...all sorts of stuff. I was never very coordinated, so 100 times on a jump rope was a helluva challenge. Took me weeks. He would take me on the first few trips - but later, he would drop me off and I would go on my own. There was a barge parked right next to the landing there also. There was a lot of boats there - Freedom, Liberty, America, Pierpoint, Matt Walsh and charter boats too - Miss L is the only one I remember. The Miss L later turned into the Sea Hawk I think. It is amazing to think some of these boats are still operating. The Freedom is in San Pedro, the America is now the Grande and in San Diego, the Liberty is running trips out of Long Beach, Matt Walsh is in San Pedro, I don't know what happened to the Pierpoint. What I remember about going to Pierpoint the most is the smell. The sulphur-ish smell of petroleum that always welcomed you to Pierpoint. Dearden's fish market....I recall selling blue perch and blacksmith to them for .10 cents a pound. Then there was the landing down the street from Pierpoint - Pacific Landing. Home of the Pacific Queen and Eddie McEwen. There were several boats there also - Estrella, Fisherman I and II. I recall going rockfishing on one of the Fisherman boats - off the West end of Catalina Island. Big giant salmon grouper is about all I remember. I can go on and on - but one trip on the Freedom I recall vividly. The skipper's name was Bobby Carr. We made squid at Catalina first and went around the east end of San Clemente to the first cove, I think. We made a chum circle, anchored and the fishing was amazing. We caught black sea bass, white sea bass, yellowtail, calico bass....we were catching all of them. I still had pretty crummy gear then - and as much as I wanted to hook one of those yellowtail, I could not catch my ass. Bobby hooked one of the yellows and handed it off to me. I ended up losing it, but I will never forget the thrill. I recall one guy fishing on the bottom - he had a few large halibut in his sack. I was on sensory overload. Seemed everybody was catching fish, but me. I didn't care though. Because I got to pull on a yellowtail.