When King Harbor was AWESOME!

Around 1967 I was 12 years old, had a green Schwinn Stingray and rode the damn thing everywhere. Not sure how I discovered King Harbor. We lived in a rented house on 134th Street between Western and Normandie. So I would ride down Western to 190th Street, then follow 190th down to King Harbor. I would bum enough money to buy ice cream at Thrifty on the way home on the corner of 190th and Anza. I think a double was a dime. Going down the 190th street hill on the way to PCH was awesome! Going back...not so much. Going by the big sign was exciting - for I knew I would be fishing soon. I had a Garcia-Mitchell outfit, a light two (2) piece rod and a 308 filled with 6 lb mono. In my pocket would be Tiny Tots - white ones and yellow ones which I would buy at Red's Bait & Tackle or Jerry's. I would cast and whip the little jigs back in - and it was game on! I remember the first few times - I would put the bonito in a backpack and take them home with me. Not a great idea, since they were in bad shape when I got home. After a few trips - I would just let the fish go. And then I would see other people using frozen anchovies for bait. They would be getting hooked up when I was not - though most of the time it was pretty good. The best bites I can remember was when it was raining. The bite on the Tiny Tots would be awesome! The water was so clear in the harbor that one could watch the bonito eat the jigs. There were other fish in the water that would not eat the jigs.....bigger fish. Yellowtail! Every once in a while, they would eat a frozen anchovie. Only problem was, you'd hook one - and in one good run, they would spool the 308 - and my trip would be over. As I stayed later and later in the day, I would start seeing people with big spinning rods with sinkers and treble hooks. These guys would attach sinkers to their lines and tie multiple treble hooks above the sinker. At dark, these guys would begin flinging their rigs and make big jerking swings and start snagging bonito. Lots of bonito. These guys would take big gunny sacks full of fish home. Two years later, I was between Peary Junior High and North Torrance High School and had friends that also liked to fish. We would rent the wooden skiffs in King Harbor with live bait skids in tow. The fishing was outstanding. I also remember going to the Fox Redondo Theatre to watch movies. I'm fairly certain I saw the first Godfather there for 75 cents. I looked it up - the Godfather came out in March/1972, and the theater had its final movie in December/1972 and was knocked down early 1973. I am sure I saw the Godfather there in late 1972. By this time, I had a gold colored 1971 Honda CB350. Distance was no longer an issue - and I tied the rod onto the sissy bar and rode that scooter everywhere. Not sure how I stayed alive riding that bike with no helmet. Remarkable.