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Sam's Saturday Surf Scene
by Sam Bishop

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It was a flat, calm, glassy, low swell, slack tide, no structure ; but the sea was alive that foggy Saturday morning. Four-foot Thresher Sharks leaped completely airborne, fishing boats close in, pelicans diving with noisy splashes, followed by the scavenging gulls. The ever-present sea lions patrolled just outside the surf line in packs.
In the midst of this drama, arrived six members of the Santa Cruz Fly Fishing Olympic Team, determined to outperform their previous bests.
When it was over, Elaine, as she shivered from the cold of the water down her waders ("I was aggressive today".) was heard to say "I stopped counting after six.". Robert took perch about every three casts, then followed it up with a very nice Jack Smelt. Larry smoked his big Cuban and caught his share, including a little sculpin. As the last of us departed, Scott, still on the beach, reminded me "Don't forget my sock fish". (He deserved it, catching a sock with his spinning rod.) . I lost Richard, so no report, sorry.
When was it? August 9, Where? Rio del Mar Beach, Who? Elaine Cook, Robert Dumford, Scott Councilman, Larry Schork, Richard Phariss, Sam Bishop.

*This is the Long-horned beach hopper, Orchestoidea californiana
They can be up to 1.25" long and feed on marine debris at night, returning to the safety of their burrows in the upper beach away from the surf at daybreak. You may have noticed the upper beach zone riddled with burrows as you cross the sand to fish the surf line.