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Literary accounts of fishouts in the recent past,
to make you sorry you didn't go.

Monterey Bay Fishout - Sept. 11th 2004
by Harry Petrakis

Twenty members participated in the fishout portion of the Rockfish fishout: Jim Harmon, Tom Donovan, Richard Kline, Lynette West, Wayne Jensen, Ralph Berman, Tom Pelikan, Elaine Cook. Gil Santos, Dougald Scott, Paul Schraeder, Dave Jensen, Mike White, Bill and Cloy Codiga, Tom McMillan, John Steele, Perry Ralston, Harry Petrakis, and Dennis Bellville.
We had a seminar the Wednesday before on rigging for world records and to help people gear up. We covered techniques also for this very specialized type of fishing and there were many questions. Good Questions. Some of which I did not know the answers to but I did my best to answer and with help from Paul and others got through it pretty well.
On September 11th, we met at the Capitola wharf at 6:30 am and were all launched, rigged and ready to fish by 7:45. The private boats launched from the Capitola pier and the small craft harbor. We had an overcast morning, which is just what you want, but the fog was thicker than I would have liked to see it; fairly flat seas and no wind.
We were scratching at first but Dougald kept us moving until we found fish. Dougald was out the day before scouting places and found lots of good-sized willing fish but they were not as easy to find today. We didn't have the drift we needed to implement the techniques we talked about in the seminar but everyone regrouped and for the most part fished effectively wherever they chose, on the bottom or for the suspended fish.
My first image is of Elaine with a fish and I remember thinking to myself "that figures."
I fished with Ralph Berman in a rented boat. His first fish pulled real hard. Ralph's expression was one of wonderment. It was a joy to watch and one I wish everyone could experience. We managed 5 or 6 fish between us up to a pound and a half.
Wayne Jensen drove the rental boat he and Tom Donovan fished from. He and Tom had a good day keeping fish for the table.
Jim Harmon, after a slow start, got into a quick half dozen towards the end of the day with a white fly.
Gil and Mike White fished together in Mike's boat. They found lots of willing fish off Lighthouse Point late in the morning in 60 feet of water. Flash fly was the ticket for Mike.
Bill and Cloy Codiga came by later in the morning and saw no bent rods so they went out to scout fish. Thanks for those Bosc pears you brought to the BBQ. They were great.
Dennis Bellville fished with his friend Perry Ralston in Perry's Livingston boat. I can still see Perry standing on the bow and casting. It was a testimony to his agility and balance. Perry was very enthusiastic about learning more and I suspect he will be doing this again soon.

Early on, Lynette West had a fish take her into the rocks fishing in 45 feet of water. She stayed with it and coaxed him out and was rewarded with her third fish of the morning. She was very pleased with herself, accomplishing what advanced fishermen could do: getting the fly to them, making them eat it and coaxing them out of the rocks. Lynette went on to catch more fish as the day progressed.
Dave Jensen caught an 18.0 lb. halibut on a plastic squid fly. He was going to submit it for a world record but after some research into the regs he discovered the fly had too much weight on it to qualify. Dave was letting the fly sink to the bottom in 50 feet of water and jigging the fly when the brute ate it. Tom Pelikan had the unenviable task of netting Dave's fish and he performed like an old salt, putting him in the boat on the first attempt. Congratulations to Tom and Dave.
Tom McMillan and John Steele fished together. When I asked Tom what fly he used he told me he would never go out without one of Manny Gutierrez's flies, a white chenille body with a blue wing. Destroyed by the many fish it caught, Tom would make it a point to complain in front of Manny and others that the fly kept coming apart. Manny would go home and tie him some more. I have heard numerous comments and stories about Manny in the recent past and it's become evident to me that he is missed a great deal by his friends in the club.
As it is with all of our club functions, it's a team effort. Thanks, Dougald, for putting in so much time to help with the scouting and being so supportive. Thanks also to John Cook and Kathy Powers for calling and volunteering to gaffe the BBQ. And more thanks to Tom, John and Gil for sharing ideas on the event.
I do not plan to do another fishout next year since I think we accomplished an awful lot by giving us a group to build on for spontaneous informal outings on the bay. September and October are two of the best months for this kind of fishing and it's as good as it has ever been, so let's keep it going. The week of October 4th to the 10th and the end of October are good for me, so call me if you have a boat lined up and well go pull on some salty lips.
Gil brought up an idea for a San Luis fishout that I would like to pursue, so give me a call if you have some ideas you want to share or if you would like to see such an event.

With the weather nearly perfect, we set out on Thursday for Bear Valley, towing our boat. We left during peak commute hours, so we took the long way around, traveling east on Pacheco Pass, then onto Highway 5. Wending our way up into the mountains, we enjoyed sunny but mild temperatures, making for an enjoyable trip.
When we arrived, Betty Rentz had already gotten there and was waiting for us. She showed us the layout of her new van, and presently, John and Elaine Cook came, as did Doug Severin, Tim Loomis and trailing along came Tom Pelikan. We had burgers and hot dogs on the barbecue, along with potato salad and other side dishes, and after cleaning off the table, got to work sorting and tying flies to prepare for Friday's fishing.
Friday morning dawned sunny and bright, and away we all went to try our luck on Lake Alpine. We launched our boat and trolled along slowly, trailing a bead head pheasant tail and a minnow. Pat kept getting "drive-by" hits on the minnow, but she managed to hook and land quite a few that got "flossed" onto the little PT. Elaine, Tom, Tim and Betty float-tubed, and John and Doug bank fished. All did reasonably well, catching many rainbows in the 12-15" range.

Lynette West and Richard Kline arrived, as did Tom Bradley and Kent Hull. Kent came in after dark and was glad we had the club banner out on the side of the house, so he knew he had the right place. Doug Severin prepared a succulent tri-tip roast as only he can; his secret is that he takes the roast off the grill before it is completely done, and soaks it in warm beer in a cooler for the last 30 minutes. It is so tender you can cut it with a fork. Lynette and Richard brought strawberries and dipping chocolate, and Tom Pelikan produced a bottle of champagne. Just because we were on a fishing trip didn't mean we couldn't eat like civilized epicures!
After the dinner dishes were cleared, Richard started going a little crazy with leftover tying materials. Tim aggravated the situation by dumping out a copious amount of fly tying materials from Spirit River onto the table for us to paw through. Richard scraped up some hot pink marabou, some beads, some tinsel, and other stuff and began humming to himself and creating. It was scary to watch. Pat saw his creation and remarked, "Wow, hot pink! What is it, some kind of Barbie doll fly?" We then dubbed it the "Bear Barbie." Based on its subsequent performance, it earned the honor of "Fly of the Month" for the newsletter.

Amazingly, the silly-looking Bear Barbie fly that Richard had thrown together caught many fish the next day. Richard was top dog for the number of fish caught Saturday, but Lynette caught the biggest fish, a 21" rainbow! Pat caught another species that was about 72" and weighed about 180 pounds, but she threw it back. (She managed to snag Tim when the boat trolled a little too close to him in his float tube.) We enjoyed having Tom Bradley aboard our boat Saturday, even though we didn't catch as many fish that day.
As is always the case on these outings, we really enjoyed getting to know each other better, had many laughs together, ate sumptuous meals, and left refreshed and renewed from our days in a beautiful mountain setting, catching many fish from a pretty little lake. Many thanks to all those who participated!

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