Memories of Santa Monica bay, Paradise Cove,and Redondo Sportfishing"

These amazing Mustad Hook displays were acquired from my pal, Dick Morris. His family repped Mustad for over 90 years!

Now that's a steady job!

A lovely girl that was on "the Gentleman" this was her first time using a "Hoodwink." As you see the bonita were built like Tuna's.  Mary looks pretty nice too!

I arrived in California in the spring of 1950. The beaches were empty when compared to the ones I knew in the east. The waters were teeming with fish.
I kept wondering why “everyone” wasn’t moving here. Little did I know that hordes would be coming.
In the early 50s I was always amazed by the tales “old timers” told us of the glory days of fishing in Southern California. Stories of yellowtail stacked like cord wood on Redondo pier.
It never occurred to me that I would, one day be one of those “old timers”!

Ed Reis of PCS did a fine book called, “Tales of the Golden Years of California Sportfishing.” I came to California as the era was ending. There was still excellent fishing

I flew here from the east coast.. The plane was a DC- 3. A two engine propeller driven aircraft. It seemed we made a dozen stops before arriving in Burbank where I could see my white haired father from the air as we approached the Lockheed Air Terminal. He asked me what I’d like to see first. I said “The Ocean”
Less than 30 minutes later we were in Santa Monica-Ocean Park.
Yes, in those days without freeways Burbank to Santa Monica in thirty minutes was not difficult.
Both sites had sportfishing operations as well as an amusement pier.
I spent much of my boyhood in Atlantic City and the place was much like what I had seen, except the water looked clean and the beaches were empty.

I had sold ice cream on the beach summers in the New Jersey resort and thought I’d do the same here.. It was impossible since the folks on the beach were scattered and far apart!

The next morning I took a street car on Venice Blvd. It took me to Santa Monica where I boarded the “Indiana”. I rented tackle from Versal Schuler who ran the bait shop on the pier.
Mr. Schuler told me about “Rock Cod” and how to catch them.

I confess I thought I was hot stuff when I filled 2 burlap sacks with mostly Boccacio, often called Salmon grouper. They were neither a salmon nor a grouper, but certainly had a catchy name.
The trip home was an adventure because the Street car wouldn’t let me take my catch on board! I ended up taking a cab, a good trick too, since my funds were very limited. The cabbie agreed to accept some fish as part payment.

It turned out my father and I did have fishing in-common, and he was gung-ho to go out again

He had linen line that we dried on a big wooden spool, lest it rot from the saltwater. Monofilament was just being introduced and linen was about to become a thing of the past, happily.


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When I first saw Paradise Cove, I was thrilled. Miles of kelp beds, the likes of which I had never seen. It was a great place; even if you don’t fish. I am sure you’ve seen this place in the old “Rockford” TV series. For me, it was love at first sight.
I fished on the old Dinah Lee and the Betty-O with the fine skipper,
Jack Ward. Jack had the good looks of a movie star and knew his way around Santa Monica Bay. Jack began his career at Malibu Sportfishing, operating the old “Lenbrooke”. That vessel is still fishing regularly out of Ventura area Captain Ward soon acquired his first boat and moved his operation to Paradise Cove. Jack eventually founded Cisco’s in Oxnard and was very successful.
My friends and I decided we had had enough of, “You all shoulda been here last week”. We decided we would fish every Monday no matter what.

I don’t recall the fare on the all day boat, but I am sure it was well under 10.00 bucks.
Our dedication paid off handsomely with fine catches of the three “Bs”, barracuda, bonito and bass. Big Calicos of 8 pounds was not unusual.
Some even larger. I took a few near 10 pounds, but never over that.
By this time my pals Bob Onstad and Jack Burke were very enthusiastic jig fishermen. There were days the barries were so thick we actually sat down and had a cold drink. It was too dangerous with all those darn amateurs flinging jigs with abandon.
Big barracuda too, “logs” they were called. 10 and 12 pounders were common. Bonito? Both bonito and barriers loved the shiny metal jigs and we could easily out fish most all on board. No immodesty here, we were fishing multiple days a week. Most who rode the party boats got out when they could, but there is nothing like experience. The crews, by the way, could out fish us most of the time. Bass were the most fun. Some days they were so hot they would hit our jigs sinking. We would fish a small lure and keep our Penn reels in free spool as though it were live bait.
One day I caught seven bass in succession on the sink! Not much skill was needed for that. I was testing a lure design and after that demonstration, Capt. Bill Hutchinson said in his best Oklahoma accent, “I think this one will work okay!” He was right.
After an unusual Sunday night rain storm I woke to a sunny spring day. After the torrential rains of the night before I wasn’t sure that the “Cove” would be running a boat.
I called my pal Jack and we agreed to go to the landing and see what’s what. The place was empty, Except for one solitary pier angler. Harry in the bait shop said, “We cant’ run a boat with 2 fares; you need at least 4 fishermen for us to run.” We asked the lonely pier angler if he would join us for a virtual private trip. He agreed. We asked Harry for 4 tickets on the Betty-O. The 3 of us divided the cost of the fourth ticket.
As luck would have it we ran into a wide open yellowtail bite at the Big Kelp Reef, mere minutes from the pier. We caught near limits of nice sized fish including Yellowtail, and then spent our time gaffing fish for Captain Bill and Bob Packard the deckhand. Here was a case where we welcomed the crew fishing. I will never forget the comments of the lone pier angler that we “talked in” to going on his first party boat. “That was pretty good, wasn’t it?” I have always wondered if he realized what a special day it was.

The first half of the 50s were cool water years. It wasn’t until 57, 58, and 59 that we had warm water years. The term El Nino had yet to be coined.
Those three years were fabulous. I heard tales of fellows using beer can openers, casting from the rocks at Ballona Creek. Harry Edelson had a tackle shop near by. Harry told me that the “church key” type beer can opener was not easily gotten. It seems he and avid fisherman had corralled them all! They did take barracuda! The beer can openers were not as effective as a manufactured jig of which there were many. I had my favorites. Barney killion’s “Streamlined Dodger” was a chrome and red gem. The barries and bonito went for them big time.
I probably hold a record for losing jigs. In those days the fabled “Candy Bar” was all of $2.50! One day at the Coronado Islands, I lost a bunch and kept borrowing pal Bob’s. It got very expensive, Bob was not pleased.


It occurred to me I could make my own. It would be fun and between Bob and Jack alone we could use and lose many.
I started building my own lures in 1957. It was lucky timing to be sure.
I had no idea what I was doing, but lady luck seemed to smile at me.

Redondo Beach was very different and reminded me of run down Atlantic City, a beach town where I spent many summers. It too was a bit run down. I felt right at home.
As you readers know, Redondo is an up to date place now days, lots of waterfront eateries and expensive condos.

I will never forget boarding “The City of Redondo” it was big and beamy and well run by Captain Jack Baker and his crew. Captain Jack befriended me and was also one of the first people to buy my lures.
I was usually lucky on “The City” and made sure I tipped well when a jackpot was won. Good tips meant good service and good service meant getting a nice mackerel for bait when scant few were in the bait tanks.
One day the skipper baited my hook and told me, “As soon as you are hit, stop the fish NOW!” I wasn’t too sure what his point was, but I was hit at once and taken into the rocks by what the skipper said was a big yellow.
“You blew the jackpot kid” the skipper said. Readers, take note of what the crew tells you. They are out daily and know what’s going on! I never made that mistake again. Captain Jack loves to tell the tale of how he would buy small jigs for forty cents and sell them for 2.50. When fishing was hot, he would guarantee that the buyer would catch fish, or their money back. He was rarely wrong!
Redondo has a big underwater canyon right out in front. Over the years just about everything has been caught there. Besides the usual fare we took blue fin tuna and big White Sea bass.
Even today when I am involved in a kayak event I am asked, “Where would you fish?” I always say, “I’d go for broke, fish the canyon, strike out, or be the big winner.”

Redondo Sportfishing had fine barge fishing as well. Just a short water taxi ride and you could have a great day. What a place to take a beginning angler!
The taxi ran often. You could fish all day or quit when you chose to.

Paradise Cove had a barge as well. Sometimes things can be too good:
An acquaintance asked me to take him and his sons out fishing for their first time. I, of course, supplied all the tackle.
On the taxi ride to the barge I could see big bonito breaking the water.
I told Dick, listen, here’s what you need to do, okay? It took little skill to place a shiny jig in that mass of boiling fish. The neophytes did listen, and were amazed at the fish we all caught. I am talking about big fat, football shaped tuna-like bonito. Eight pounders were not at all unusual.
The funny thing is that on the trip home they figured, “boy that was easy!”
I don’t think they ever fished again.
Sometimes, things are so easy they are not appreciated.

“Paradise” had a tackle and bait shop on the end of the pier. The cove owner, Mr. Joe Morris was an innovator. Joe suggested that I make a giant jig as display piece for the tackle shop. I did. It was an attention getter being around 16 inches long. People would ask, “what do you catch with that thing?’
One day on a lark I took one aboard Captain Ward’s new boat, “The Gentleman” I got snickers from the regulars as I lowered it over the stern. Viola! Barracuda showed up en masse and all on board did well.
I got lots of laughs as I caught the tiniest barracuda you ever saw, they called them “pencils.”
They were snagged on the big 14/0 hook that was intended for recovering bodies. Why? Who knows? My theory is that they were joining the school and were snagged, or maybe their eyes were bigger than their stomachs?

Skipper Bill Hutchinson ran the Betty-O and was filled with fishing knowledge. One sunny day with a boat full of passengers we had a very nice day, no yellowtail, but a smattering of nice bass, bonito and cudas.
Our bait was poor, “pinhead” anchovies.
There were big Wiley yellows around, but they were not interested in the tiny baits. Jigs wouldn’t do it either. Fish need to be excited to hit with abandon.
It was minutes to the cry of “lines up, we’re going home”.
As the lines were being reeled in Bill winked at me and said, “Get your jig ready.” Why I wondered? I did learn from Captain Jack at Redondo to listen to the man that knows. I was ready. Captain Hutchinson went to an old Coke box, the kind with the bottle opener on the side. The caps when removed dropped into a box and accumulated. Bill looked at me and said, “Now” as he broadcast hundreds of bottle caps over the side.

I don’t think I made more than a few cranks of my reel when I was hooked up to what proved to be a 28 pound yellow, and a certain jackpot.
Bill’s method was no different then that of commercial fisherman who used large volume water hoses to simulate bait fish. Or maybe yellowtail like
Coke?
Once on an afternoon run on the Betty-O, Captain Bill did something unique. He free gaffed a basking black sea bass. Bill cut the engines, leaped off the bridge, grabbed a gaff, and ran to the stern’s starboard corner, where he neatly gaffed a stunned black sea bass. Bill had spotted this great fish basking on the surface and “beaned” it with the Betty-Os bow!
The fish ran around 200 pounds.
If you ever visit Bob Morris’s Beach Café at Paradise Cove you can see Captain Bill’s photo among an array of wonderful old photos from the collection of Bill Beebe.

World Record Bonito
It was the summer of 1978,
A young deckhand named Gino Piccolo worked with Captain Bill. They had tied up by the bait receiver for a quick lunch before picking up the fares for the afternoon run. They spotted the big fish chasing bait, mackerel that were after bait fish that were out of the bait receiver.
Bill commented to Gino, “I never saw a bonito that big!”
They went in to pick up the eager anglers for the afternoon run. They took the Betty-O back to the area where the big fish was seen, but no sightings were made.
A few days after that sighting Bill and Gino were working on the bait receiver when they spotted that huge fish chasing bait again. Gino alertly threw a jig expertly and was promptly hit. The huge fish weighed in at
22 pounds, 3 ounces.
Gino was the proud owner of a world’s record.
Since that day a new record has been posted. The Dept. of Fish & Game lists the “new” record by Kim Larson at 21 pounds 2 ozs. Not as big as Gino’s . So there is some confusion there. Young Gino’s fish was weighed on certified scales at the Malibu Seafood market.

How I wish I had taken more photos! As luck would have it my Son-in-Law’s Grandparents were avid anglers. The photos were taken by Bill Beebe and are here courtesy of David Brown. As you see the catches were remarkable.
I likely fished with this happy couple and never knew it. These photos were from the late 50s and early 60s!
Can you believe catches like these occurred off of Santa Monica? No wonder I am spoiled.

Santa Monica’s Sportfishing operation is long gone. Paradise Cove lost a major part of the pier during a storm of 1983. It was never rebuilt
Malibu was acquired by the state and is supposed to have a Sportfishing operation once again. The new concessionaire is Jay Wagner, “Zuma Jay.”
The reconstruction of the pier has been plagued by contractor disputes and litigation. Hopefully these will be overcome and Malibu will, once again have an excellent fishing operation.

News:
Since this was written Malibu once again has a sportfishing operation!
Malibu is easily reachable by thousands of people from Los Angeles and the populous San Fernando Valley. It will be nice to be able to go fishing on a moments notice! The old “Aquarius” Is back in operation and is now called The “Scorpio”
I was very fortunate to meet many in the industry. I was befriended by many and got lots of good advice.
Many of those old timers are now gone. They will never be forgotten. I was too young to fully appreciate the fine treatment I received from so many.

Photo The late Capt jack Baker's "City of Redondo."
Photo A happy group of anglers at santa Monica Sportfishing. Little did i know that the gentleman and lady on the left were the grand parents of my future Son-In-Law.
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Since this was written I have heard from the venerable Ed Reis.  Ed has a wonderful column in "Pacific Coast Fisherman."  Ed has generously given us more information.  See his comments below!
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Jerry, Read your story last night and found some very interesting insight on the old days. You mentioned the Streamline Dodger and you say Barney Killion invented it. I fished with it in 1939 and lost only one I had to a big grouper in 1944 at Eniwetok Atoll, during the war. On my first trip on a plunger boat in 1932 I saw the skipper up in the bow throwing the original Dodger jig which was nickel plated bronze with a satiny finish, no red stripe. He was killing the snakes and I yearned to buy one. That model was in use until the Streamline came on the market. Am wondering who made the old model? At the time it was about the only jig available with built in action heavy enough to cast and I caught everything on it.


Baldy had the big tackle store by the pier in Newport and during the war he convinced some of the old high-liner commercial fishermen to let him copy their hot trolling bones in plastic. I used them with great success in 1947-50 when I was commercial fishing. I went back in the Navy in '51 and the only Baldys I saw when I resumed comm. fishing were the albacore jigs such as the famous boat line lure of green with a red stripe.

Jim Putters was a well-known Redondo commercial from way back in the early 1920s and he had his successful bones copied in aluminum. I think I have one or two. The best collection of old jigs I have seen yet is owned by Chuck Horton. you may know him. He has some rare ones.

Unfortunately, I never had an opportunity to use the Jerry Jigs you sent me, but they remain part of my collection. At age 91 I haven't been out to sea in a long time and am lucky I still can fish in the bay, sitting down in a trailer boat.

All best,                          Ed does a coulumn for Pacific Coast Sportfishing. He calls it "Looking Astern"
                                       His photos and vast knowledge are a delight  .
                                       Ed is an accomplished painter as well.
Ed

                  I took the liberty of publishing Ed's photo!  As usual his rod is bent!  Jerry Esten
PS I said Barney killion began making it. I don't know if he cliamed to invent it.  I don't think so.